Cyprian of Carthage, The Epistles of Cyprian

Argument.—He Excuses Himself in This Letter for What Had Occurred, in That, During the Time that He Was at Adrumetum, Letters Had Been Sent Thence by the Clergy of Polycarp, Not to Cornelius, But to the Roman Clergy, Notwithstanding that Previously Polycarp Himself Had Written Rather to Cornelius. It Appears Tolerably Plain from the Context Itself that This Was Written After the Preceding Ones.

1. Cyprian to Cornelius his brother, greeting. I have read your letters, dearest brother, which you sent by Primitivus our co-presbyter, in which I perceived that you were annoyed that, whereas letters from the Adrumetine colony in the name of Polycarp were directed to you, yet after Liberalis and I came to that place, letters began to be directed thence to the presbyters and to the deacons.

2. In respect of which I wish you to know, and certainly to believe, that it was done from no levity or contempt. But when several of our colleagues who had assembled into one place had determined that, while our co-bishops Caldonius and Fortunatus were sent as ambassadors to you, all things should be in the meantime suspended as they were, until the same colleagues of ours, having reduced matters there to peace, or, having discovered their truth, should return to us; the presbyters and deacons abiding in the Adrumetine colony; in the absence of our co-bishop Polycarp, were ignorant of what had been decided in common by us. But when we came before them, and our purpose was understood, they themselves also began to observe what the others did, so that the agreement of the churches abiding there was in no respect broken.

3. Some persons, however, sometimes disturb men’s minds and spirits by their words, in that they relate things otherwise than is the truth. For we, who furnish every person who sails hence with a plan that they may sail without any offence, know that we have exhorted them to acknowledge and hold the root and matrix of the Catholic Church.312 [This refers to the episcopate. They had taken letters only to “presbyters and deacons.” Or to Christ the root, and the Church the womb or matrix. See infra, Letter xlviii. p. 325. But since our province is wide-spread, and has Numidia and Mauritania attached to it; lest a schism made in the city should confuse the minds of the absent with uncertain opinions, we decided—having obtained by means of the bishops the truth of the matter, and having got a greater authority for the proof of your ordination, and so at length every scruple being got rid of from the breast of every one—that letters should be sent you by all who were placed anywhere in the province; as in fact is done, that so the whole of our colleagues might decidedly approve of and maintain both you and your communion, that is as well to the unity of the Catholic Church as to its charity. That all which has by God’s direction come to pass, and that our design has under Providence been forwarded, we rejoice.

4. For thus as well the truth as the dignity of your episcopate has been established in the most open light, and with the most manifest and substantial approval; so that from the replies of our colleagues, who have thence written to us, and from the account and from the testimonies of our co-bishops Pompeius, and Stephanus, and Caldonius, and Fortunatus, both the needful cause and the right order, and moreover the glorious innocence, of your ordination might be known by all. That we, with the rest of our colleagues, may steadily and firmly administer this office, and keep it in the concordant unanimity of the Catholic Church, the divine condescension will accomplish; so that the Lord who condescends to elect and appoint for Himself priests in His Church, may protect them also when elected and appointed by His good-will and help, inspiring them to govern, and supplying both vigour for restraining the contumacy of the wicked, and gentleness for cherishing the penitence of the lapsed. I bid you, dearest brother, ever heartily farewell.

EPISTOLA XLV. ANN. CHR. CCLI. EPISTOLA IV. EJUSDEM AD EUMDEM. (Erasm. IV, 8; Pam. Rigalt. Baluz. Paris. XLIV; Lips. Coustant., p. 131; Galland. III, p. 335.)

0709B

ARGUMENTUM.---Dum certum exspectabatur de Cornelii ordinatione testimonium, Adrumetinis clericis auctores fuerant Cyprianus et Liberalis, ut litteras suas presbyteris et diaconis Romanis, non Cornelio inscriberent. Qua de re cum expostulasset Cornelius, expostulationis illius nunc Cyprianus satisfacit; additque episcopatus ejus veritatem apertissima luce fundatam et collegarum rescriptis comprobatam 0709C agnosci.

0710A CYPRIANUS CORNELIO FRATRI SALUTEM.

I. Legi litteras tuas, frater charissime, quas per Primitivum compresbyterum nostrum misisti, in quibus te comperi motum, quod cum de Adrumetina colonia Polycarpi nomine ad te litterae dirigerentur, postea quam nos, ego et Liberalis, in eumdem locum venissemus, coepissent illuc ad presbyteros et ad diaconos litterae dirigi.

II. Quod scire te volumus et pro certo credere, nulla id levitate aut contumelia factum. Sed cum statuissemus collegae complures, qui in unum conveneramus, ut, legatis ad vos coepiscopis nostris Caldonio et Fortunato missis, omnia interim integra suspenderentur, donec ad nos eidem collegae nostri rebus 0710B illic aut ad pacem redactis, aut pro veritate compertis redirent; presbyteri et diaconi in Adrumetino consistentes, Polycarpo coepiscopo nostro absente, ignorabant quid nobis in commune placuisset. At ubi nos in praesentiam venimus, comperto consilio nostro, ipsi quoque id, quod et caeteri, observare coeperunt, ut in nullo ecclesiarum istic consistentium consensio discreparet.

III. Quidam tamen mentes nonnumquam et animos sermonibus suis turbant, dum aliter quaedam, quam se habet veritas, nuntiant. Nos enim singulis navigantibus, ne cum scandalo ullo navigarent rationem reddentes , scimus nos hortatos eos esse, ut Ecclesiae catholicae radicem et matricem agnoscerent ac tenerent. 0710C Sed quoniam latius fusa est nostra provincia, habet 0711A etiam Numidiam et Mauritianam sibi cohaerentes; ne in Urbe schisma factum absentium animos incerta opinione confunderet, placuit per episcopos, retenta a nobis rei veritate, et ad comprobandam ordinationem tuam facta auctoritate majore, tum demum scrupulo omni de singulorum pectoribus excusso , per omnes omnino istic positos litterae fierent, sicut fiunt, ut te universi collegae nostri et communicationem tuam, id est catholicae Ecclesiae unitatem pariter et charitatem, probarent firmiter ac tenerent. Quod divinitus evenisse, et consilium nostrum providenter processisse gaudemus.

IV. Sic enim nunc episcopatus tui et veritas pariter et dignitas apertissima luce et manifestissima et firmissima comprobatione fundata est, ut ex rescriptis collegarum nostrorum, qui ad nos litteras inde fecerunt, 0711B et ex relatione ac testimoniis coepiscoporum Pompeii et Stephani et Caldonii ac Fortunati, ordinationis tuae et origo necessaria, et ratio justa, et gloriosa quoque innocentia ab omnibus nosceretur. Quod ut simul cum caeteris quoque collegis nostris stabiliter ac firmiter administremus, atque in 0712A catholicae Ecclesiae concordi unanimitate teneamus, perficiet divina dignatio; ut Dominus, qui sacerdotes sibi in Ecclesia sua eligere et constituere dignatur, electos quoque et constitutos sua voluntate atque opitulatione tueatur gubernantes inspirans, ac subministrans et ad improborum contumaciam fraenandam viguorem, et ad lapsorum fovendam poenitentiam lenitatem. Opto te, frater charissime, semper bene valere.