Cyprian’s Ecclesiology

Before his conversion Thascius Caecilianus Cyprianus, better known as Cyprian, was a wealthy, unmarried, aristocrat and rhetorician born sometime around A.D. 200. As a result of knowing a Carthaginian pastor, Caecilius, he became a Christian in 246. Two years later he was elected bishop of the church in Carthage and remained in his post until his martyrdom in 258.

While Cyprian inherited much of the theological and moral outlook of Tertullian, his spirit is perhaps closer to that of Ignatius. His was a wartime bishopric, for in A.D. 250, the Decian persecution began and the government attempted to force Christians to sacrifice or be severely punished. As though that wasn’t enough, a plague broke out in Carthage and there was schism in the Church of Rome. Through these trials, Cyprian remained committed to defending the faith and purity of the Church, holding steady in his conviction and steering the faithful through difficult moral and theological issues.

This episode contains two works by Cyprian which, taken together, address theological and practical questions relating to the Church. The first, Cyprian’s On the Unity of the Church, was written in response to the Novatian heresy, itself a schism between competing bishops. In this work Cyprian explores the function of the Church as it relates to salvation both at the individual and historical level. Here, he takes a hard stance, labeling separation from the Church as a cardinal sin and claiming that the unity of the Church is a necessary prerequisite for salvation.

As a minor aside, the text ends with Cyprian lamenting the state of the Church in his time, claiming that faith in his day was nowhere near that of the apostles. There is a bit of comfort knowing that even so close to the time of Christ the Church found it difficult to remain faithful in a decadent and worldly society.

The second work, Cyprian’s On The Lapsed, celebrates the ending of the persecution which was the subject of so many of his epistles. He rejoices in the ability to once again gather together and celebrates the perseverance of the saints. The focus of the work, however, is to encourage those who lapsed in their confession during the trial to repent and rejoin the Church. Against this backdrop, Cyprian continues to explore the idea that the Church is the primary means by which God’s grace is distributed to the saints. He exhorts those who have denied Christ to confess their sins to God with weeping and repentance, completing penance to be absolved.

To Protestant ears Cyprian’s characterization of penance as a means of appeasing God profoundly misses the mark, as it implies that a person is capable of working to maintain their salvation. Theological ramifications aside, Cyprian’s words remind us that grace is not cheap and that while Christ’s sacrificial work on the cross is the only sufficient payment for our sins, we are also called to confess our sins to God and one another. This ought not be taken lightly or made easy, but as Cyprian advocates should be accompanied by heartfelt groans and tears.

If you would like to read more of the writings of the Early Christian Fathers, please visit ccel.org to view the full collection.