In Cyril of Alexandria’s Commentary on the Gospel of John, he writes in his preface that we must interpret the Scriptures along the “lines of true understanding.” He says that the consequence of interpreting outside of these lines would be damage to the interpreter’s soul. Throughout his commentary, he shows the reader that this means interpreting in the tradition of Irenaeus and Athanasius to read according to the rule of faith or the skopos of the gospel and the life of Jesus. He shows that having a right, biblical view of Jesus is necessary for correctly interpreting the Scriptures and avoiding this soul damage.
This paper will examine what Cyril means by these lines of true understanding and why interpreting outside of them will result in such damage. To do so, this paper will examine Cyril of Alexandria’s Commentary on the Gospel of John to illustrate the necessity of the Spirit for Christian interpretation of the Scriptures within Cyril’s trinitarian hermeneutic. I will show that the Spirit is the one who guides the Christian interpreter and helps her remain within the lines of true understanding. In keeping her within these lines of proper Christian interpretation, the Spirit not only helps her avoid damage to her soul but works through the Scriptures to form her into the image of Christ.