From Phinehas to Cyril: Notes on the Appropriation of Biblical Zeal in Late Antique Alexandria

Published in Faith • Civilization • Theology (eISSN 3083-0710), Volume 2, Issue 1 — January–June 2027. First published online: 30 October 2026. Copyright © 2026 Irene Gobbi. All rights reserved; free reader access.

Abstract
The exegetical links between Cyril of Alexandria and Philo have only become the subject of investigation in recent decades, and they are still largely unexplored. My paper aims to focus on a specific and controversial figure, Phinehas (Numbers 25:6–13), to compare the different interpretations provided by Philo and Cyril. The use of Phinehas to convey eminently political messages was already well known in the Jewish world, and this custom transited into Cyril’s episcopal propaganda. Moreover, Cyril’s interpretation of Phinehas’s actions could present a truly impressive and deeply personal allusion to the first three years of his reign. Possibly accepting and pushing his own identification with the “zealous” Phinehas, Cyril and his followers used this character to convey strong political and doctrinal ideas in times of perceived widespread apostasy.