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Cyprian correspondence, Epistle XIX

Cyprian of Carthage

Letter 19

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

Epistle XIX.

Cyprian Replies to Caldonius.

Argument.—Cyprian Treats of Nothing Peculiar in This Epistle, Beyond Acquiescing in the Opinion of Caldonius, to Wit, that Peace Should Not Be Refused to Such Lapsed As, by a True Repentance and Confession of the Name of Christ, Have Deserved It, and Have Therefore Returned to Him.

Cyprian to Caldonius, his brother,

greeting

.

We

have

received

your

letter

,

beloved

brother

,

which

is

abundantly

sensible

,

and

full

of

honesty

and

faith

.

Nor

do

we

wonder

that

,

skilled

and

exercised

as

you

are

in

the

Scriptures

of

the

Lord

,

you

do

everything

discreetly

and

wisely

.

You

have

judged

quite

correctly

about

granting

peace

to

our

brethren

,

which

they

,

by

true

penitence

and

by

the

glory

of

a

confession

of

the

Lord

,

have

restored

to

themselves

,

being

justified

by

their

words

,

by

which

before

they

had

condemned

themselves

.

Since

,

then

,

they

have

washed

away

all

their

sin

,

and

their

former

stain

,

by

the

help

of

the

Lord

,

has

been

done

away

by

a

more

powerful

virtue

,

they

ought

not

to

lie

any

longer

under

the

power

of

the

devil

,

as

it

were

,

prostrate

;

when

,

being

banished

and

deprived

of

all

their

property

,

they

have

lifted

themselves

up

and

have

begun

to

stand

with

Christ

.

And

I

wish

that

the

others

also

would

repent

after

their

fall

,

and

be

transferred

into

their

former

condition

;

and

that

you

may

know

how

we

have

dealt

with

these

,

in

their

urgent

and

eager

rashness

and

importunity

to

extort

peace

,

I

have

sent

a

book

to

you

,

with

letters

to

the

number

of

five

,

that

I

wrote

to

the

clergy

and

to

the

people

,

and

to

the

martyrs

also

and

confessors

,

which

letters

have

already

been

sent

to

many

of

our

colleagues

,

and

have

satisfied

them

;

and

they

replied

that

they

also

agree

with

me

in

the

same

opinion

according

to

the

Catholic

faith

;

which

very

thing

do

you

also

communicate

to

as

many

of

our

colleagues

as

you

can

,

that

among

all

these

,

may

be

observed

one

mode

of

action

and

one

agreement

,

according

to

the

Lord’s

precepts

.

I

bid

you

,

beloved

brother

,

ever

heartily

farewell

.

Notes

1
Oxford ed.: Ep. xxv. a.d. 250.
2
Probably the treatise, On the Lapsed.
3
[A beautiful specimen of obedience to the precept, 1 Pet. v. 5.]