The Epistles of Cyprian, Volume Two

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 second 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.

This collection of epistles introduces Novatian. He was a presbyter in Rome who lived from A.D. 210 to 280. After the Decian persecution ended in 251, and many who sacrificed to the Roman gods sought to return to the Church, Novatian refused to accept the election of Cornelius as bishop in Rome because, among other things, Conelius was willing to restore these Lapsed believers to communion. He and his followers thus created a schism in the Church and claimed the name Puritan for their new party, refusing to accept those who had denied Christ under persecution.

It is in this context that we find Cyprian vigorously defend the purity and authority of the Church. His interactions with other bishops reveal much about early church structure and the hierarchy of church law. In some ways this recalls Ignatius and the primacy he placed in the authority of the bishop in the church. Cyprian, however, understands the Church to play a role in the believer’s salvation - in order to be saved one must be in fellowship with the Bride of Christ. It is likely that Cyprian’s strong condemnation of Novatian and fervent desire to maintain unity in the Church was driven by what he saw as eternal stakes for his flock.

These epistles also highlight just how strong the Early Church understood ecclesiastical authority to be. There's a very clear understanding of the church as unified, holy and singular - in other words, the “Holy Catholic Church” of the Apostles’ Creed. Throughout these letters the strength of this vision for the Church community, and the immense difficulty of maintaining it, are on full display.

And now, please enjoy the second 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.