The Epistles of Cyprian, Volume One
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 the first volume of a series of epistles written by, written to, or including Cyprian. This invaluable collection of 81 documents provides insight into the practical workings and controversies of the Early Church. Here, we find church leaders struggling with how to handle the Lapsed, or those who sacrificed to the Roman gods at the behest of the government, schism within the leaders of the Church, and general issues of life and polity.
In Justin Martyr and Tertullian’s day, persecution was generally local and limited in scope. While Christianity was illegal and refusal to worship the Roman gods merited death, it was generally only enforced when someone was brought before the courts. When Decius became emperor, however, he sought to rejuvenate Rome by revitalizing the worship of her gods. Thus, he mandated that all were required to sacrifice and obtain a certificate proving their obedience. Rather than exterminate Christianity specifically, he sought to conform all citizens to Roman ideals.
This proved a great difficulty for the Church. Before Decius there had been a period of relative peace and many believers had not personally known the threat of martyrdom. Additionally, rather than simply executing Christians and creating martyrs and heroes, the Romans now sought to coerce believers to deny Christ. Some buckled under pressure and sacrificed. Some bought off the authorities and obtained fraudulent certificates. Others gave in under torture, and many became Confessors - that is those who confessed Christ to the authorities in the face of danger.
While Decian’s persecution was brief, ending in 251, it shook the Church. Many of those who had apostatized repented and wished to return to the Church community. Some rejected their appeals. Many of the Confessors, having gained notoriety and fame from their labor in the faith, took it upon themselves to readmit the lapsed. It was in this period of conflict and strife that Cyprian wrote, arguing forcefully for a middle route which reserved the authority of readmitting for the Bishop and required those seeking forgiveness to demonstrate their sincerity through penance performed over a long period of time.
And now, please enjoy the first installment of the Epistles of Cyprian. Please note that before each epistle there is a summary from the original editors of the collection, which will begin with the word “argument.”
If you would like to read more of the writings of the Early Christian Fathers, please visit ccel.org to view the full collection.
