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Ad Carthaginiense concilium

Cyril of Alexandria · khazarzar

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machine-draft · no human review 2 passages · 304 words

Work dossier · summary and historical context

Summary

This work is a letter from Cyril of Alexandria to the Council of Carthage, likely composed in the early 5th century (ca. 418–430 CE) amid the Pelagian controversy. Cyril addresses the African bishops, affirming the condemnation of Pelagius and Caelestius and supporting the anti-Pelagian decrees. The original Greek is lost; the text survives only in a Latin translation, preserved in later conciliar acts and canonical collections. The edition used here, from the khazarzar digital collection, lacks critical apparatus or manuscript provenance, so the textual basis cannot be verified. The letter illustrates the communication network between Alexandria and Carthage and the role of translation in transmitting conciliar authority.

The letter demonstrates Cyril's engagement with Western anti-Pelagian efforts and the coordination between the Alexandrian and African churches. It was cited in later conciliar acts and canonical collections, influencing Western church discipline. The survival only in Latin translation highlights the role of translation in preserving and transmitting patristic authority.

Historical context

The letter was written during the Pelagian controversy, which peaked in the 410s–420s. Cyril of Alexandria (patriarch ca. 412–444) corresponded with the African church, led by bishops Aurelius and Valentinus of Carthage, and with Pope Zosimus. The Council of Carthage (possibly 418 or 424) condemned Pelagius and Caelestius. Cyril's letter, originally in Greek, was translated into Latin by the presbyter Innocentius and carried to Carthage by him and the subdeacon Marcellus. The text survives only in Latin, embedded in later collections like the Hispana or Dionysiana. The khazarzar edition provides no manuscript details, so its transmission history is uncertain. The letter reflects the early 5th-century ecclesiastical network and the use of translations to enforce doctrinal unity across the Mediterranean.

Apparatus · what the pipeline recorded

Annotation and terms

12 commentary units 2 structure2 background2 dating2 reception2 caution1 transmission1 term 0 derived notes 4 open questions 2 narrative
What the kinds mean

Pipeline notes

  • coverageNo English translation could be identified: a language model asked twice could not name one, though it could not rule one out either. That is not proof that none exists — translations in dissertations, recent books and other modern languages are easily missed.
  • limitThe English is a machine draft produced passage by passage from the transcribed Coptic; no human has verified it. The commentary is model-written and cites only keys the pipeline could resolve.
  • registerRegister: other in ancient Greek; the English keeps the liturgical formulae and the vocatives rather than normalising them.
  • structurePassages: 2 narrative.
  • sourceSource edition: khazarzar — Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer

Term index

CopticRenderingCountFirst
no glossary terms recorded
khazarzar-cyril-of-alexandria-ad-carthaginiense-concilium:1 · narrativehigh
Source
Καὶ ὑπέγραψαν. Ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν φυλάξοι σε ἡμῖν ἐπὶ πλείστους χρόνους, μακαριώτατε ἀδελφέ. Ὑπέγραψαν ὁμοίως· Ἀλύπιος, Αὐγουστῖνος, Ποσείδιος, Μαρῖνος καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἐπίσκοποι. Ἄρχεται τὰ πρὸς τὴν ἐν Ἀφρικῇ σύνοδον ἀντίγραφα Κυρίλλου τοῦ τῆς Ἀλεξανδρέων ἐπισκόπου, ἐν οἷς τὰ αὐθεντικὰ τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνόδου ἀπὸ γραϊκοῦ μεταβληθέντα διὰ Ἰννοκεντίου πρεσβυτέρου ἀπέστειλεν· αἵτινες ἐπιστολαὶ μετὰ τῆς ἐν Νικαίᾳ συνόδου διὰ τοῦ μνημονευθέντος Ἰννοκεντίου πρεσβυτέρου καὶ Μαρκέλλου ὑποδιακόνου τῆς ἐν Καρχηδόνι ἐκκλησίας τῷ ἁγιωτάτῳ Βονιφατίῳ, ἐπισκόπῳ τῆς ῥωμαϊκῆς ἐκκλησίας τῇ πρὸ ἓξ καλανδῶν δεκεμβρίων ἀπεστάλησαν. Κυρίοις τιμιωτάτοις καὶ ἁγιωτάτοις ἀδελφοῖς καὶ συνεπισκόποις Αὐρηλίῳ, Βαλεντίνῳ καὶ πάσῃ τῇ ἐν Καρχηδόνι συναθροισθείσῃ ἁγιωτάτῃ συνόδῳ, Κύριλλος ἀσπαζόμενος ἐν κυρίῳ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην. Τὰ γραφέντα παρὰ τῆς ὑμετέρας τιμιότητος πολλὴν ἔχοντα θρησκείαν μετὰ πάσης χαρᾶς διὰ τοῦ τέκνου ἡμῶν Ἰννοκεντίου τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου ἐδεξάμην.
English
And they subscribed. May our Lord preserve you for us for very many years, most blessed brother. Likewise subscribed: Alypius, Augustinus, Posidius, Marinus, and the remaining bishops. Here begin the copies of Cyril, bishop of the Alexandrians, to the council in Africa, in which he sent the authentic acts of the council of Nicaea, translated from Greek by the presbyter Innocentius. These letters, together with the acts of the council of Nicaea, were sent through the aforementioned presbyter Innocentius and Marcellus, subdeacon of the church of Carthage, to the most holy Boniface, bishop of the Roman church, on the sixth day before the Kalends of December. To the most honorable and most holy lords and fellow bishops Aurelius, Valentinus, and the entire most holy council assembled at Carthage, Cyril, greeting in the Lord your love. The writings of your worthiness, containing much piety, I received with all joy through our son Innocentius the presbyter.
khazarzar-cyril-of-alexandria-ad-carthaginiense-concilium:2 · narrativehigh
Source
Τούτων δὲ παρ' ἡμῶν ἐλπισθέντων, ὥστε ἐκ τοῦ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐκκλησίας σκρινίου τὰ ἀληθέστατα ἴσα τῆς ἐν τῇ Νικαέων μητροπόλει τῆς Βιθυνίας αὐθεντικῆς συνόδου, τὰ παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων ὁρισθέντα καὶ βεβαιωθέντα ὑποκάτω τῆς ὁμολογίας τῆς ἡμετέρας πίστεως τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ ἀγάπῃ ἡμᾶς ἀποστεῖλαι, ἀναγκαῖον ἡγησάμην, κύριοι τιμιώτατοι ἀδελφοί, ἀσπασμοῦ προηγουμένου, διὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ τέκνου ἡμῶν Ἰννοκεντίου τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου τὰ πιστότατα ἴσα τὰ τῆς αὐθεντικῆς συνόδου τῆς ἐν τῇ Νικαέων πόλει τῆς Βιθυνίας ἐχόμενα τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ ἀποστεῖλαι ἀγάπῃ, ὅπερ καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐκκλησιαστικῇ ἱστορίᾳ ζητοῦντες εὑρήσετε. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ πάσχα, ὡς ἐγράψατε, ἀγγέλλομεν ὑμῖν τῇ πρὸ δεκαεπτὰ καλανδῶν μαΐων ἡμᾶς ἐπιτελέσοντας τῇ ἐπεισερχομένῃ ἰνδικτιῶνι. Ἡ ὑπογραφή. Ὁ θεὸς καὶ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν τὴν ἁγίαν ὑμῶν σύνοδον φυλάξοι, ὅπερ εὐχόμεθα, τιμιώτατοι ἀδελφοί.
English
These things having been hoped for by us, so that from the archive of our church we might send to your love the most true copies of the authentic synod in the metropolis of Nicaea of Bithynia, the things defined and confirmed by the holy fathers below the confession of our faith, I considered it necessary, most honorable lords and brothers, with a greeting preceding, to send to your love through the same child of ours, Innocentius the presbyter, the most faithful copies of the authentic synod in the city of Nicaea of Bithynia, which you will also find if you search in the ecclesiastical history. Concerning Pascha, as you wrote, we announce to you that we will celebrate on the seventeenth day before the Kalends of May in the coming indiction. The subscription. May God and our Lord preserve your holy synod, which we pray for, most honorable brothers.
Citation. Tergwame, “Ad Carthaginiense concilium”, khazarzar-cyril-of-alexandria-ad-carthaginiense-concilium:1, machine-draft, 2026. https://naxiai.com/christian/works/khazarzar-cyril-of-alexandria-ad-carthaginiense-concilium#s1
Colophon. Source: khazarzar · licence: Migne PG text (public domain); khazarzar host and the digitising project state no licence for this layer · model: deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash:floor · provider: Relace · cost: $0.0015 · generated 2026-11-15.