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| To Cornelius, About Cyprian's Approval of His Ordination, and Concerning Felicissimus.
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Epistle
XLI.2408
| 2408
Oxford ed.: Ep. xlv. a.d.
251. |
To Cornelius, About Cyprian’s
Approval of His Ordination, and Concerning Felicissimus.
Argument.—Cyprian Excuses Himself for Not Having Without Hesitation
Believed in the Ordination of Cornelius, Until He Received the Letters
of His Colleagues Caldonius And Fortunatus, Which Fully
Testified to Its Legitimacy; And Incidentally Repeats, in Respect of
the Contrary Faction of the Novatian Party, that He Did Not in the Very
First Instance Give His Adhesion to That, But Rather to Cornelius, Even
to the Extent of Refusing to Receive Accusations Against
Him.
1. Cyprian to Cornelius his brother,
greeting. As was fitting for God’s servants, and especially
for upright and peaceable priests, dearest brother, we recently sent
our colleagues Caldonius and Fortunatus, that they might, not only by
the persuasion of our letters, but by their presence and the advice of
all of you, strive and labour with all their power to bring the members
of the divided body into the unity of the Catholic Church, and
associate them into the bond of Christian charity. But since the
obstinate and inflexible pertinacity of the adverse party has not only
rejected the bosom and the embrace of its root and Mother, but even,
with a discord spreading and reviving itself worse and worse, has
appointed a bishop for itself, and, contrary to the sacrament once
delivered of the divine appointment and of Catholic Unity, has made an
adulterous and opposed head outside the Church; having received your
letters as well as those of our colleagues, at the coming also of our
colleagues Pompeius and Stephanus, good men and very dear to us, by
whom all these things were undoubtedly alleged and proved to us with
general gladness,2409
in conformity
with the requirements alike of the sanctity and the truth of the divine
tradition and ecclesiastical institution, we have directed our letters
to you. Moreover, bringing these same things under the notice of
our several colleagues throughout the province, we have bidden also
that our brethren, with letters from them, be directed to
you.
2. This has been done, although our
mind and intention had been already plainly declared to the brethren,
and to the whole of the people in this place, when, having received
letters lately from both parties, we read your letters, and intimated
your ordination to the episcopate, in the ears of every one.
Moreover, remembering the common honour, and having respect for the
sacerdotal gravity and sanctity, we repudiated those things which from
the other party had been heaped together with bitter virulence into a
document transmitted to us; alike considering and weighing, that in so
great and so religious an assembly of brethren, in which God’s
priests were sitting together, and His altar was set, they ought
neither to be read nor to be heard. For those things should not
easily be put forward, nor carelessly and rudely published, which may
move a scandal by means of a quarrelsome pen in the minds of the
hearers, and confuse brethren, who are placed far apart and dwelling
across the sea, with uncertain opinions. Let those beware, who,
obeying either their own rage or lust, and unmindful of the divine law
and holiness, rejoice to throw abroad in the meantime things which they
cannot prove; and although they may not be successful in destroying and
ruining innocence, are satisfied with scattering stains upon it with
lying reports and false rumours. Assuredly, we should exert
ourselves, as it is fitting for prelates and priests to do, that such
things, when they are written by any, should be repudiated as far as we
are concerned. For otherwise, what will become of that which we
learn and which we declare to be laid down in Scripture:
“Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking
guile?”2410
And
elsewhere: “Thy mouth abounded in malice, and thy tongue
embraced deceit. Thou satest and spakest against thy brother, and
slanderedst thine own mother’s son.”2411
Also what the apostle says:
“Let no corrupt communication proceed from thy mouth, but that
which is good to the edifying of faith, that it may minister grace unto
the hearers.”2412
Further, we show what the right
course of conduct to pursue is,2413
| 2413
Lit.: “that these things ought to be done.” | if, when such things are written by the
calumnious temerity of some, we do not allow them to be read among
us: and therefore, dearest brother, when such letters came to me
against you, even though they were the letters of your co-presbyter
sitting with you,2414
| 2414 The
co-presbyter here spoken of is Novatian. The Oxford text reads,
“When such writings came to me concerning you and your
co-presbyters sitting with you, as had the true ring of religious
simplicity in them.” There is a variety of readings.
[But think of a modern “Pope” thus addressed about a
“co-presbyter.”] | as they
breathed a tone of religious simplicity, and did not echo with any
barkings of curses and revilings, I ordered them to be read to the
clergy and the people.
3. But in desiring letters from our
colleagues,2415
| 2415
[Cyprian, however, respectfully demands the canonical evidences from
his brother Cornelius.] | who were present
at your ordination at that place, we did not forget the ancient usage,
nor did we seek for any novelty. For it was sufficient for you to
announce yourself by letters2416
to have been made bishop, unless there had been a dissenting faction on
the other side, who by their slanderous and calumnious fabrications
disturbed the minds and perplexed the hearts of our colleagues, as well
as of several of the brethren. To set this matter at rest, we
judged it necessary to obtain thence the strong and decided authority
of our colleagues who wrote to us; and they, declaring
the testimony of their letters to
be fully deserved by your character, and life, and teaching, have
deprived even your rivals, and those who delight either in novelty or
evil, of every scruple of doubt or of difference; and, according to our
advice weighed in wholesome reason, the minds of the brethren tossing
about in this sea have sincerely and decidedly approved your
priesthood. For this, my brother, we especially both labour
after, and ought to labour after, to be careful to maintain as much as
we can the unity delivered by the Lord, and through His apostles to us
their successors, and, as far as in us lies, to gather into the Church
the dispersed and wandering sheep which the wilful faction and
heretical temptation of some is separating from their Mother; those
only being left outside, who by their obstinacy and madness have
persisted, and have been unwilling to return to us; who themselves will
have to give an account to the Lord of the dissension and separation
made by them, and of the Church that they have forsaken.
4. But, so far as pertains to the cause of
certain presbyters here, and of Felicissimus, that you may know what
has been done here, our colleagues have sent you letters subscribed by
their own hand, that you may learn, when you have heard the parties,
from their letters what they have thought and what they have
pronounced. But you will do better,2417
| 2417 [Had
such instructions proceeded from the Roman See to Cyprian, what
inferences would have been manufactured out of them by the
mediæval writers.] | brother, if you will also bid copies of
the letters which I had sent lately by our colleagues Caldonius and
Fortunatus to you, to be read for the common satisfaction, which I had
written concerning the same Felicissimus and his presbytery to the
clergy there, and also to the people, to be read to the brethren there;
declaring your ordination, and the course of the whole transaction,
that so as well there as here the brotherhood may be informed of all
things by us. Moreover, I have here transmitted also copies of
the same by Mettius the sub-deacon, sent by me, and by Nicephorus the
acolyte. I bid you, dearest brother, ever heartily
farewell.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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