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The Life and Passion of Cyprian, Bishop and Martyr. By Pontius the Deacon

Pontius the Deacon

Section 8

About this work

Author: Pontius the Deacon

8. Moreover, I think that something

‹ Section 7 Section 9 ›

may

here

be

said

about

the

benefit

of

the

delay

,

although

I

have

already

touched

slightly

on

the

matter

.

By

what

appears

subsequently

to

have

occurred

,

it

follows

that

we

may

prove

that

that

withdrawal

was

not

conceived

by

human

pusillanimity

,

but

,

as

indeed

is

the

case

,

was

truly

divine

.

The

unusual

and

violent

rage

of

a

cruel

persecution

had

laid

waste

God’s

people

;

and

since

the

artful

enemy

could

not

deceive

all

by

one

fraud

,

wherever

the

incautious

soldier

laid

bare

his

side

,

there

in

various

manifestations

of

rage

he

had

destroyed

individuals

with

different

kinds

of

overthrow

.

There

needed

some

one

who

could

,

when

men

were

wounded

and

hurt

by

the

various

arts

of

the

attacking

enemy

,

use

the

remedy

of

the

celestial

medicine

according

to

the

nature

of

the

wound

,

either

for

cutting

or

for

cherishing

them

.

Thus

was

preserved

a

man

of

an

intelligence

,

besides

other

excellences

,

also

spiritually

trained

,

who

between

the

resounding

waves

of

the

opposing

schisms

could

steer

the

middle

course

of

the

Church

in

a

steady

path

.

Are

not

such

plans

,

I

ask

,

divine

?

Could

this

have

been

done

without

God

?

Let

them

consider

who

think

that

such

things

as

these

can

happen

by

chance

.

To

them

the

Church

replies

with

clear

voice

,

saying

,

“

I

do

not

allow

and

do

not

believe

that

such

needful

then

are

reserved

without

the

decree

of

God

.

”