While the original goal of the 'festal letters', written by the
archbishops of Alexandria, was to announce the dates of Lent, Easter,
and Pentecost, they developed into treatises with pastoral purposes, to
be read out in the parishes and monasteries throughout Egypt and Libya.
In this book, Hans van Loon studies the mystagogy of Cyril of Alexandria
(ca. 378-444) as it can be discerned in his twenty-nine extant festal
letters. After an introduction, which deals with the historical
background of the festal letters and gives an overview of their
contents, various aspects of Cyril's mystagogy are discussed in detail:
the centrality of the mystery of Christ; the role of the sacraments; the
archbishop's typological interpretation of the Old Testament, and his
attitude towards Judaism; how he encourages the faithful to fast and to
pray, and to live virtuous lives; and finally, how he envisages our
relationship with God.
- ISBN13 9789042934245
- Publish Date 29 March 2017
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country BE
- Imprint Peeters Publishers
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 185
- Language English