Turning to discuss John 17.20-21,
Cyril continues to focus upon the work of Christ, particularly in his bringing
peace. He begins by recounting Christ’s work of restoration as the second Adam
(1 Cor 15.47). Just as humanity bears the image of the earthly man, believers
will experience the image of the heavenly man (1 Cor 15.49) since Christ has
come form above and bestows the Spirit. Regarding the process of restoration to
original glory, Cyril writes: ‘And the Son is the exact image of the father,
and his Spirit is the natural likeness of the Son. For this reason, moulding
anew, as it were, into himself the souls of men, he stamps them with the divine
form and seals them with the image of the Most High’ (In Jo. 17.20-21,
2:546 [2:731]). Thus, the formation of the believer is uniquely Trinitarian in character.
With discussion of the soul, we see that the transformation described is moral
and noetic in nature, in accord with the sanctification theme of the Johannine passage.
Concerning the unity Jesus prayers for
in the Johannine text, Cyril explores the unity of the Trinity, unity in the
church, and divine-human unity and shows the correlation between them all.
Regarding this divine-human unity, Christ has forged the way in his incarnation.
Since he shares the divine nature as God and shares the human nature as man, he
enables humans to partake of the divine nature as they ‘partake of the Holy
Spirit and union with God’ (In Jo. 17.20-21. 2.549 [2:735]). Believers
are not only united to Christ through the Spirit but also through his Body, the
Eucharist, as they partake of the one bread (1 Cor 10.17) and are joined in one
body (Eph 4.14-16; 3.5-6). Cyril, using Eph 4.2-6, turns again to emphasise the
Spirit’s role in uniting believers. By taking on ‘the transcendent formation (μορφωσις) of the Holy Spirit’, ‘we are well-nigh
transformed (μεθιστημι) into another nature, so to say, and
we become no longer mere men, but also being called sons of God and heavenly men,
because we have been proved partakers of the divine nature’ (In Jo. 17.20-21,
2.551-2 [2:737]). This union is one of ‘mental condition . . ., and also in conformity
to godliness, and in the fellowship of the holy body of Christ, and in the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit’ (In Jo. 17.20-21, 2:552 [2:737]). Thus,
the presence of Christ and the Spirit brings moral transformation within the formation
of the community.
As he moves on to John 17.22-23, Cyril
repeats themes that have arisen before. He focuses mainly upon the incarnation as
uniting humanity and God by highlighting the unity in Christ himself, and he draws
out the difference between believers’ ‘somatic’ (σωματικως) union with God and the ‘spiritual’ (πνευματικως) union. These generally represent he
Eucharist and the Spirit, respectively, and result in our participation in the
divine nature, on account of which believers overcome corruption through
somatic and spiritual union with God. Thus, God showers his love upon believers
through Christ, which results in their resurrection and glory.
Through this extended discussions of
John 17.18-23, several topics are regularly repeated. Cyril returns several
times to the giving of the Spirit to Adam in Gen 2.7 and the subsequent loss of
the Spirit through Adam’s sin in Gen 3.19. Through union of the divine and
human in Christ, he restores the Spirit to humanity. The Spirit communicates
the presence of Christ and the Father and allows believers to partake in the
divine nature and experience divine life, making them into sons of God. As the
Spirit of Christ, one important aspect of the Spirit’s work is to form believers
into the image of Christ, the heavenly man, in his incorruption and sanctification.
In addition to this spiritual indwelling, the Eucharist also bodily
communicates Christ to those who partake of it. The concept of participation
plays a central role in his exposition. He repeatedly speaks of participation in
the Spirit and in the divine nature but also participation in the Eucharist as
the body of Christ. Thus, Cyril presents a thoroughly Trinitarian presentation of
the divine-human interaction, with a strong emphasis upon the work of Christ
and the Spirit in deification. (Ben C. Blackwell, Christosis: Engaging Paul’s
Soteriology with His Patristic Interpreters [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans,
2016], 89-90)
