Cyril of Jerusalem — Commentary on Scripture

Acts 2:15

For he who, according to Mark, was crucified at the third hour, has now at the third hour sent his grace. For his grace is not one and the Spirit’s another, but he who was then crucified and had promised, fulfilled what he had promised.

Catechetical Lecture 17.19

Acts 2:17

upon all flesh:
This suggests not only those from the circumcision, but all those without distinction who are called through faith, be they from pagans in their error, be they small or great, slave or free, barbarians or Scythians;

sons and your daughters shall prophesy :
Implying in this the liberality of the grace and its equal application to all; the female sex would not be rejected by God if they performed with zeal what pleases him and opted for that attitude, nor would they be without a share in recompense and sanctification if they proved commmendable in faith and the goodness of their actions.

and your elders:
in my view meaning by elder pre-eminence and priority coming from quality of virtue, mature, as it were, with spendid achievements, and distinguised and admirable for mature thinking.

Acts 2:24

He cried to the Father, saying, Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit [Luke 23:46]; I commend it, that I may take it again. And having said these things, He gave up the ghost [Matthew 27:50]; but not for any long time, for He quickly rose again from the dead.

The Sun was darkened, because of the Sun of Righteousness [Malachi 4:2]. Rocks were rent, because of the spiritual Rock. Tombs were opened, and the dead arose, because of Him who was free among the dead; He sent forth His prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water [Zechariah 9:11].

Catechetical Lecture 13, Sections 33-34

Acts 2:36

For on Christ our Savior we confess the anointing to have been performed, not however figuratively, (as formerly on kings by the oil,) and as if by prophetic grace, but the Savior as man in the form of a servant, was anointed by the Holy Spirit as God He Himself by His Holy Spirit anoints those that believe in Him.

Acts 2:38

and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ: Saving holy Baptism suffices for our cleansing of sin, and erases the stain of previous falls.

Acts 5:3

Peter was not with Ananias and Sapphira when they sold their possessions, but he was present by the Spirit.

Acts 8:19

He did not say, “Give me also the participation in the Holy Ghost,” but “Give me this power,” with a view to selling to others what could not be sold—something he himself did not possess.

Catechetical Lecture 16.10

Acts 8:20

He offered money to people without possessions, and that too after seeing people bring the price of what they sold and lay it at the feet of the apostles. He did not realize that they who trod underfoot the wealth offered for the sustenance of the poor would surely never sell him the power of the Holy Spirit for a price.

Catechetical Lecture 16.10

Acts 8:32

He is called a sheep; not a senseless one, but that which cleanses the world from sin by its precious blood, and when led before its shearer knows when to be silent.

Catechetical Lecture 10.3

Acts 9:17

The Holy Spirit worked immediately and not only changed Paul’s blindness to sight but also imparted the seal to his soul, making him a vessel of election to carry the name of the Lord who had appeared to him before kings and the children of Israel; and he fashioned his former persecutor into a herald and a good servant who “from Jerusalem round about as far as Illyricum completed the gospel of Christ.”

Catechetical Lecture 17.26

Acts 10:47

For since a person is of twofold nature, soul and body, the purification also is twofold, the one incorporeal for the incorporeal part, and the other bodily for the body. The water cleanses the body, and the Spirit seals the soul, that we may draw near to God, “having our heart sprinkled” by the Spirit “and our body washed with pure water.” … Neither does he who is baptized with water, but not found worthy of the Spirit, receive the grace in perfection; nor if a person is virtuous in his deeds, but receives not the seal by water, shall he enter into the kingdom of heaven. A bold saying, but not mine, for it is Jesus who has declared it, and here is the proof of the statement from holy Scripture. Cornelius was a just man who was honored with a vision of angels and had set up his prayers and alms deeds as a good memorial before God in heaven. Peter came, and the Spirit was poured out on them that believed, and they spoke with other tongues and prophesied. And after the grace of the Spirit the Scripture says that Peter commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ; in order…

For since a person is of twofold nature, soul and body, the purification also is twofold, the one incorporeal for the incorporeal part, and the other bodily for the body. The water cleanses the body, and the Spirit seals the soul, that we may draw near to God, “having our heart sprinkled” by the Spirit “and our body washed with pure water.” … Neither does he who is baptized with water, but not found worthy of the Spirit, receive the grace in perfection; nor if a person is virtuous in his deeds, but receives not the seal by water, shall he enter into the kingdom of heaven. A bold saying, but not mine, for it is Jesus who has declared it, and here is the proof of the statement from holy Scripture. Cornelius was a just man who was honored with a vision of angels and had set up his prayers and alms deeds as a good memorial before God in heaven. Peter came, and the Spirit was poured out on them that believed, and they spoke with other tongues and prophesied. And after the grace of the Spirit the Scripture says that Peter commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ; in order that, the soul having been born again by faith, the body also might by the water partake of the grace.

Catechetical Lecture 3.4

Acts 15:28

They indicated clearly by what they wrote that though the decree had been written by men who were apostles, it was from the Holy Spirit and universal. Barnabas and Paul took this decree and confirmed it to the whole world.

Catechetical Lecture 17.29

Amos 2:8

Cain was the first murderer. Afterwards a deluge engulfed the earth because of the exceeding wickedness of humanity. Fire came down from heaven upon the people of Sodom because of their corruption. Subsequently God elected Israel, but even Israel became perverse, and the chosen people were wounded. For while Moses stood on the mountain before God, the people worshiped a calf in the place of God. In the days of their lawgiver Moses, who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” a man dared to enter a brothel and be wanton. After Moses, prophets were sent to heal Israel, but in their exercise of healing they deplored the fact that you could not overcome evil. One of them says, “The faithful are gone from the earth. Among men the upright are no more!” and again, “All alike have gone astray; they have become perverse; there is not one who does good, not even one.” And again, “Cursing and theft, and adultery, and killing have overflowed” upon the land. “They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.” They engaged themselves in auguries and enchantments and divinations; and again, “They…

Cain was the first murderer. Afterwards a deluge engulfed the earth because of the exceeding wickedness of humanity. Fire came down from heaven upon the people of Sodom because of their corruption. Subsequently God elected Israel, but even Israel became perverse, and the chosen people were wounded. For while Moses stood on the mountain before God, the people worshiped a calf in the place of God. In the days of their lawgiver Moses, who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” a man dared to enter a brothel and be wanton. After Moses, prophets were sent to heal Israel, but in their exercise of healing they deplored the fact that you could not overcome evil. One of them says, “The faithful are gone from the earth. Among men the upright are no more!” and again, “All alike have gone astray; they have become perverse; there is not one who does good, not even one.” And again, “Cursing and theft, and adultery, and killing have overflowed” upon the land. “They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.” They engaged themselves in auguries and enchantments and divinations; and again, “They fastened their garments with cords and hung veils next to the altar.”

CATECHETICAL LECTURE 12:6

Amos 4:13

When Christ came, the people of the old covenant denied him, but the devils confessed him. His forefather David was not ignorant of him when he said, “I will place a lamp for my anointed.” Some have interpreted “lamp” as the splendor of prophecy; others have understood by the lamp the flesh he assumed of the Virgin, according to the words of the apostle: “But we carry this treasure in vessels of clay.” The prophet was not ignorant of him when he said, “And declaring his Christ to men.” Moses also knew him, and Isaiah and Jeremiah as well. None of the prophets was ignorant of him. Even the devils acknowledged him, for he rebuked them, and Scripture adds, “Because they knew that he was the Christ.”

CATECHETICAL LECTURE 10:15

Colossians 1:16

Therefore Christ is the Onlybegotten Son of God and Maker of the World, for “he was in the world, and the world was made through him,” and “he came unto his own,” as the Gospel teaches us. But Christ is the Maker, at the bidding of the Father, not only of things visible but also things invisible. For, according to the apostle: “In him were created all things in the heavens or on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers. All things have been created through him and unto him, and he is before all creatures, and in him all things hold together.” Though you mention the worlds, Jesus Christ, at the bidding of the Father, is Maker of these too.

Colossians 1:20

The Savior endured all this, “making peace through the blood of the cross, for all things whether in the heavens or on the earth.” For we were enemies of God through sin, and God had decreed the death of the sinner. One of two things, therefore, was necessary, either that God, in his truth, should destroy all men, or that in his lovingkindness, he should remit the sentence. But see the wisdom of God; he preserved the truth of his sentence and the exercise of his lovingkindness. Christ took our sins “in his body upon the tree; that we, having died to sin,” by his death “might live to justice.” He who died for us was of no small worth; he was no material sheep; he was no mere man. He was more than an angel, he was God made man. The iniquity of sinners was not as great as the justice of him who died for them. The sins we committed were not as great as the justice he wrought, who laid down his life for us. He laid it down when he willed, and he took it up again when he willed.

Colossians 2:8

True religion consists of these two elements: pious doctrines and virtuous actions. Neither does God accept doctrines apart from works, nor are works, when divorced from godly doctrine, accepted by God…. The knowledge of doctrines is a precious possession. There is need of a vigilant soul, since there are many who would deceive you by philosophy and vain deceit.

Colossians 2:15

Let us not be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Let the cross, as our seal, be boldly made with our fingers upon our brow, and on all occasions; over the bread we eat, over the cups we drink; in our comings and in our goings; before sleep; on lying down and rising up; when we are on the way and when we are still. It is a powerful safeguard; it is without price, for the sake of the poor; without toil, because of the sick; for it is a grace from God, a badge of the faithful, and a terror to devils; for “he displayed them openly, leading them away in triumph by force of it.” For when they see the cross, they are reminded of the Crucified.

Colossians 3:20

But while honoring our heavenly Father, let us also honor the “fathers of our flesh,” since the Lord in the Law and the Prophets has clearly laid this down, saying: “Honor your mother and your father, that it may be well with you, and that you may have a long life in the land.” Let those present who have mothers and fathers pay attention to this command. “Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is pleasing to the Lord.” For our Lord did not say: “He who loves father or mother is not worthy of me,” else what was well written you might interpret falsely out of ignorance, but he added “more than me.”

Daniel 3:27

Recall what happened to Ananiah and his companions. From which sources did they make water flow or how many vessels of water did they use to extinguish the fire that rose up forty-nine cubits high? Even when the flame rose a little too high, faith was poured out there to extinguish the fire like a river when all confessed their sin, saying, “You are right, O Lord, in all this that you have made; yes, we have sinned in committing evil.” And their confession dissipated the flames. - "Catechetical Lectures 2.16"