Cyprian on Evil

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.

Presented here are three more of Cyprian’s works, connected by the theme of evil. The first is an apologetic work addressed to Dimetrianus. Apparently this man had been arguing that the troubles befalling the Roman Empire were due to Christians abandoning the old religion. In refuting this, Cyprian addresses the general problem of evil and explores why it is that Christians still suffer like all other people.

The second highlights the Vanity of Idols. Treading a path worn by many other writers, Cyprian argues that the Greek and Roman gods are merely memories of kings and historic figures. It is only because of time and tradition that they have the guise of deity.

In the final work, we find Cyprian exhorting his congregation to faith in the midst of plague. With an outbreak of deadly disease ravaging the city, many in the Church appear to have been struggling spiritually. Why were Christians and non-Christians both dying? Is there dishonor in dying by plague rather than persecution?

Cyprian uses this evil occasion as an opportunity to remind his fellow believers that death is not the end. Rather, it is the beginning of eternal life with Christ and our spiritual forefathers. He understands mortality as a consequence of living in a sinful, corrupt body. Drawing upon the Scriptures, he uses the example of Job to demonstrate how suffering should drive us closer to God and display our faith as we eagerly await the end to our sojourning and the eternal life to come.

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