Help with Cyril of Alexandria

[John Wilson]

In a discussion on another forum, a comment was made by a Catholic that St Cyril is alone in suggesting that the dialogue in John 21:15-17 was one in which Peter was restored to his role as an Apostle, having lost it by his thrice denial of Christ. In reading the commentaries of other Fathers available in English, the understanding I get is that this is more the restoring of Peter's confidence and wondered whether this was the sense of St Cyril's commentary also.

Unfortunately St Cyril's commentary on John's Gospel does not appear to be available online as an English translation so I wondered if I might ask the indulgence of the Greek scholars here and ask what their understanding of St Cyril is. I'm not asking for a translation of the text, just a yea or nay on whether it is as the Catholic apologist said. Since my Greek is limited I am posting a reasonably large chunk of text to ensure that enough context is provided. This is quoted from the TLG.

[John Wilson]

Commentarii in Joannem 3.163.6 ` to Commentarii in Joannem 3.166.13
Ὅτε οὖν ἠρίστησαν, λέγει τῷ Σίμωνι Πέτρῳ ὁ Ἰησοῦς Σίμων Ἰωνᾶ, ἀγαπᾷς με πλέον τούτων; λέγει αὐτῷ Ναὶ Κύριε, σὺ οἶδας ὅτι φιλῶ σε· λέγει αὐτῷ Βόσκε τὰ ἀρνία μου. λέγει αὐτῷ πάλιν δεύτερον Σίμων Ἰωνᾶ, ἀγαπᾷς με; λέγει αὐτῷ Ναὶ Κύριε, σὺ οἶδας ὅτι φιλῶ σε· λέγει αὐτῷ Ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου. λέγει αὐτῷ τρίτον Σίμων Ἰωνᾶ, φιλεῖς με; ἐλυπήθη ὁ Πέτρος ὅτι εἶπεν αὐτῷ τὸ τρίτον Φιλεῖς με· καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Σὺ οἶδας Κύριε πάντα· σὺ γινώσκεις ὅτι φιλῶ σε· λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς Βόσκε τὰ πρόβατά μου. Προενήρξατο τῶν ἄλλων ὁ Πέτρος καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν, ὡς ἐοικὸς, τὴν διὰ τοῦ σκάφους ὀλιγωρήσας ἄφιξιν, διὰ τὸ τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν ἀγάπης ἀσυγκρίτως θερμὸν καὶ ἀξιοζήλωτον. διὸ καὶ πρῶτος ἄνεισι καὶ ἕλκει τὸ δίκτυον· εὐπερίστροφος γὰρ ἀεί πως ἦν ἄνθρωπος, κεκεντρωμένος οὐ μετρίως εἰς τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ δρᾶσαί τε καὶ εἰπεῖν προθυμίαν. διὸ δὴ καὶ πρῶτος ὡμολόγει τὴν πίστιν, ὅτε δὴ πεῦσιν αὐτοῖς προσκεκόμικεν ὁ Σωτὴρ περὶ "τὰ μέρη τῆς Φιλίππου Καισαρείας εἰπών Τίνα "με λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου;" εἰρηκότων γὰρ τῶν ἑτέρων, οἱ μὲν Ἡλίαν, οἱ δὲ "Ἱερεμίαν ἢ "ἕνα τῶν προφητῶν·" προσερωτῶντος δὲ πάλιν καὶ λέγοντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ "Ὑμεῖς δὲ τίνα με λέγετε," προεξάλλεται πάλιν τῶν ἄλλων ὁ κορυφαῖος καὶ τῶν ἄλλων προτεταγμένος, καί φησι "Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ "ζῶντος." καὶ μὴν καὶ ὅτε τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἡ σπεῖρα 3.164 παρῆν τοῖς Ἰουδαίων ὑπηρέταις ἀναμὶξ πρὸς τὸ τοῖς ἄρχουσιν ἀποκομίσαι τὸν Ἰησοῦν, οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι "πάντες ἀφέντες "αὐτὸν ἔφυγον," κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, Πέτρος δὲ τῇ μαχαίρᾳ τὸ τοῦ Μάλχου διέκοψεν ὠτίον. ᾤετο γὰρ δεῖν διὰ παντὸς ἐπαμύνειν τρόπου τῷ οἰκείῳ διδασκάλῳ, εἰ καὶ ἀπᾴδουσαν αὐτῷ παντελῶς ἐποιεῖτο τὴν ἐγχείρησιν. ἀφικομένῳ τοιγαροῦν τῶν ἄλλων γοργότερον προσάγει τὴν πεῦσιν, εἰ πλεῖον αὐτῶν ἀγαπᾷ, καὶ τοῦτο εἰς τρίτον γέγονε. συγκατανεύει δὲ Πέτρος καὶ ἀγαπᾶν ὁμολογεῖ, τῆς ἐνυπαρχούσης αὐτῷ διαθέσεως αὐτὸν εἶναι λέγων τὸν μάρτυρα· ἐφ᾽ ἑκάστῃ δὲ τῶν ὁμολογιῶν διαφόρως ἀκούει τῆς τῶν λογικῶν προβάτων ἔχεσθαι φροντίδος. Οἶμαι δὲ ἔγωγε· χρῆναι γὰρ ὄντως φημὶ καὶ τὴν κεκρυμμένην ἐν τούτοις διερευνῆσαι διάνοιαν· οὐκ εἰκῇ γεγράφθαι καὶ ταῦτα, ὠδίνει δέ τι πάλιν ὁ λόγος, καὶ τῶν προκειμένων ὁ νοῦς ἔχει τι πάντως τὸ ἐνδομυχοῦν· ἢ γὰρ οὐκ ἐρεῖ τις εὐλόγως Μόνον ἐρωτᾷ τὸν Σίμωνα, καίτοι τῶν ἄλλων παρεστώτων μαθητῶν, διὰ ποίαν αἰτίαν; τί δ᾽ ἂν βούλοιτο δηλοῦν τό Βόσκε τὰ ἀρνία μου, καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἀδελφά; φαμὲν οὖν ὅτι κεχειροτόνητο μὲν ἤδη πρὸς τὴν θείαν ἀποστολὴν ὁμοῦ τοῖς ἑτέροις μαθηταῖς ὁ θεσπέσιος Πέτρος· αὐτὸς γὰρ αὐτοὺς ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστὸς ἀποστόλους ὠνόμασε κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον· ἐπειδὴ δὲ πραχθῆναι συμβέβηκε τὰ τῆς Ἰουδαίων ἐπιβουλῆς, καί τι μεταξὺ διεπταίσθη καὶ γέγονεν· ἀκράτῳ γὰρ δείματι καταληφθεὶς ὁ θεσπέσιος Πέτρος ἠρνήσατο τρὶς τὸν Κύριον· θεραπεύει τὸ πεπονθὸς, καὶ ἀνταπαιτεῖ ποικίλως τὴν εἰς τρίτον ὁμολογίαν, ἀντίσταθμον ὥσπερ ἐκείνῳ τοῦτο τιθεὶς καὶ ἀντίῤῥοπον τοῖς πταίσμασιν ἐξαρτύων τὴν ἐπανόρθωσιν. τὸ γὰρ λόγῳ διαπταισθὲν καὶ ἐν ψιλοῖς ἔχον ῥήμασι τῶν ἐγκλημάτων τὴν δύναμιν, κατὰ τὸν ἴσον δοίη τις ἂν ἀπολύεσθαι τρόπον. ἐξαιτεῖ δὲ εἰπεῖν, εἰ καὶ πλέον τῶν ἄλλων ἀγαπᾷ. καὶ γάρ τοι κατὰ ἀλήθειαν, ἅτε δὴ καὶ μείζονος ἀπολελαυκὼς ἀνεξικακίας, καὶ οἱονεὶ πλουσιωτέρᾳ χειρὶ τὴν τοῦ πλημμελήματος κομισάμενος ἄφεσιν, τῆς τῶν ἄλλων ἀγάπης μείζονα πῶς οὐκ ἂν εἰκότως συλλέξας ἐν ἑαυτῷ, ταῖς εἰς ἄκρον ἡκούσαις εὐνοίαις τὸν εὐεργέτην ἠμείψατο; κοινὸν μὲν γὰρ ἅπασι τοῖς ἁγίοις μαθηταῖς τὸ τετράφθαι πρὸς φυγὴν, τῆς Ἰουδαίων ἀπανθρωπίας ἀφόρητον αὐτοῖς ἐντιθείσης τὸ δεῖμα, καὶ τῆς τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἀγριότητος τὸν ὠμὸν ἀπειλούσης θάνατον, ὅτε συλληψόμενοι παρῆσαν τὸν Ἰησοῦν· ἰδιαζόντως γεμὴν πρὸς τούτῳ συνέβη τὸ τοῦ Πέτρου πλημμέλημα, τὸ διὰ τῆς εἰς τὸ τρίτον ἀρνήσεως.
Οὐκοῦν, ὡς πλείονα τῶν ἄλλων τὴν ἄφεσιν κομισάμενος, ἐξαιτεῖται λέγειν εἰ καὶ πλεῖον ἀγαπᾷ· κατὰ γὰρ τὴν τοῦ Σωτῆρος φωνὴν, ᾧ πολὺ ἀφίεται, πολὺ καὶ ἀγαπήσει. τύπος δὲ πάλιν ταῖς μὲν ἐκκλησίαις ἐντεῦθεν εἰς τὸ χρῆναι τρίτον διερωτᾶν τὴν εἰς Χριστὸν ὁμολογίαν τοὺς ἀγαπᾶν αὐτὸν ἑλομένους, διὰ τοῦ καὶ προσελθεῖν τῷ ἁγίῳ βαπτίσματι. διδασκάλοις δὲ γνῶσις διὰ τῆς τῶν προκειμένων εἰσβέβηκε θεωρίας, ὡς οὐκ ἂν ἑτέρως εὐαρεστήσαιεν τῷ πάντων ἀρχιποιμένι, τουτέστι Χριστῷ, εἰ μὴ τῆς τῶν λογικῶν προβάτων εὐρωστίας καὶ τῆς εἰς τὸ εὖ εἶναι διαμονῆς ποιοῖντο φροντίδα. τοιοῦτός τις ἦν ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος, τοῖς ἀσθενοῦσι συνασθενῶν, καύχημα δὲ τῆς ἰδίας ἀποστολῆς καὶ χαρὰν καὶ στέφανον ὀνομάζων τοὺς δι᾽ αὐτοῦ πιστεύσαντας, καὶ διὰ τῆς τῶν ἔργων λαμπρότητος εὐδοκιμεῖν ἑλομένους. ᾔδει γὰρ ᾔδει τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν τελείας ἀγάπης καρπὸν εἶναι τοῦτον ἐμφανῆ. λογισμῷ δὲ τοῦτο καλῷ τε καὶ ἀγαθῷ θεωρήσαι τις ἄν. εἰ γὰρ ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, πῶς οὐκ ἂν ἁπάσης ἠξίωσε φροντίδος τὴν ἁπάντων ἡμῶν σωτηρίαν καὶ ζωήν; καὶ εἴπερ ἀληθῶς εἰς Χριστὸν ἁμαρτάνουσιν οἱ "ἁμαρτάνοντες "εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τύπτοντες αὐτῶν ἀσθενοῦσαν τὴν "συνείδησιν," πῶς οὐκ ἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν ὅτι περ εἰς αὐτὸν εὐσεβοῦσι τὸν Κύριον οἱ τῶν ἤδη πεπιστευκότων καὶ τῶν εἰς τοῦτο καλεῖσθαι προσδοκωμένων χειραγωγοῦντες τὸν νοῦν, καὶ διὰ πάσης αὐτοῖς ὠφελείας τὸ βέβαιον ἐν πίστει περιποιεῖν σπουδάζοντες; οὐκοῦν διὰ μὲν τῆς εἰς τρίτον ὁμολογίας τοῦ μακαρίου Πέτρου τὸ ἐν τριπλῷ γεγονὸς εἰς ἀπάρνησιν κατηργήθη πλημμέλημα· διὰ δὲ τοῦ φάναι τὸν Κύριον Βόσκε τὰ ἀρνία μου, ἀνανέωσις ὥσπερ τις τῆς ἤδη δοθείσης ἀποστολῆς αὐτῷ γενέσθαι νοεῖται, τὸν μεταξὺ λύουσα τῶν πταισμάτων ὀνειδισμὸν, καὶ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἀσθενείας μικροψυχίαν ἐξαφανίζουσα.

[Peter Farrington]

Hi

The Commentary on St John's Gospel in English is available here..

http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/

and in print here..

http://www.orthodox-library.com/

Best wishes

Peter

[John Wilson]

Many thanks for your quick response Subdeacon. I had not looked at tertullian.org since I didn't find St Cyril's commentary on John listed on the Patristics Master List. I now looked again and found it easily [slaps forehead]

[M.C. Steenberg]

Dear Mr Wilson,

Here is the English of the relevant passage from St Cyril's commentary on John's Gospel, already provided above in Greek by yourself, from the translation of T. Randell toward which Peter recently pointed.


As the text reads (and as seems clear from Cyril's comments on Peter elsewhere), he does not suggest that St Peter 'lost' his apostleship through his three-fold denial and transgression; but rather, that it was brought into disgrace, and needed a 'renewal'.

Cyril, Commentary on John, book 12:
John 21.15-17: So when they had broken their fast, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou Me more than these? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed My lambs. He saith unto him again, a second time, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou Me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Tend My sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jona, lovest thou Me? Peter was grieved because He said unto him the third time, Lovest thou Me? And he said unto Him, Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed My sheep.

Peter started to reach Jesus before the rest, disdaining, as it appears, to go by boat, because of the incomparable fervour and admirable zeal of his love towards Christ. Therefore He comes first to land, and draws up the net; for he was always an impressionable man, easily excited to enthusiasm both in speech and action. Therefore, also, he first made confession of faith when the Saviour put to them the inquiry in the parts of Caesarea Philippi, saying: Who do men say that I the Son of Man am? And of the other disciples some said Elijah, and others Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. But when Christ put the further question to them: But Who say ye that I am? Peter took the lead, and becoming spokesman for the rest, hastened to reply: Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Moreover, when the band of soldiers came, together with the officers of the Jews, to take Jesus away to the rulers, the rest all left Him and fled, but Peter struck off Malchus' ear with a sword. For he thought it right by every means in his power to defend his Master, though the attack that he made was in fact altogether displeasing to Him. As, therefore, he came more impetuously than the rest, Christ puts to him the question whether he loved Him more than they, and repeated it three times; and Peter answers in the affirmative, and confesses his love for Him, saying that Christ Himself was a witness to his state of mind. And, after each confession, he heard Christ telling him in different words to take thought of His sheep, as He calls mankind in the parable.



And I think (for I say that we ought to search out the hidden meaning that is here implied) that these words were not written without a purpose, but the saying is pregnant with meaning, and the sense of the passage contains something more than meets the eye. May not someone reasonably ask, Why is it that Christ only asks Simon, though the other disciples were present? And what is the meaning of the words, Feed My lambs, and the like? We reply, that the inspired Peter had indeed already been elected, together with the other disciples, to be an Apostle of God (for our Lord Jesus Christ Himself named them Apostles, according to the Scripture), but, when the events connected with the plot of the Jews against Him came to pass, his fall came betwixt; for the inspired Peter was seized with uncontrollable fear, and thrice denied the Lord. Christ succours His erring disciple, and elicits by divers questions his thrice-repeated confession, counterbalancing, as it were, his error thereby, and making his recovery as signal as his fall. For a transgression which was verbal, and only in mere words supplied ground of accusation against him, could surely be wiped out in the same fashion as it was committed. He requires him to say whether he loved Him more than the rest. For in truth, as he had enjoyed a greater measure of forgiveness, and received from a more bountiful Hand the remission of his transgression, surely he would be likely to feel greater love than the rest, and requite his Benefactor with the extremity of affection. For although all the holy disciples alike betook themselves to flight, the inhumanity of the Jews inspiring them with a terror that they could not overcome, and the ferocity of the soldiers threatening them with cruel death when they came to take Jesus, still Peter's transgression by his thrice-repeated denial was special and peculiar to him.



Therefore, as he had received a greater measure of forgiveness than the rest, he is asked to tell Christ whether he loved Him more; for, as the Saviour Himself said, he to whom most is forgiven will also love much. Herein, also, is a type given to the Churches, that they ought thrice to ask for a confession of Christ from those who have chosen to love Him by coming to Him in Holy Baptism. And, by dwelling on this passage, instructors in religion may arrive at the knowledge that they cannot please the Chief Shepherd, that is Christ, unless they take thought for the health of the sheep of His fold, and their continuance in well-being. Such was the inspired Paul, who shared the infirmities of his weak brethren, and called those who through him believed, and chose to gain repute by the glory of their deeds, the boast, and joy, and crown of his apostleship. For he knew that this was the visible fruit of love for Christ. And this, if he reason well and justly, any one may perceive. For if He died for us, surely He must esteem the salvation and life of us all as deserving of all care. And if they who sin against the brethren, and wound their conscience when it is weak, in truth sin against Christ; surely it is true to say, that they are doing the Lord Himself service who take, as it were, by the hand the mind of those who have been admitted to the faith, and who are expected to be called to perfection therein, and are eager to stablish them firmly in the faith, by every help that they can offer. Therefore, by his thrice-repeated confession the thrice-repeated denial of the blessed Peter was done away, and by the saying of our Lord, "Feed my lambs," we must understand a renewal as it were of the apostleship, already given unto him, washing away the disgrace of his fall that came betwixt, and obliterating his faint-heartedness, that arose from human infirmity.
INXC, Matthew

[John Wilson]

As the text reads (and as seems clear from Cyril's comments on Peter elsewhere), he does not suggest that St Peter 'lost' his apostleship through his three-fold denial and transgression; but rather, that it was brought into disgrace, and needed a 'renewal'.
Thank you Dr Steenberg. This was what I was leaning towards with the little understanding of Greek that I have and seems to be the consensus I have gleaned from other comentaries.