Cyprian of Carthage,
The Epistles of Cyprian
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Epistle XVII.138 Oxford ed.: Ep. xxvi. a.d. 250.
To the Presbyters and Deacons About the Foregoing and the Following Letters.
Argument.—No Account is to Be Made of Certificates from the Martyrs Before the Peace of the Church is Restored.
Cyprian to the presbyters and deacons, his brethren, greeting. The Lord speaketh and saith, “Upon whom shall I look, but upon him that is humble and quiet, and that trembleth at my words?”139 Isa. lxvi. 2. Although we ought all to be this, yet especially those ought to be so who must labour, that, after their grave lapse, they may, by true penitence and absolute humility, deserve well of the Lord. Now I have read the letter of the whole body of confessors, which they wish to be made known by me to all my colleagues, and in which they requested that the peace given by themselves should be assured to those concerning whom the account of what they have done since their crime has been, in our estimation, satisfactory; which matter, as it waits for the counsel and judgment of all of us,140 [Elucidation V.] I do not dare to prejudge, and so to assume a common cause for my own decision. And therefore, in the meantime, let us abide by the letters which I lately wrote to you, of which I have now sent a copy to many of my colleagues,141 [The affectionate and general usage of primitive bishops to seek the consensus fratrum, is noteworthy.] who wrote in reply, that they were pleased with what I had decided, and that there must be no departure therefrom, until, peace being granted to us by the Lord, we shall be able to assemble together into one place, and to examine into the cases of individuals. But that you may know both what my colleague Caldonius wrote to me, and what I replied to him, I have enclosed with my letter a copy of each letter, the whole of which I beg you to read to our brethren, that they may be more and more settled down to patience, and not add another fault to what had hitherto been their former fault, not being willing to obey either me or the Gospel, nor allowing their cases to be examined in accordance with the letters of all the confessors. I bid you, beloved brethren, ever heartily farewell; and have me in remembrance. Salute all the brotherhood. Fare ye well!
ARGUMENTUM.---Nulla ratio habenda libellorum martyrum, ante pacem Ecclesiae redditam.
0269B Cyprianus presbyteris et diaconibus fratribus salutem. Dominus loquitur et dicit: Super quem respiciam, nisi super humilem et quietum, et trementem 0270Asermones meos (Isa. LXVI, 2)? Hoc cum debeamus omnes esse , tum modo hujusmodi illi esse debent quibus laborandum est ut, post gravem lapsum, vera poenitentia et humilitate tota promereri Dominum possint. Legi autem et universorum confessorum litteras, quas voluerunt per me collegis omnibus innotescere et ad eos pacem a se datam pervenire de quibus apud nos ratio constiterit quid post commissum egerint. Quae res cum omnium nostrum consilium et sententiam exspectet , praejudicare ego et soli mihi rem communem vindicare non audeo. Et ideo instetur interim epistolis quas ad vos proxime feceram, quarum exemplum collegis quoque multis jam misi; qui rescripserunt placere sibi quod statuimus, nec ab eo recedendum esse donec, pace nobis a Domino reddita, in unum convenire et singulorum 0270B causas examinare possimus. Sed et quid mihi Caldonius collega meus scripserit quidque ego ei rescripserim ut sciretis, utriusque epistolae exemplum litteris 0271A meis junxi. Quod totum peto fratribus nostris legatis, ut magis ac magis ad patientiam componantur, nec delicto proprio adjiciant adhuc aliud delictum, dum nec nobis nec Evangelio volunt servire, nec secundum universorum confessorum litteras causas suas examinari permittunt. Opto vos, fratres charissimi, semper bene valere et nostri meminisse. Fraternitatem universam salutate. Valete.