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Receive, o mightiest of men, these books, from which I, a sinner, wrought countless evils, and reduce them to ashes with fire, pitying my soul.” And the priest, being persuaded, took the books, and burned them all, and blessing him, sent him away with gentle words, frequently exhorting him to enter the enclosures of God. And Cyprian, returning back to his own house again, made the forms of the lifeless images into dust, and all the dark night he struck his body and said: “How could I appear before the eyes of Christ, having done so many evil things? How could I bless God with our mouths, through which I spurned others, calling upon destructive demons with my mouths?” And scattering ashes, he silently asked for God's mercy to come down upon the earth, since he trembled greatly to cry out. But when rosy-armed, bright Dawn came of the great Sabbath, then indeed there was abundance for all. And as he himself, a newcomer to the great God, was going into the holy assembly, he prayed these things while walking about: “Master, if I am worthy to be your servant, I think, grant that I, going into your great halls, may hear a word from the written books for a very good omen.” And so when he went to the threshold of the temple, David spoke, the divine son of Jesse: “See, glorious one, that you do not abandon me, O mighty one, nor again, forgetting me, make me far from you.” And again the great prophet Hosea, inspired, said these things: “But come, lest he be a child.” But again David spoke: “My eyes went before the morning watch, the light-bringing driver of the dark night, so that I may always follow your more divine words.” And Isaiah elsewhere: “May fear of you never take away your spirit, my child and, whom I love, Jacob, whom I chose as leader of all other neighboring peoples.” And Paul the divine spokesman spoke thus: “Christ himself, our master, redeemed us from the hard-to-bear curse of the former law.” Again the prophet David, best of lyre-players, spoke thus: “Who could inquire into the power of the immortal God and declare to all ears the hymns of the all-ruling one?” Then the prayer of the Lord of the more divine words; and after that the exhortation of the priest; and then again the word for the catechumens: “Go out from the temple of God, you half-initiated mortals.” But the gentle Cyprian still sat in silence on the seats.

And there was a certain deacon named Asterius, who said to him: “Go out from the sovereign halls.” And he answered him back: “I am a servant of the crucified Christ, and yet you drive me outside?” And the deacon said to him: “But you are not yet a complete servant of the mighty God.” And he said again: “The living God exists forever, who alone showed the most worthless evil spirits for what they are, and saved the maiden, and pitied my heart. It is not right for me to go outside these halls, unless I should be within the faith of Christ.” And learning these things, the temple-warden of God quickly went to the priest, reporting them. And then he summoned him; and as was fitting, he spoke many and mischievous words to Cyprian, asking what things he had done. But having prayed so much, he stirred the works of God, as many as He made throughout the world. And then indeed with divine washings he made him pure. And on the eighth day, he became a high-voiced reader of the much-revered Christ-spoken books. And on the twenty-fifth day, having become a subdeacon, he was ordained to the diaconate and at the same time held the gates of the holy mystery-service. And when fifty days had passed, he quickly became worthy of the diaconate. But he powerfully subdued the phalanxes of the shameless, helpless opposing spirits, and drove hateful sicknesses from the limbs of men; and he now led many into the flock of Christ, they having renounced the faithless wandering of idols. But when the year came to an end, he obtained the seat equal to that of a priest. And for sixteen years in a row he remained, managing the seat of the elder then. And then indeed the blessed bishop, good Anthimus, summoned all the neighboring priests together; and saying all that was fitting for the assembly of Christ, while still seeing the world, he gave his chair to Cyprian. But after a short time, Anthimus, having gone to heaven, the flock, of which he was the leader, he entrusted to the noble man. But Cyprian, managing the glorious house of God, received the maiden, honoring her with the office of deaconess; and he no longer called her Justa, but named her blameless Justina; and he made her mother of all the gentle maidens, the handmaidens of the great Christ.

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δέχνυσο, φέρτατε φωτῶν, βίβλους, ἔνθεν ἐγὼ κακὰ μυρία τεῦχον ἀλιτρός, καὶ πυρὶ τάσδ' ἀμάθυνον, ἐμὴν ψυχὴν ἐλεαίρων.» πεισθεὶς δ' ἀρητὴρ βίβλους λάβε, φλέξε δὲ πάσας, κεῖνον δ' εὐλογέων ἀγανοῖς μύθοις ἀπέπεμπε, πυκνὰ παραιφάμενος σηκοῖς θεοῦ ἐγκαταδύνειν. Κυπριανὸς δ', ἄψορρος ἰὼν ἑὸν ἐς δόμον αὖτις, ῥέξασκ' εὖτε κόνιν μορφὰς βρετέων ἀμενηνῶν, πᾶσαν δὲ ζοφερὴν νύκτα πεπλήγετο σῶμα καὶ φάτο· «πῶς δ' ἂν ἐγὼ Χριστοῦ βλεφάροισι φανείην, τόσσα κακὰ ῥέξας; πῶς δ' ἂν θεὸν εὐλογέοιμι ἡμετέροις στομάτεσσι, δι' ὧν ἑτέρους ἀθέριξα, δαίμονας οὐλομένους ἐν ἐμοῖς καλέων στομάτεσσι;» καὶ τέφρην σκεδάσας, κατάγειν θεοῦ ᾔτεεν οἶκτον σιγαλέως κατὰ γαῖαν, ἐπεὶ τρόμεεν μέγ' ἀῦσαι. ἀλλ' ὅτε δὴ ῥοδόπηχυς ἐπήλυθεν ἀργέτις Ἠὼς σαββατικῆς μεγάλης, τότε δὴ πέλε πᾶσι θαλείη. ὡς δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἔβαινε θεοῦ μεγάλοιο νέηλυς σεπτὴν εἰς ἄγυριν, πωλεύμενος ηὔχετο τοῖα· «δέσποτα, εἰ θεράπων τεὸς ἄξιος ἔμμεν' ὀΐω, δός με τεοῖς μεγάροισιν ἰόντα γε μῦθον ἀκοῦσαι ἐκ γραφικῶν βίβλων εἰς κληδόνα εὖ μάλα ἐσθλήν.» ὃς δ' ὡς οὖν ἐπὶ βηλὸν ἔβη νεώ, ἔννεπε ∆αυίδ, δῖος Ἰεσσιάδης· «ὅρα, κύδιμε, μὴ δὲ μεθήσῃς, ὦ κρατέων, μηδ' αὖ με λαθὼν τηλοῦ σέο τεύξῃς.» αὖτις δὲ προφάτωρ Ὠσηὲ μέγας τάδ' ἔειπεν ἔνθους· «εἰ δ' ἄγε μὴ πάις ἔσσεται.» αὐτὰρ ὁ αὖτις ∆αυίδης ἀγόρευε· «προέστιχον ὄμματ' ἐμεῖο ὄρθρον, φωτοφαῆ νυκτὸς ζοφερῆς ἐλατῆρα, ὄφρα γε θειοτέροις σέο ῥήμασιν ἕσπομαι αἰέν.» Ἠσαΐας δ' ἑτέρωθι· «φόβος σέο μή ποτ' ἀπαυρῇ θυμόν, τέκνον ἐμεῖο καί, ὃν φιλέω, Ἰάκωβε, ὃν πάντων κατέλεξα περικτιόνων πρόμον ἄλλων.» Παῦλος δ' ὧδ' ἀγόρευε θεηγόρος· «αὐτὸς ἀνάσσων ἡμέας ἐπρίατο Χριστὸς δυσπεμφέλου ἀρῆς ἐκ προτέρης θέμιδος.» πάλι δ' ἔννεπεν ὧδ' ὑποφήτης ∆αυὶδ ἀριστολύρης· «τίς δ' ἂν δεοῦ ἐξερεείνοι ἀθανάτου δύναμιν καὶ οὔασι πᾶσιν ἐνίσποι ὕμνους παντομέδοντος;» ἔπειτα δέ τ' εὖχος ἄνακτος θειοτέρων ἐπέων· μετέπειτα δὲ ἀρητῆρος παρφασίη· ἀτὰρ αὖτε κατηχήεις λόγος ἀνδρῶν· «ἔξιτε ἐκ νηοῖο θεοῦ, βροτοὶ ἡμιτέλεστοι.» Κυπριανὸς δ' ἀγανὸς θώκοις ἔτι ἧστο σιωπῇ.

Ἀστέριος δέ τις ἦε διάκτορος, ὃς φάτο τῷδε· «ἔξιθι κοιρανίων μεγάρων.» τὸν δ' ἂψ ἀπάμειπτο· «σταυροπαγοῦς Χριστοῦ θεράπων πέλω, ἔκτοθι δ' αὖ με σεύεις;» τῷ δ' ἐνένιπε διάκτορος· «ἀλλ' ἔτι σύγε οὐ πλήρης τελέθεις δοῦλος κρατεροῖο θεοῖο.» αὐτὸς δ' αὖτις ἔειπε· «θεὸς ζωὸς πέλει αἰέν, ὅστις ἐλεγχίστους κακοδαίμονας οἶος ἔδειξε, σῶσε δὲ παρθενικήν, καὶ ἐμὴν κραδίην ἐλεήρας. ἔκτοθι τῶνδε δόμων οὔ μοι θέμις ἐστὶν ἱκέσθαι, εἰ μὴ πίστεως ἐντὸς ἐγὼ Χριστοῖο γενοίμην.» ταῦτα μαθὼν δὲ θεοῦ ζάκορος τάχος ἦλθ' ἱερῆι ἀγγέλλων. ὁ δ' ἔπειτα καλέσσατο· ὡς δ' ἐπεῴκει, Κυπριανῷ πολέας καὶ ἀταρτηροὺς φάτο μύθους, εἰρωτῶν ὅσ' ἔοργεν. ἀτὰρ τόσον εὐξάμενός γε ἔργα θεοῖο δόνησεν, ὅσα περὶ κόσμον ἔτευξε. καὶ τότε δὴ θείοισι λοετροῖς ἁγνὸν ἔτευξεν. ἠοῖ δ' ὀγδοάτῃ γέντ' αἰπυβόης πολυσέπτων βίβλων Χριστοφάτων. ἀτὰρ εἰκάδι πεμπταίῃ τε μείων τυτθότερός τε διακτορίῃ τετέλεστο καὶ θυρεῶνας ἔχεν σεπτῆς ἅμα μυστιπολείης. ἤματα πεντήκοντα δ' ὅτ' ἤλυθεν, ἄξιος αἶψα γέντο διακτορίης. αὐτὰρ κρατερῶς ἐδάμαζεν ἀντιθέων γε φάλαγγας ἀναιδήτων, ἀπαλάμνων, καὶ νούσους στυγερὰς μελέων ἀποήλαεν ἀνδρῶν· ἤδη καὶ πολέας Χριστοῦ ἐς πώεον ἦγεν, εἰδώλων κακόπιστον ἀναινομένους ἀλάωσιν. ἀλλ' ὅτε δὴ λυκάβας τέλος ἔλλαβεν, ἔλλαχε θῶκον ἀρητῆρος ἴσον. δέκα δ' ἓξ ἑξῆς ἐνιαυτοὺς μίμνασκεν διέπων κλισμὸν τότε δημογέροντος. καὶ τότε δὴ μακαριστὸς ἐπίσκοπος Ἄνθιμος ἠὺς ἱρῆας κίκλησκε περικτίονας ἅμα πάντας· λέξας δ' ὅσσ' ἀγορῇ Χριστοῦ πέλεν αἴσιμα πάντα, εἰσέτι κόσμον ὁρῶν κλισίην πόρε Κυπριανῷ γε. αὐτὰρ δὴ μετὰ βαιὸν ἐς οὐρανὸν Ἄνθιμος ἐλθών, ποίμνην, ἧς πρόμος ἦεν, ἀγαυῷ πάρθετο φωτί. αὐτὰρ ὁ Κυπριανός, διέπων θεοῦ ἀγλαὸν οἶκον, παρθενικὴν ὑπέδεκτο, διακτορίηφι γερήρας· οὐ δ' ἔτι μιν καλέεσκεν Ἰούσταν, ἀλλ' ὀνόμηνεν Ἰουστίναν ἄμωμον· ὅλων δέ τε μητέρα θῆκε κουράων ἀταλῶν, Χριστοῦ μεγάλου θεραπαινῶν.