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On the Unity of the Church

Cyprian of Carthage

Section 18

About this work

A pastoral argument for the visible unity of the church around its bishops, written amid schism and persecution and framed through biblical images of one people and one household.

Author: Cyprian of Carthage
Date: c. AD 251
Origin: Carthage, North Africa
Genre: Theological Treatise

18. Thus Korah, Dathan, and Abiram,

‹ Section 17 Section 19 ›

who

endeavoured

to

claim

to

themselves

the

power

of

sacrificing

in

opposition

to

Moses

and

Aaron

the

priest

,

underwent

immediate

punishment

for

their

attempts

.

The

earth

,

breaking

its

fastenings

,

gaped

open

into

a

deep

gulf

,

and

the

cleft

of

the

receding

ground

swallowed

up

the

men

standing

and

living

.

Nor

did

the

anger

of

the

indignant

God

strike

only

those

who

had

been

the

movers

(

of

the

sedition

)

;

but

two

hundred

and

fifty

sharers

and

associates

of

that

madness

besides

,

who

had

been

mingled

with

them

in

that

boldness

,

the

fire

that

went

out

from

the

Lord

consumed

with

a

hasty

revenge

;

doubtless

to

admonish

and

show

that

whatever

those

wicked

men

had

endeavoured

,

in

order

by

human

will

to

overthrow

God’s

appointment

,

had

been

done

in

opposition

to

God

.

Thus

also

Uzziah

the

king

,

—

when

he

bare

the

censer

and

violently

claimed

to

himself

to

sacrifice

against

God’s

law

,

and

when

Azariah

the

priest

withstood

him

,

would

not

be

obedient

and

yield

,

—

was

confounded

by

the

divine

indignation

,

and

was

polluted

upon

his

forehead

by

the

spot

of

leprosy

:

he

was

marked

by

an

offended

Lord

in

that

part

of

his

body

where

they

are

signed

who

deserve

well

of

the

Lord

.

And

the

sons

of

Aaron

,

who

placed

strange

fire

upon

the

altar

,

which

the

Lord

had

not

commanded

,

were

at

once

extinguished

in

the

presence

of

an

avenging

Lord

.