Epistle LXXI.727    Oxford ed.: Ep. lxxii. [Concerning the council (seventh of Carthage), see the Acts, infra. Elucidation XVI.]

To Stephen, Concerning a Council.

Argument.—Cyprian with His Colleagues in a Certain Council Tells Stephen, the Roman Bishop, that It Had Been Decreed by Them, Both that Those Who Returned from Heresy into the Church Should Be Baptized, and that Bishops or Priests Coming from the Heretics Should Be Received on No Other Condition, Than that They Should Communicate as Lay People. a.d. 255.

1. Cyprian and others, to Stephen their brother, greeting. We have thought it necessary for the arranging of certain matters, dearest brother, and for their investigation by the examination of a common council, to gather together and to hold a council, at which many priests were assembled at once; at which, moreover, many things were brought forward and transacted. But the subject in regard to which we had chiefly to write to you, and to confer with your gravity and wisdom, is one that more especially pertains both to the priestly authority and to the unity, as well as the dignity, of the Catholic Church, arising as these do from the ordination of the divine appointment; to wit, that those who have been dipped abroad outside the Church, and have been stained among heretics and schismatics with the taint of profane water, when they come to us and to the Church which is one, ought to be baptized, for the reason that it is a small matter728    [He quotes Acts viii. 17.] to “lay hands on them that they may receive the Holy Ghost,” unless they receive also the baptism of the Church. For then finally can they be fully sanctified, and be the sons of God, if they be born of each sacrament;729    The sense of this passage has been doubted but seems to be this: “The rite of confirmation, or the giving of the Holy Ghost, is of no avail unless baptism have first been conferred.  For only by being born of each sacrament, scil. confirmation and baptism, can they be fully sanctified and be born again; since it is written, ‘Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit,’ etc.; which quotation is plainly meant to convey, that the birth of water is by baptism, that of the Spirit by confirmation.” since it is written, “Except a man be born again of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”730    John iii. 5. [Bingham, book xii. cap. i. sec. 4.] For we find also, in the Acts of the Apostles, that this is maintained by the apostles, and kept in the truth of the saving faith, so that when, in the house of Cornelius the centurion, the Holy Ghost had descended upon the Gentiles who were there, fervent in the warmth of their faith, and believing in the Lord with their whole heart; and when, filled with the Spirit, they blessed God in divers tongues, still none the less the blessed Apostle Peter, mindful of the divine precept and the Gospel, commanded that those same men should be baptized who had already been filled with the Holy Spirit, that nothing might seem to be neglected to the observance by the apostolic instruction in all things of the law of the divine precept and Gospel.731    [This case (Acts x. 47) was governed by the example of Christ, Matt. iii. 15. The baptism of the Spirit had preceded; yet as an act of obedience to Christ, and in honour of His example, St. Peter “fulfils all righteousness,” even to the letter.] But that that is not baptism which the heretics use; and that none of those who oppose Christ can profit by the grace of Christ; has lately been set forth with care in the letter which was written on that subject to Quintus, our colleague, established in Mauritania; as also in a letter which our colleagues previously wrote to our fellow-bishops presiding in Numidia, of both which letters I have subjoined copies.

2. We add, however, and connect with what we have said, dearest brother, with common consent and authority, that if, again, any presbyters or deacons, who either have been before ordained in the Catholic Church, and have subsequently stood forth as traitors and rebels against the Church, or who have been promoted among the heretics by a profane ordination by the hands of false bishops and antichrists contrary to the appointment of Christ, and have attempted to offer, in opposition to the one and divine altar, false and sacrilegious sacrifices without, that these also be received when they return, on this condition, that they communicate as laymen, and hold it to be enough that they should be received to peace, after having stood forth as enemies of peace; and that they ought not, on returning, to retain those arms of ordination and honour with which they rebelled against us. For it behoves priests and ministers, who wait upon the altar and sacrifices, to be sound and stainless; since the Lord God speaks in Leviticus, and says, “No man that hath a stain or a blemish shall come nigh to offer gifts to the Lord.”732    Lev. xxi. 21. Moreover, in Exodus, He prescribes this same thing, and says, “And let the priests which come near to the Lord God sanctify themselves, lest the Lord forsake them.”733    Ex. xix. 22. And again: “And when they come near to minister at the altar of the holy place, they shall not bear iniquity upon them, lest they die.”734    Ex. xxviii. 43. But what can be greater iniquity, or what stain can be more odious, than to have stood in opposition to Christ; than to have scattered His Church, which He purchased and founded with His blood; than, unmindful of evangelical peace and love, to have fought with the madness of hostile discord against the unanimous and accordant people of God? Such as these, although they themselves return to the Church, still cannot restore and recall with them those who, seduced by them, and forestalled by death without, have perished outside the Church without communion and peace; whose souls in the day of judgment shall be required at the hands of those who have stood forth as the authors and leaders of their ruin. And therefore to such, when they return, it is sufficient that pardon should be granted; since perfidy ought certainly not to receive promotion in the household of faith. For what do we reserve for the good and innocent, and those who do not depart from the Church, if we honour those who have departed from us, and stood in opposition to the Church?

3. We have brought these things, dearest brother, to your knowledge, for the sake of our mutual honour and sincere affection; believing that, according to the truth of your religion and faith, those things which are no less religious than true will be approved by you. But we know that some will not lay aside what they have once imbibed, and do not easily change their purpose; but, keeping fast the bond of peace and concord among their colleagues, retain certain things peculiar to themselves, which have once been adopted among them. In which behalf we neither do violence to, nor impose a law upon, any one, since each prelate has in the administration of the Church the exercise of his will free, as he shall give an account of his conduct to the Lord.735    [Obviously, the law of liberty here laid down might introduce the greatest confusion if not limited by common consent. Yet the tolerant spirit of our author merits praise. P. 378, notes 1, 2.] We bid you, dearest brother, ever heartily farewell.

EPISTOLA LXXII. ANNO CHRISTI CCLVI, PONTIFICATUS S. STEPHANI III. CARTHAGINENSE CONCILIUM SUB CYPRIANO SEXTUM. EX AFRICA PROVINCIA ET NUMIDIA, QUOD DE BAPTISMO SECUNDUM EST. (Erasm. II, 1; Pamel. Rigalt. Baluz. LXXII; Oxon. Lips. LXXII; Paris. LXXI; Coustant. p. 216; Routh. Rell. scr. III, pp. 88 et 144.)

CYPRIANUS ET CAETERI STEPHANO FRATRI SALUTEM.

I. Ad quaedam disponenda et consilii communis examinatione limanda necesse habuimus, frater charissime, convenientibus in unum pluribus sacerdotibus, cogere et celebrare concilium. In quo multa quidem prolata atque transacta sunt: sed de eo vel maxime tibi scribendum, et cum tua gravitate ac sapientia eonferendum fuit, quod magis pertineat et ad sacerdotalem auctoritatem, et ad Ecclesiae catholicae unitatem pariter ac dignitatem de divinae dispositionis ordinatione venientem, eos qui sunt foris extra Ecclesiam 1046B tincti, et apud haereticos et schismaticos profanae aquae labe maculati, quando ad nos atque ad Ecclesiam, quae una est, venerint, baptizari oportere; eo quod parum sit eis manum imponere ad accipiendum Spiritum sanctum, nisi accipiant et Ecclesiae Baptismum. Tunc enim demum plene sanctificari et esse filii Dei possunt, si Sacramento utroque nascantur, 1047A cum scriptum sit, Nisi quis renatus fueritex aqua et Spiritu, non potest introire in regnum Dei (Joan. III, 5). Invenimus enim etiam in Actis Apostolorum (Act. X, 48), hoc esse ab Apostolis custoditum, et salutaris fidei veritate servatum, ut cum in domo Cornelii centurionis super ethnicos qui illic aderant fidei calore ferventes, et in Dominum toto corde credentes descendisset Spiritus sanctus, quo adimpleti variis linguis Deum benedicerent; nihilominus tamen beatum apostolum Petrum, divini praecepti atque Evangelii memorem, praecepisse ut baptizarentur iidem illi, qui jam fuerant sancto Spiritu pleni: ut nihil praetermissum videretur, 1047B quominus per omnia divini praecepti atque 1048A Evangelii legem apostolica magisteria servarent. Baptismum autem non esse quo haeretici utuntur, nec quemquam apud eos, qui Christo adversantur, per gratiam Christi posse proficere, diligenter nuper expressum est in epistola, quae ad Quintum collegam nostrum in Mauritania constitutum super ea re scripta est, item in litteris quas collegae nostri ad episcopos in Numidia praesidentes ante fecerunt: cujus utriusque epistolae exempla subdidi.

II. Addimus plane et adjungimus, frater charissime, consensu et auctoritate communi, ut etiam si qui presbyteri aut diaconi, qui vel in Ecclesia catholica 1048B prius ordinati fuerint, et postmodum perfidi ac rebelles 1049A contra Ecclesiam steterint, vel apud haereticos a pseudoepiscopis et antichristis contra Christi dispositionem profana ordinatione promoti sint, et contra altare unum atque divinum sacrificia foris falsa ac sacrilega offerre conati sint, eos quoque hac conditione suscipi cum revertuntur, ut communicent laici, et satis habeant, quod admittuntur ad pacem, qui hostes pacis exstiterint; nec debere eos revertententes ea apud nos ordinationis et honoris arma retinere, quibus contra nos rebellaverint. Oportet enim sacerdotes et ministros, qui altari et sacrificiis deserviunt, integros atque immaculatos esse: cum Dominus Deus in Levitico loquatur et dicat: Homo in quo fuerit macula et vitium, non accedet offerre dona Deo (Levit. XXI, 21); item in Exodo eadem praecipiat 1049B et dicat; Et sacerdotes qui accedunt ad Dominum Deum, sanctificentur, ne forte derelinquat illos Dominus Deus (Exod. XIX, 22); et iterum: Et cum accedunt ministrare ad altare Sancti, non adducent in se delictum, ne moriantur (Exod. XXVIII, 43). Quod autem majus potest esse delictum, aut quae macula deformior, quam adversus Christum stetisse, quam Ecclesiam ejus, quam ille sanguine suo paravit et condidit, dissipasse, quam evangelicae pacis ac dilectionis oblitum, contra unanimem et concordem 1050A Dei populum hostilis discordiae furore pugnasse? Qui etsi ipsi postmodum ad Ecclesiam redeunt, restituere tamen eos et secum revocare non possunt, qui ab eis seducti et foris morte praeventi extra Ecclesiam sine communicatione et pace perierunt: quorum animae in die judicii de ipsorum manibus expetentur, qui perditionis auctores et duces exstiterunt. Et idcirco satis est talibus revertentibus veniam dari: Non tamen debet in domo fidei perfidia promoveri. Nam quid bonis et innocentibus atque ab Ecclesia non recedentibus reservamus, si eos qui a nobis recesserint, et contra Ecclesiam steterint, honoramus?

III. Haec ad conscientiam tuam, frater charissime, et pro honore communi et pro simplici dilectione pertulimus, credentes etiam tibi pro religionis tuae 1050B et fidei veritate placere, quae et religiosa pariter et vera sunt. Caeterum scimus quosdam quod semel imbiberint nolle deponere, nec propositum suum facile mutare, sed salvo inter collegas pacis et concordiae vinculo, quaedam propria quae apud se semel sint usurpata retinere. Qua in re nec nos vim cuiquam facimus aut legem damus, cum habeat in Ecclesiae administratione voluntatis suae arbitrium liberum unus quisque praepositus, rationem actus sui Domino redditurus. Optamus te, frater charissime, semper bene valere.