Cyprian on Virtue

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 three works by Cyprian, each of them exhorting his readers to faithfully follow Christ, highlighting the connection between faithful service to God, mortifying sin, and pursuing virtue.

The first highlights the importance of Patience, drawing heavily on examples from the Old and New Testaments to demonstrate that faithful followers of God have always been patient in the face of adversity, longsuffering in mercy, and willing to wait for God.

The second contains a warning on the dangers of Jealousy and Envy. Here, Cyprian again leans on Scripture to show how this vice, which is easy to write off as intangible or secondary, has proven a snare to many including Satan, Cain, and Saul. He calls his congregants to holiness and to root out all sin in their lives, turning from the old self to Christ.

The final work presented here is an exhortation to Martyrdom. Written to Fortunatus, Cyprian provides a collection of Scriptures that demonstrate how the theme of martyrdom has been present since Cain killed Abel. This also serves as an excellent example of Cyprian’s reliance on the Scriptures as he led his flock to faithfully follow God.

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