A controversial and fiery figure, Cyril started his position as bishop in Alexandria, a city prone to riots and violence. He quickly responded in kind, taking the fight back to the enemies of the Faith on their terms, and for that reason, is often castigated by historians. He repented of his earlier vengeance, and became a champion of clarity in Church teaching during the rise of the Nestorian heresy, a time of cosmic crisis. He became a figure of intelligence, kindness and reason, from which the Council of Ephesus took strength against the powers of Rome, local factions and rabbling Nestorians. The way to understand Cyril is to substitute the profile of the ‘haughty and heartless dogmatist’ for the ardent, anxious, often deeply suffering man, who, against an opponent strong in sophistry, court influence, and church power, persevered in defending the simple truth of the Scriptural and Nicene mystery.