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Cyprian correspondence, Epistle XXIII

Cyprian of Carthage

Letter 23

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

Epistle XXIII.

To the Clergy, on the Letters Sent to Rome, and About the Appointment of Saturus as Reader, and Optatus as Sub-Deacon. a.d. 250.

Argument.—The Clergy are Informed by This Letter of the Ordination of Saturus and Optatus, and What Cyprian Had Written to Rome.

Cyprian to the presbyters and deacons,

his

brethren

,

greeting

.

That

nothing

may

be

unknown

to

your

consciousness

,

beloved

brethren

,

of

what

was

written

to

me

and

what

I

replied

,

I

have

sent

you

a

copy

of

each

letter

,

and

I

believe

that

my

rejoinder

will

not

displease

you

.

But

I

ought

to

acquaint

you

in

my

letter

concerning

this

,

that

for

a

very

urgent

reason

I

have

sent

a

letter

to

the

clergy

who

abide

in

the

city

.

And

since

it

behoved

me

to

write

by

clergy

,

while

I

know

that

very

many

of

ours

are

absent

,

and

the

few

that

are

there

are

hardly

sufficient

for

the

ministry

of

the

daily

duty

,

it

was

necessary

to

appoint

some

new

ones

,

who

might

be

sent

.

Know

,

then

,

that

I

have

made

Saturus

a

reader

,

and

Optatus

,

the

confessor

,

a

sub

-

deacon

;

whom

already

,

by

the

general

advice

,

we

had

made

the

clergy

,

in

having

entrusted

to

Saturus

on

Easter

-

day

,

once

and

again

,

the

reading

;

and

when

with

the

teacher

-

presbyters

we

were

carefully

trying

readers

—

in

appointing

Optatus

from

among

the

readers

to

be

a

teacher

of

the

hearers

;

—

examining

,

first

of

all

,

whether

all

things

were

found

fitting

in

them

,

which

ought

to

be

found

in

such

as

were

in

preparation

for

the

clerical

office

.

Nothing

new

,

therefore

,

has

been

done

by

me

in

your

absence

;

but

what

,

on

the

general

advice

of

all

of

us

had

been

begun

,

has

,

upon

urgent

necessity

,

been

accomplished

.

I

bid

you

,

beloved

brethren

,

ever

heartily

farewell

;

and

remember

me

.

Fare

ye

well

.

Notes

1
Oxford ed.: Ep. xxix. The numbering of the epistles has hitherto been in accordance with Migne’s edition of the text: but as he here follows a typographical error in numbering the epistle “xxiv.,” and all the subsequent ones accordingly, it has been thought better to continue the correct order in this translation. In each case, therefore, after this, the number of the epistle in the translation will be one earlier than in Migne.
2
Not “teachers and presbyters,” as in the Oxford translation, but “teaching presbyters.” For these were a distinct class of presbyters—all not being teachers,—and these were to be judges of the fitness of such as were to be teachers of the hearers. [According to Cyprian’s theory, all presbyters shared in the government and celebrated the Lord’s Supper, but only the more learned and gifted were preachers. 1 Tim. v. 17.]