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XIII. This is the God of signs and wonders; this is he who brought Joseph to Egypt, sold through the malice of his brothers, and tested him with a woman, and glorified him in the giving of grain, and made him wise through dreams, so that he might be trusted in a foreign land, and honored by Pharaoh, and become a father of many thousands, on whose account Egypt is tormented, the sea is parted, bread is rained down, the sun stands still, the promised land is given as an inheritance. For Wisdom knows how to lay from afar the foundations of great deeds, and to arrange opposite things through their opposites, so that it may be all the more admired. And these of Cyprian's good qualities are sufficient for a measure of most perfect praise. But now, so many and so great are the things that remain, 35.1185 that even if none of the aforementioned things existed for his praise, those which follow would be sufficient to surpass all. For to summarize the things in between, his contempt for money, his putting down of pride, the discipline of his body and a purity that rivaled his former passions, his philosophic simplicity in dress, his manner in interviews at once lofty and humane, so as to be equally distant from cheapness and arrogance; his sleeping on the ground, his vigils, in which, though a late learner of such things, he far surpassed those who had gone before him; his ambition concerning eloquence, from which he educated all character, and purified the ignorance of dogmas, and adorned the lives of men, and the divinity of the sovereign and royal Trinity, which was being divided—and by some even being confused—he restored to its ancient state, remaining within the bounds of a pious union and co-enumeration; so that, because of their immensity, I may summarize these things and bring my discourse to a close with the close of his life.

XIV. Decius raged against us, and devised every form of punishment, and some of the terrible things were already present, and others were to come; and he made it an equal contest, both to capture Christians, and to surpass the persecutors before him, or rather, either to capture all Christians, or Cyprian alone to capture and subdue. For by as much as he knew the man to excel in piety and glory, by so much he saw the victory for himself would be more manifest and brilliant, if he could overcome him. For in that way he would prevail over Christians only, but in this way over philosophy itself, and eloquence. And he thought it the best strategy to first take away his tongue, and then to lead away speechless and voiceless those who were supported by it; not thinking these things rightly, nor piously, yet not altogether unreasonably, at least with respect to his own will and undertaking; and the result showed it. For when, having manfully and nobly shaken off every assault and trial, like some rock on the shore the attacks of the waves, he is finally condemned to exile by him; the noble man did not content himself with his own lot, nor did he love being saved; nor did he consider the dishonor as safety for his body, more than the quietness as a danger for his soul, and overlooking others in danger at that time, when their trainer was not present, and the one to encourage them for the contest. For eloquence is able to contribute not a little to the increase of courage for those who strip for the stadium of virtue. 35.1188

XV. For this reason he was absent in body, but present in spirit, and contended with those competing; and though he could not help with his tongue, he helped with his writing. How? He becomes an anointer from across the border, writing exhortations, and composing discourses on piety, and he alone makes almost more martyrs through his letters, than all those present with the suffering of that time made by themselves. For he persuades them not to put country, not family, not wealth, not power, not anything else that lies on the ground, before the truth and the prizes of virtue laid up from thence for those who risk all for what is good. And that this is the best of transactions, to purchase the kingdom of heaven with a little blood, and to receive eternal glory in exchange for temporal goods. For there is one fatherland for the lofty, the Jerusalem which is conceived by the mind, not the

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ΙΓʹ. Ταῦτα ὁ τῶν σημείων καὶ τῶν τεράτων Θεός· ταῦτα, ὁ τὸν Ἰωσὴφ ἀγαγὼν εἰς Αἴγυπτον ὤνιον διὰ ἀδελφῶν ἐπηρείας, καὶ ἐν γυναικὶ δοκιμά σας, καὶ ἐν σιτοδοσίᾳ δοξάσας, καὶ ἐν ἐνυπνίοις σοφίσας, ἵν' ἐπὶ ξένης πιστευθῇ, καὶ ὑπὸ Φαραὼ τιμηθῇ, καὶ πατὴρ γένηται πολλῶν μυριάδων, δι' ἃς Αἴγυπτος βασανίζεται, θάλασσα τέμνεται, ἄρτος ὕεται, ἥλιος ἵσταται, γῆ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας κληροδοτεῖται. Οἶδε γὰρ πόῤῥωθεν καταβάλλεσθαι τῶν μεγάλων πραγμάτων ἡ σοφία τὰς ὑποθέσεις, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἐναντίων τὰ ἐναντία οἰκονομεῖσθαι, ἵνα καὶ μᾶλ λον θαυμάζηται. Ἀπόχρη καὶ ταῦτα τῶν του Κυπριανοῦ καλῶν εἰς μέτρον εὐφημίας τελειωτάτης. Νῦν δὲ τοσαῦτά ἐστι τὰ λειπόμενα καὶ τοιαῦτα, 35.1185 ὥστε εἰ καὶ μηδὲν αὐτῷ τῶν προειρημένων ὑπῆρχεν εἰς ἔπαινον, ἐξαρκεῖν τοῖς ἑξῆς νικᾷν ἅπαντας. Ἵνα γὰρ τὰ ἐν μέσῳ συντέμω, τὴν τῶν χρημάτων περι φρόνησιν, τὴν τοῦ τύφου κατάλυσιν, τὴν τοῦ σώματος παιδαγωγίαν καὶ καθαρότητα τῶν προτέρων ὁρμῶν ἀντίπαλον, τὸ περὶ τὴν ἐσθῆτα φιλόσοφον, τὸ περὶ τὰς ἐντεύξεις ὑψηλόν τε ὁμοῦ καὶ φιλάνθρωπον, ὡς ἴσον ἀπέχειν εὐτελείας καὶ αὐθαδείας· τὰς χαμευνίας, τὰς ἀγρυπνίας, ὃς, καίτοι τῶν τοιού των ὀψιμαθὴς ὢν, κατὰ πολὺ τῶν προειληφότων ἐκράτει· τὴν περὶ λόγους φιλοτιμίαν, ἐξ ὧν ἦθος ἅπαν ἐπαίδευσε, καὶ δογμάτων ἀπαιδευσίαν ἐκάθηρε, καὶ ἀνδρῶν βίους ἐκόσμησε, καὶ τῆς ἀρχικῆς καὶ βασιλικῆς Τριάδος τὴν θεότητα τεμνομένην, ἔστι δὲ ὑφ' ὧν καὶ συναλειφομένην, εἰς τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἐπαν ήγαγεν, ἐν ὅροις μείνας εὐσεβοῦς ἑνώσεώς τε καὶ συναριθμήσεως· ἵνα ταῦτα συνέλω διὰ τὴν ἀμετρίαν, τῇ τοῦ βίου καταλύσει συγκαταλύσω τὸν λόγον.

Ι∆ʹ. Ἐμαίνετο καθ' ἡμῶν ∆έκιος, καὶ πάσας ἰδέας κολάσεων ἐπενόει, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἤδη παρῆν τῶν δεινῶν, τὰ δὲ ἔμελλεν· ἴσον δὲ ἀγώνισμα ποιεῖται, καὶ Χριστιανοὺς ἑλεῖν, καὶ τοὺς πρὸ αὐτοῦ διώκτας ὑπερβαλεῖν, μᾶλλον δὲ, ἢ Χριστιανοὺς πάντας, ἢ Κυπριανὸν μόνον ἑλεῖν τε καὶ παραστήσασθαι. Ὅσῳ γὰρ εὐσεβείᾳ τε καὶ δόξῃ διαφέρειν τὸν ἄνδρα ἐγί νωσκε, τοσούτῳ καὶ τὴν νίκην ἑαυτῷ περιφα νεστέραν ἑώρα καὶ λαμπροτέραν, εἰ τούτου κρατή σειεν. Ἐκείνως μὲν γὰρ Χριστιανῶν μόνον ὑπάρχειν κρατεῖν, οὕτω δὲ καὶ φιλοσοφίας αὐτῆς, καὶ λόγων. Καὶ τὴν γλῶσσαν περιελεῖν πρότερον, εἶτα ἀφώνους ἀπαγαγεῖν καὶ ἀλόγους τοὺς ὑπ' ἐκείνης ἐρειδομένους, ἀρίστης εἶναι στρατηγίας ἐνό μιζεν· οὐκ ὀρθῶς μὲν, οὐδὲ εὐσεβῶς ταῦτα διανοού μενος, οὐ μὴν παντάπασιν ἀλογίστως, πρός γε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ βούλησιν καὶ ἐπιχείρησιν· ἔδειξε δὲ τὸ ἔργον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἅπασαν προσβολήν τε καὶ πεῖραν ἀν δρικῶς τε καὶ γενναίως ἀποσεισάμενος, ὥσπερ τις πέτρα παράλιος κυμάτων ἐπιδρομὰς, τέλος ἐξορίαν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κατακρίνεται· οὐ τὸ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ἔστερξεν ὁ γεννάδας, οὐδὲ ἠγάπα σωζόμενος· οὐδὲ ἀσφάλειαν τῷ σώματι μᾶλλον τὴν ἀτιμίαν ἐνόμιζεν, ἢ ψυχῆς κίνδυνον τὴν ἡσυχίαν, καὶ τὸ περιορᾷν τοὺς ἄλλους τῷ καιρῷ κινδυνεύοντας, οὐκ ὄντος τοῦ παιδοτριβοῦντος, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἀγῶνα θαῤῥύνον τος. Οὐ γὰρ μικρὸν δύνασθαι καὶ λόγον εἰς ἀνδρείας προσθήκην τοῖς ἀποδυομένοις πρὸς τὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς στάδιον. 35.1188

ΙΕʹ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο τῷ σώματι μὲν ἀπῆν, τῷ πνεύματι δὲ παρῆν, καὶ τοῖς ἀθλοῦσι συνηγωνίζετο· καὶ τῇ γλώσσῃ μὲν βοηθεῖν οὐκ εἶχεν, βοηθεῖ δὲ τῷ γράμ ματι. Πῶς; Ἀλείπτης ὑπερόριος γίνεται, τοὺς προτρεπτικοὺς συγγράφων, καὶ λογογραφῶν τὴν εὐσέβειαν, καὶ πλείους ἐκεῖνος σχεδὸν ἐξ ἐπι στολῶν ποιεῖται μάρτυρας μόνος, ἢ πάντες δι' ἑαυτῶν οἱ παρόντες τοῖς τότε κάμνουσι. Πείθει γὰρ, μὴ πατρίδα, μὴ γένος, μὴ περιουσίαν, μὴ δυναστείαν, μὴ ἄλλο τι τῶν χαμαὶ κειμένων, ἔμ προσθεν ἄγειν τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ τῶν ἐκεῖθεν ἀποκειμένων ἄθλων τῆς ἀρετῆς, τοῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ καλοῦ κινδυνεύουσι. Καὶ ταύτην εἶναι πραγματειῶν τὴν ἀρίστην, αἵματος ὀλίγου βασιλείαν οὐρα νῶν ὠνήσασθαι, καὶ δόξης ἀϊδιότητα τῶν προσ καίρων ἀντιλαβεῖν ἀγαθῶν. Μίαν μὲν γὰρ εἶναι πατρίδα τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς, τὴν νοουμένην Ἱερουσαλὴμ, οὐ τὰς