sentence passed at Tyre, and now gave a cordial welcome to Athanasius, who thus describes his reception12:  “As I passed through Syria, I met with the Bishops of Palestine, who, when they had called a Council at Jerusalem, received me cordially, and themselves also sent me on my way in peace, and addressed the following letter to the Church and the Bishops13.”  The letter congratulating the Egyptian Bishops and the Clergy and people of Alexandria on the restoration of their Bishop is signed first by Maximus, who seems to have acted without reference to the Metropolitan Acacius, successor of Eusebius as Bishop of Cæsarea, and a leader of the Arians, a bitter enemy of Athanasius.  Though Cyril in his writings never mentions Athanasius or Arius by name, we can hardly doubt that, as Touttée suggests14, he must at this time have had an opportunity of learning the true character of the questions in dispute between the parties of the great heresiarch and his greater adversary. We have already learned from Jerome that Cyril was admitted to the Priesthood by Maximus.  There is no evidence of the exact date of his ordination:  but we may safely assume that he was a Priest of some years’ standing, when the important duty of preparing the candidates for Baptism was intrusted to him in or about the year 34815.  There appears to be no authority for the statement (Dict. Chr. Antiq. “Catechumens,” p. 319 a), that  the Catecheses of Cyril of Jerusalem were delivered by him partly as a Deacon, partly as a Pres- byter16.” At the very time of delivering the lectures, Cyril was also in the habit of preaching to the general congregation on the Lord’s day17, when the candidates for Baptism were especially required to be present18.  In the Church of Jerusalem it was still the custom for sermons to be preached by several Presbyters in succession, the Bishop preaching last.  From Cyril’s Homily on the Paralytic (§ 20) we learn that he preached immediately before the Bishop, and so must have held a distinguished position among the Priests.  This is also implied in the fact, that within three or four years after delivering his Catechetical Lectures to the candidates for Baptism, he was chosen to succeed Maximus in the See of Jerusalem. The date of his consecration is approximately determined by his own letter to Constan- tius concerning the appearance of a luminous cross in the sky at Jerusalem.  The letter was written on the 7th of May, 351, and is described by Cyril as the first-fruit of his Episcopate.  He must therefore have been consecrated in 350, or early in 351. 12 Apolog. contra Arian. § 57. 13 Cf. Athan. Hist. Arian. § 25. 14 Introductory note to Cyril’s Letter to Constantius, § x. 15 On the exact date of the Lectures, see below, ch. ix. 16 See more below on the office of “Catechist,” ch. ii. § 2. 17 Cat. x. 14. 18 Cat. i. 6. 7 Life of S. Cyril.