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Cyprian correspondence, Epistle LXIII
Cyprian of Carthage
Letter 63 About this work
Author Cyprian of Carthage Epistle LXIII .
To Epictetus and to the Congregation of Assuræ, Concerning Fortunatianus, Formerly Their Bishop. Argument.—He Warns Epictetus and the Congregation of the Assuritans Not to Allow Fortunatianus, a Lapser, But Their Former Bishop, to Return to His Episcopate, as Well for Other Reasons as Because It Had Been Decreed that Lapsed Bishops Should Not Be Admitted to Their Former Rank. Section 1 1 . Cyprian to Epictetus his
brother
,
and
to
the
people
established
at
Assuræ
,
greeting
.
I
was
gravely
and
grievously
disturbed
,
dearest
brethren
,
at
learning
that
Fortunatianus
,
formerly
bishop
among
you
,
after
the
sad
lapse
of
his
fall
,
was
now
wishing
to
act
as
if
he
were
sound
,
and
beginning
to
claim
for
himself
the
episcopate
.
Which
thing
distressed
me
;
in
the
first
place
,
on
his
own
account
,
who
,
wretched
man
that
he
is
,
being
either
wholly
blinded
in
the
darkness
of
the
devil
,
or
deceived
by
the
sacrilegious
persuasion
of
certain
persons
;
when
he
ought
to
be
making
atonement
,
and
to
give
himself
to
the
work
of
entreating
the
Lord
night
and
day
,
by
tears
,
and
supplications
,
and
prayers
,
dares
still
to
claim
to
himself
the
priesthood
which
he
has
betrayed
,
as
if
it
were
right
,
from
the
altars
of
the
devil
,
to
approach
to
the
altar
of
God
.
Or
as
if
he
would
not
provoke
a
greater
wrath
and
indignation
of
the
Lord
against
himself
in
the
day
of
judgment
,
who
,
not
being
able
to
be
a
guide
to
the
brethren
in
faith
and
virtue
,
stands
forth
as
a
teacher
in
perfidy
,
in
boldness
,
and
in
temerity
;
and
he
who
has
not
taught
the
brethren
to
stand
bravely
in
the
battle
,
teaches
those
who
are
conquered
and
prostrate
not
even
to
ask
for
pardon
;
although
the
Lord
says
,
“
To
them
have
ye
poured
a
drink
-
offering
,
and
to
them
have
ye
offered
a
meat
-
offering
.
Shall
I
not
be
angry
for
these
things
?
saith
the
Lord
.
”
And
in
another
place
,
“
He
that
sacrificeth
to
any
god
,
save
unto
the
Lord
only
,
shall
be
destroyed
.
”
Moreover
,
the
Lord
again
speaks
,
and
says
,
“
They
have
worshipped
those
whom
their
own
fingers
have
made
:
and
the
mean
man
boweth
down
,
and
the
great
man
humbleth
himself
:
and
I
will
not
forgive
them
.
”
In
the
Apocalypse
also
,
we
read
the
anger
of
the
Lord
threatening
,
and
saying
,
“
If
any
man
worship
the
beast
and
his
image
,
and
receive
his
mark
in
his
forehead
or
in
his
hand
,
the
same
shall
drink
of
the
wine
of
the
wrath
of
God
mixed
in
the
cup
of
His
anger
;
and
he
shall
be
tormented
with
fire
and
brimstone
in
the
presence
of
the
holy
angels
,
and
in
the
presence
of
the
Lamb
:
and
the
smoke
of
their
torments
shall
ascend
up
for
ever
and
ever
;
neither
shall
they
have
rest
day
nor
night
,
who
worship
the
beast
and
his
image
.
”
Section 2 2 . Since , therefore , the Lord threatens these torments , these punishments in the day of judgment , to those who obey the devil and sacrifice to idols , how does he think that he can act as a priest of God who has obeyed and served the priests of the devil ; or how does he think that his hand can be transferred to the sacrifice of God and the prayer of the Lord which has been captive to sacrilege and to crime , when in the sacred Scriptures God forbids the priests to approach to sacrifice even if they have been in lighter guilt ; and says in Leviticus : “ The man in whom there shall be any blemish or stain shall not approach to offer gifts to God ? ” Also in Exodus : “ And let the priests which come near to the Lord God sanctify themselves , lest perchance the Lord forsake them . ” And again : “ And when they come near to minister at the altar of the Holy One , they shall not bring sin upon them , lest they die . ” Those , therefore , who have brought grievous sins upon themselves , that is , who , by sacrificing to idols , have offered sacrilegious sacrifices , cannot claim to themselves the priesthood of God , nor make any prayer for their brethren in His sight ; since it is written in the Gospel , “ God heareth not a sinner ; but if any man be a worshipper of God , and doeth His will , him He heareth . ” Nevertheless the profound gloom of the falling darkness has so blinded the hearts of some , that they receive no light from the wholesome precepts , but , once turned away from the direct path of the true way , they are hurried headlong and suddenly by the night and error of their sins .
Section 3 3 . Nor is it wonderful if now those reject our counsels , or the Lord’s precepts , who have denied the Lord . They desire gifts , and offerings , and gain , for which formerly they watched insatiably . They still long also for suppers and banquets , whose debauch they belched forth in the indigestion lately left to the day , most manifestly proving now that they did not before serve religion , but rather their belly and gain , with profane cupidity . Whence also we perceive and believe that this rebuke has come from God’s searching out , that they might not continue to stand at the altar ; and any further , as unchaste persons , to have to do with modesty ; as perfidious , to have to do with faith ; as profane , with religion ; as earthly , with things divine ; as sacrilegious , with things sacred . That such persons may not return again to the profanation of the altar , and to the contagion of the brethren , we must keep watch with all our powers , and strive with all our strength , that , as far as in us lies , we may keep them back from this audacity of their wickedness , that they attempt not any longer to act in the character of priest ; who , cast down to the lowest pit of death , have gone headlong with the weight of a greater destruction beyond the lapses of the laity .
Section 4 4 . But if , among these insane persons , their incurable madness shall continue , and , with the withdrawal of the Holy Spirit , the blindness which has begun shall remain in its deep night , our counsel will be to separate individual brethren from their deceitfulness ; and , lest any one should run into the toils of their error , to separate them from their contagion . Since neither can the oblation be consecrated where the Holy Spirit is not ; nor can the Lord avail to any one by the prayers and supplications of one who himself has done despite to the Lord . But if Fortunatianus , either by the blindness induced by the devil forgetful of his crime , or become a minister and servant of the devil for deceiving the brotherhood , shall persevere in this his madness , do you , as far as in you lies , strive , and in this darkness of the rage of the devil , recall the minds of the brethren from error , that they may not easily consent to the madness of another ; that they may not make themselves partakers in the crimes of abandoned men ; but being sound , let them maintain the constant tenor of their salvation , and of the integrity preserved and guarded by them .
Section 5 5 . Let the lapsed , however , who acknowledge the greatness of their sin , not depart from entreating the Lord , nor forsake the Catholic Church , which has been appointed one and alone by the Lord ; but , continuing in their atonements and entreating the Lord’s mercy , let them knock at the door of the Church , that they may be received there where once they were , and may return to Christ from whom they have departed , and not listen to those who deceive them with a fallacious and deadly seduction ; since it is written , “ Let no man deceive you with vain words , for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience ; be not ye therefore partakers with them . ” Therefore let no one associate himself with the contumacious , and those who do not fear God , and those who entirely with draw from the Church . But if any one should be impatient of entreating the Lord who is offended , and should be unwilling to obey us , but should follow desperate and abandoned men , he must take the blame to himself when the day of judgment shall come . For how shall he be able in that day to entreat the Lord , who has both before this denied Christ , and now also the Church of Christ , and not obeying bishops sound and wholesome and living , has made himself an associate and a partaker with the dying ? I bid you , dearest brethren and longed - for , ever heartily farewell .
Notes 1 Oxford ed.: Ep. lxv. a.d. 253.
2 Isa. lvii. 6.
3 Ex. xxii. 20.
4 Isa. ii. 8, 9.
5 Apoc. xiv. 9–11.
6 Lev. xxi. 17.
7 Ex. xix. 22.
8 Ex. xxviii. 43.
9 John ix. 31.
10 [2 Thess. ii. 11. Judicial blindness the result of revolt from known truth.]
11 Otherwise, “the enduring vigour of that soundness which they have preserved and guarded.”
12 Eph. v. 6, 7.
