The Epistles of Cyprian, Volume Four

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 fourth 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 volume introduces the final question that Cyprian was forced to address: how should the Church handle baptism performed by heretics? The situation many pastors found themselves in was that someone had been baptized outside the Church by a heretic, but with the correct words and form of the sacrament, and sought to join their flock. This thorny issue raises questions about the authority and necessity of Baptism in the life of the believer and to what extent, if any, a spiritual act done by God is influenced by the humans performing the rite.

The discussion surrounding this question, in which Cyprian argues that the repentant must be baptized again, reveals much about the general understanding of baptism. Cyprian, and apparently many whom he wrote to, viewed baptism as the point in which believers were forgiven of their sins. The washing is characterized as spiritual birth, and Peter’s description of the rite as one that ‘now saves you’ is taken in a straightforward and literal sense. Furthermore, Cyprian appears to view the grace of God as being given only to those who have faith in God and join the one, true Church.

Finally, we also find in this collection a number of epistles written concerning martyrdom. His tone and spirit are reminiscent of Ignatius’ while on the way to Rome: Cyprian, like so many in this period of Church history, held a high view of martyrdom and encouraged the faithful to remain rooted in Christ, always looking for the crown of glory that awaits them. His letters close with his own expectation to finish the race in Carthage, with this ultimately being fulfilled in A.D. 258.

And now, please enjoy the final 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.