John of Damascus Rewriting Cyril of Alexandria: The Neglected Source of Contra Nestorianos (CPG 8053)

This article revisits the relationship between John of Damascus’ two anti-Nestorian treatises, refuting the dominant view that Contra Nestorianos is a reworking of De fide contra Nestorianos. Instead, it demonstrates that Contra Nestorianos is a composition modelled closely on a hitherto overlooked source: Cyril of Alexandria’s Quod unus sit Christus. By engaging in a process of selective rewriting, John adopts Cyril’s arguments and method of refuting Nestorianism through biblical exegesis, while also making his own distinctive contributions in terms of structure, theological content and style. This study not only sheds light on the influence of Cyril’s work on John but also on the unique position of Contra Nestorianos within the broader context of John’s corpus.