St. Cecilia (c. 225) : The Light to the Blind by Chris White

St. Cecilia is the patron saint of music.  In fact, when she is depicted in sacred art, she is always seen tickling the ivories of a pipe-organ and making melody to the Lord.  The only problem with this is that the pipe organ (or anything remotely like it) didn’t exist in her time and St. Cecilia is more known for being a preacher than a singer.  But to loosely quote Emerson here, consistency (even in historic details) is the hobgoblin of little minds.  There are even some who suggest that this most popular and beloved of Roman saints is a pious fiction because the earliest “Passion of St. Cecilia” comes to us in the form of a Greek religious romance which suggests the story is more legendary than factual.  But that said, one of the oldest places of worship in Rome is St. Cecilia’s Church in Trastevere and it is built over a home that stood in the 2^nd century and belonged to the Caecillii family.  The archeological evidence points to this house as having been used for Christian worship in later centuries.  While embellishments to the story are certain, there is no reason to doubt that Cecilia was a real person and that her life made an impact on the Christian community of Rome so many centuries ago.

St. Cecilia in Trastevere

According to Caxton’s Golden Legend the name “Cecilia” means either a light to the blind or a lily of heaven.  As often happens in ordinary life, Cecilia lives up to her name.  Cecilia came from a senatorial family and was said to be a Christian from a very early age.  She was given in marriage to a noble pagan youth by the name of Valerianus.  This may be an indicator that her parents were not Christians themselves as it seems a bit odd they would marry their godly daughter off to a pagan.  It may also be that because of the family’s social status there wasn’t a suitable man of her class in the church who was available.  Although the Christian faith does not teach the idea of social status and the church has done much to ameliorate class distinctions among believers, Roman society was extremely stratified and it is unlikely this idea didn’t have any coin among the faithful at this early date.

Cecilia sought holy chastity and didn’t want to be married but was required by her father to do so.  When the hour came for the couple to enter the nuptial bedchamber, Cecilia told her husband a secret that was unknown to all but her: Cecilia had an angel that watches and wards off any who would touch her that she may retain her virginity.

Valerianus wanted proof (as would any man in his situation) and Cecilia told him he must first believe in God.  He is sent to pope Urban who speaks with him and then baptizes him.  When Valerianus returns to Cecilia he sees her in her chamber praying and there is an angel standing by her with flaming wings.  The angel is holding a crown of lilies and roses which he places on both their heads and then vanishes.

Cecilia and Valerianus

Valerian’s brother Tiburtius drops by to see the happy couple and is so astonished by the floral crowns which were completely out of season that he believes their story and he too submits to Christian baptism.

After their conversions, Valerian and Tiburtius devote themselves to burying those Christians who were being martyred by the prefect of Rome.  Burying the dead with dignity was considered in this time a holy work of charity.  It was also quite risky if you were trying to avoid persecution yourself.  Eventually the brothers are hauled in and questioned about their dedication to burying Christians.  When asked to make a sacrifice to the pagan god Jupiter, the brothers refuse and suffer death in the Roman fashion of beheading.

Cecilia was apparently a stalwart evangelist and through her many contacts over 400 people reported to Pope Urban for baptism.  She too is eventually caught and is sentenced to death by suffocation in her bath.  Romans heated their baths with wood fires underneath.  Apparently Cecilia was to be locked in her bathroom and the water would be heated 7 times hotter than normal which was expected to steam her to death.  There are records of this form of execution being used by other Roman emperors and so it must have been a practice in her day.  When it was discovered that instead of being fully cooked Cecilia was unscathed and singing praise songs in her bathroom (the origins of singing in the shower?), the Prefect dispatched an executioner to put her to the sword.  Whether he didn’t have a heart to kill Cecilia or he had a very dull “gladus” (Roman sword), he was unable to succeed in removing Cecilia’s head.  Apparently if this wasn’t accomplished in three strokes the law required the executioner to stop.  Although alive, she was mortally wounded and lived 3 more days.  Many around Rome came to see her as she lay dying in her home.    Cecilia prayed for some and others she evangelized.

Cecilia being asked to sacrifice to Jupiter

One of those who came by to see her was Pope Urban.  Cecilia gave him her house and asked that it be made into a church.  When she eventually died she was buried by Urban and his deacons in the catacombs of Callistus.

So that’s the story of St. Cecilia as it comes to us.  Like many of the ancient Christian martyrs, her story is filled with elements of the supernatural and this is where I would expect you to say “yes, but you did say at the start that there embellishments and those things like the angel with flaming wings are one of them.”  But the funny thing is, the harder part to believe is the historical context not the spiritual details.  Why wouldn’t a sincere Christian have a guardian angel?  But consider the prominent place of  Pope Urban I in the story.  His reign as pope was early in the 3^rd century (222-230 AD).  What is problematic is that the Christian church was not under any persecution at the time.  In fact, the Roman emperor Alexander Severus was quite positive in his treatment of the Christians.

The Emperor Alexander gave Christians the right to have houses of worship in Rome.  There was a protest by tavern owners over this, but the emperor felt that any kind of worship of God was preferable to tavern keeping.  This trend continued and built momentum until the persecution of Diocletian when he started confiscating and razing church buildings.

Cecilia before executioner

This makes it difficult to understand how Cecilia, Valerianus, and Tiburtius could be martyred for their faith when there wasn’t any oppression of Christians.  Two possible solutions to this dilemma is Urban was not the pope but a church leader assumed to be pope because of his name.  This then allows the story room to be in the 2^nd Century when there was persecution under Marcus Aurelius.  The other solution which is embedded in the Golden Legend, is this was a localized persecution in Rome done by lower level government officials without the knowledge of the emperor.  I know this could never happen today (my tongue is thoroughly embedded in my cheek) but back then governments didn’t always know what everybody was doing.

Another problem with the story is that St. Cecilia is unknown in literature until 496 AD when Pope Gelasius introduced her name into his sacramentary (a book of Christian liturgy).  That seems long after the fact to get your first mention, but where did he get the idea to mention her?  It could be that Cecilia was known but places of her mention in literature simply did not survive.  This is not unusual especially when the total number of books were few prior to the printing press.

In  821 there is a record of an old church in Rome dedicated to St. Cecilia that is being restored by Pope Paschal.  Pope Paschal made a search for grave in the catacombs and when he couldn’t find it assumed it (like other relics of saints) had been stolen by the Lombards.  One night, St. Cecilia appears to him in a dream and tells him he was close to her resting place in the catacombs of Callistus and to make another try.  The pope did so and had her body moved from the catacombs along with her husband, brother-in-law, and Pope Urban to the church in Trastevere when its restoration was complete.

Mosaic of St. Cecilia and Pope Urban

Just an aside, if you ever visit the Catacombs in Rome (and you should if you ever visit Rome), you will find most of them are empty especially of anyone who was famous.  This is because many Europeans in the early Middle Ages wanted to take a souvenir bone of a saint home with them from their trip and were robbing the graves.  This led the Church of Rome to begin moving the graves of saints into the churches and out of the catacombs as a means of protection.

Watch a short video on Life of St. Cecilia here

In 1599 the church of St. Cecila was refurbished a second time.  This time the sarcophagus of Cecilia was opened to inspect the contents.  Her body was found to be incorrupt.  A sketch was made and sent to the pope who came to see the body for himself.  He commissioned the sculptor Stephano Maderno to see the body and sculpt what he saw.  In front of the sculpture in the church is an oath sworn by the artist that we are looking at in stone what he actually saw with his own eyes.

Maderno's St. Cecilia

So if Cecilia is legendary, she is certainly a persistent imaginary person.  As the patron saint of music many poems and songs are written about her or for her feast day known as St. Cecilia’s Day.  But Cecilia should be remembered as a woman so completely given over to Christ that when people came into contact with her, they too were convinced the gospel is true.  And that is a legacy we should all aspire to ourselves.

Listen to a beautiful song about St. Cecilia as patron of Music here

Catacomb where Cecilia was found

Sources:

Caxton, William.  The Golden Legend.  http://sites.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/canttales/secnun/cecilia.html  Mar. 4, 2015

“Cecilia, martyr”  Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity.  Angelo Di Berardino gen. ed.  (Downers Grove : Intervarsity, 2014)

“Incorrupt Bodies”  Mar. 5, 2015  http://www.marypages.com/IncorruptBodies.htm

“St. Cecilia”  Catholic Encyclopedia.  Feb. 20, 2015. 

“St. Cecilia”  Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature.  McClintock and Strong eds.  (Grand Rapids : Baker Books, 1981

“Saint Cecilia”  Mar. 5, 2015

 

“St. Cecilia of Rome”  Dictionary of Christian Biography. Michael Walsh ed.  (Collegeville : The Liturgical Press, 2001).

Day, Malcolm  A Treasury of Saints : Their Lives and Times  (New York : Chartwell Books, 2004)

Saint of the Day : Lives, Lessons, and Feasts.  Foley and McCloskey O.F.M. ed. & rev.  (Cincinnati : St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2001)

Schaff, Philip.  History of the Christian Church Vol. 2  (Grand Rapids : Eerdmanns, 1910)

The Basilica of Santa Cecilia Rome.  (Genova : Edizioni D’Arte Marconi, 2010)

St. Agnes of Rome (292-304 AD) : A Model of Sacrificial Purity by Chris White

St. Agnes "Pure"

Piazza Navona in Rome Italy

In present day Rome is a site popular with tourists called the Piazza Navona.  It has three fountains that are considered Baroque masterpieces and adding to its charm are many sidewalk café’s, gelato stands, street musicians, artists, and entertainers.  On a beautiful summer night, this is truly one of the more magical spots in all of Italy. 

On the western side of the oblong piazza stands a church.  It too is a masterpiece of the Baroque although some have criticized the façade of the Church as being poorly designed.  Not being qualified to evaluate such things, I simply accept St. Agnese in Agone Church as it is and enjoy the lovely art treasures inside caring little about building symmetry and the like.

St. Agnese en Agone Church

But behind the beautiful art and all the activities and entertainments of the piazza is a story of Christian heroism that is quite important .  At the end of the first century, the Emperor Domitian built a stadium with seating for 30,000 people on that very site.  It was a popular place for horse racing and gladiatorial games and was in use until the 5^th century when it was abandoned and its materials were repurposed in many other buildings and homes around Rome.  It was here that a young Christian girl known to us as Agnes was martyred for her Christian faith at the tender age of 13.  Her story has continued to inspire Christians and people of all persuasions ever since. 

Artistic Model of Domitian Stadium

Piazza footprint of Domitian Stadium

In March of 303 AD, faced with all sorts of internal and external pressures, the emperor of the Roman Empire named Diocletian launched an all-out assault on the Christian church.  Typical with despotic rulers, if things aren’t going well, scapegoating a segment of the population is a good way to divert unwanted attention on your own leadership failures.  The reasoning goes like this: (1) things used to be great in the Roman Empire (at least for the elite classes); (2) Rome was founded on loyalty to the ancient  gods; (3) This one group does not respect or sacrifice to our gods; (4) therefore, destroy this one group and all problems will dissipate and our normal good fortunes will return.

In the case of the Diocletian persecution, the picture is not wholly unlike what happened to the Jews in Hitler’s Germany in the 20^th century except that the Christians as a whole were a much larger segment of the populace.  Diocletian started with the prohibition of Christian meetings and then moved to the razing of any church buildings, imprisonment of church leaders, destruction of the Scriptures, and finally a mandatory requirement that anyone accused of being a Christian was required to make a sacrifice to the pagan gods of Rome upon pain of death.  In some parts of the Roman Empire, Christians were sent to “work camps” where they were essentially executed by being underfed and worked to death.  Eusebius, the early Christian historian, who was contemporaneous with these events, said in some locales, the jails were so full of Christians there was no room for criminals anymore.  Although this persecution slackened a bit with the unprecedented retirement of Diocletian in 305, it was continued in his successors until 313 when the Edict of Milan effectively brought freedom of religion to all people within the Roman world under Constantine.

A video tour of St. Agnes Church 

There are several traditions regarding St. Agnes which seem to emphasize different facets of her story.  Rather than present them separately, I am going to synthesize them into a single narrative leaving it to the reader to do further research if they are inclined to know the other alternatives.

Agnes was born in 292 to an upper class Roman family.  It is believed the entire family was practicing Christians although the current times required them to keep a low profile about their faith.  The Prefect of Rome (a mayor with power) at the time was named Sempronius.  He knew Agnes and her family and really wanted her to marry his son Procop.  She was apparently quite a beautiful person both in appearance and personality and therefore quite a “catch” for any young man.  Agnes was approached with a marriage proposal a couple of times which she refused on the basis that she had consecrated her life to Jesus Christ and intended on living as a virgin. 

English version of Agnes

 In today’s sexual economy this may sound absurd, but it has a long tradition in the Christian church and is found in the Scriptures in 1 Corinthians chapter 7.  The purpose of such a consecration had nothing to do with the idea that sex and marriage were inherently evil, something the Bible does not teach, but rather this mode of life was a means of diverting all of your energy and attention on the pursuit of God.  The phrase often used by those in that station in life was “my spouse is Jesus Christ and my heart belongs totally to Him.”  Agnes couldn’t have made such vow without her parent’s consent at her age and so the refusal of marriage proposals was also with their permission.

Whether it was boldness, impetuosity, or simply the knowledge that her tender age exempted her from criminal punishment under Roman law, Agnes spoke quite freely about her consecration to Jesus Christ and that she was unavailable for a marriage contract.  After her second refusal of marriage to his son and the spurning of the offer of many gifts if she would change her mind, Sempronius went to the local courts to report Agnes as a Christian.

There might have been some politics involved in Agnes’s case that went beyond just her youth because when she appeared before the court, the governor made her lavish promises if she would publicly renounce her faith and then treated her with extreme harshness when she wouldn’t comply.  On either side of the equation, Agnes was a high profile example and useful to the Roman government for propaganda purposes.  To renounce her faith would provide a powerful testimony to the community that nothing is worth dying for especially your religion, to cling to her faith would give opportunity for the government to show just how cruel they can be in punishing those who do not comply with their policies.

A short video on offering your life in St. Agnes' example 

When Agnes explained that she was virgin consecrated to Jesus Christ alone, the governor set about to torment her before having her executed.  Agnes was condemned to die and it is said she faced this prospect with the joy of a woman on her wedding day.  But the governor hoped that the miseries he had planned for her might cause her to reconsider her manner of life.

First, Agnes was sentenced to live in a well-known brothel next to the stadium of Domitian where the prostitutes serviced those attending the games and races there.  In Rome, a young virgin girl could not be given a death sentence, but if the girl was living as a prostitute, then the situation changes.  When game-day arrived,  Agnes was stripped naked along with the other prostitutes, and brought into the stadium much like a half-time commercial on a ball game today.  A different product to be sure, but the marketing strategy was still same.

Agnes covered by hair

There are a couple of traditions at this point in the story that may or may not be true but certainly add to the story.  The first one is that when Agnes was stripped naked and brought before the crowd, which would have been utter humiliation for a chaste young girl of her character,  God caused the hair on her head to suddenly and spontaneously grow to cover her private parts.  The second story is that a man at the arena who wanted to purchase her services.  When he came down and tried to touch her, he died suddenly.  Agnes told the guard detail that was leading her around that an angel unseen to them but visible to her was protecting her.  To prove this she prayed and the man was brought to life.  Did this actually happen?  We don’t know.  Could it actually happen?  I think the same God who says not hair on your head or a sparrow in the air falls to the ground without his knowledge and permission

 ( Lk.21:18, Mt. 10:29) is more than capable of helping a person in this manner.

When this was reported to the governor, he ordered that Agnes be taken to be burned alive as a pagan sacrifice.  Since she wanted to be a holy virgin to God, she was to be made an offering by fire to Minerva.  When the fire was lit beneath her rather than consume her, it continually went out.  The Lord was not going to allow her to become a sacrifice to anyone but Himself.

Finally it was decided to put Agnes to the sword. The Roman guard who was dispatched to decapitate her, cut her throat instead causing her to die quickly and mercifully.  For this reason iconography depicts her with a lamb (because lambs have their throats cut before they are used as a sacrifice) to symbolize her as a pure sacrifice before God.  This happened in a support room at the stadium of Domitian.

At the time of this incident, the harsh treatment and execution of Agnes was a shock and scandal to the citizens of Rome and brought pressure to bear on the government to bring an end to persecution of Christian citizens.  Not only was Agnes admired as an example of steadfast faith as she innocently endured evil, but was held forth as a model of purity and chastity for both women and men.  The name Agnes actually means “pure and chaste.”

Agnes as sacrificial lamb at sword

It is important to remember Agnes’ steadfast devotion was not the result of her great efforts or maturity, but really was made possible by the support of God given to her in her time of trial.  Agnes’ story was immortalized in her own generation when Constantine the Great built a church in her honor at the urging of his daughter Constanzia who visited her memorial shrine in Rome and claimed she had been healed of a disease.

January 21^st is her memorial day on the calendars of the Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican churches.  Since medieval times there has been a curious custom related to her feast.  If an unmarried woman skips her supper on the eve of the feast of St. Agnes, that night she will see her future husband in her dreams.  Of course, that being a true thing would be a terrific comfort to some women and to others, perhaps warning enough to pursue the path of St. Agnes herself and becoming the spouse of Jesus alone.

Reliquary with Agnes' Skull

Sources

“Agnes, Saint”  Saints and Angels Catholic Online.  Catholic.org 20 Feb. 2015

“Agnes, Saint”  Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 20 Feb. 2015

“Agnes, Saint and Martyr”  Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature Vol. 1  McClintock and Strong eds.  (Grand Rapids : Baker Books, 1981)

“Saint Agnes of Rome”  Marypages.com  20 Feb. 2015

“Agnes”  Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity Vol. 1.  Angelo Di Berardino Gen. Ed.  (Downers Grove : Intervarsity Press, 2014)

Cairns, Earle E.  Christianity Through The Centuries.  (Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1981)

Chidester, David  Christianity : A Global History.  (San Francisco : HarperSanFrancisco, 2000)

Guy, Laurie  Introducing Early Christianity: A Topical Survey of Its Life, Beliefs & Practices  (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2004)

Kirsch, Johann Peter  “Saint Agnes of Rome”  The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 1  (New York : Robert Appleton Company, 1907)  20 Feb. 2015  www.newadvent.org/cathen/01214a.htm

Saint of the Day: Lives, Lessons, and Feasts  Edited and Revised by Leonard Foley O.F.M. and Pat McCloskey O.F.M. (Cincinnati : St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2001)

Todescato, Gianni  A Brief Guide to St. Agnese in Agone.  (Rome : LazziRoma, 2009)

Thascius Caecilius Cyprian (c200-258 AD) and the Shape of the Church by Chris White

Icon of Cyprian

St. Cyprian was born to a prominent Roman family in Carthage and for his first 50 years lived what most of us would consider a “charmed life.”  His father was a well-known senator and his position afforded Cyprian with the best this world had to offer in terms of education, material goods, and opportunity.  In his early adulthood Cyprian became a teacher of law and rhetoric (a path to politics and/or public acclaim).  His teaching was in high demand and soon Cyprian was a wealthy man with his own household in Carthage and Roman Villa in the countryside.  

Carthage rivaled Rome for sophistication and power

But like many of us in middle-age, Cyprian went through a period of soul-searching and disenchantment with the world around him.  Roman society was never secular but it’s religious foundation lay in the idolatry of the Greeks and Cyprian found this to be trite and full of falsehood.  He had questions about the meaning of life and they were not answered by a pantheon of gods he didn’t believe to be true.  As people begin to search for God it is not uncommon for God to send someone out to find them.  In Cyprian’s case it was an elder in the Christian church of Carthage by the name of Caecillius who shared the good news of Jesus with him and after his conversion served as his instructor as he prepared for baptism.

Cyprian was baptized in the year 246 AD when he was approximately 50 years old.  In gratitude for his instruction and leadership, Cyprian took as his middle name “Caecillius” to honor his spiritual father. Cyprian was an earnest convert.  By his own testimony he felt his heart was renewed and his life had meaning and purpose.  Having an intellectual gift, he gave himself earnestly to Christian studies reading the Bible and early theologians in a dedicated fashion.  Soon he also divested himself of some of  his land and wealth and gave it all to the poor as a means of worship.

An ancient baptismal near present day Carthage

According to Acts 17:26, God determines the time and place of our existence.  We are rightly men and women of our times at the behest of God and thus we have a part in the specific history and destiny of where we live.  Even as Cyprian was growing towards maturity in his new found faith, he had no idea the challenges he would face and the burdens he would bear through the remaining years of his life.

In 248 AD the beloved bishop of the people of Carthage dies.  As the Christian community considers a successor the name of Cyprian is on everyone’s mind.  There was something quite natural about their selection  in that Cyprian was well-known, was well-educated, and from a family that was widely respected and proven leaders.  But there was equally something unnatural about this as well.  St. Paul’s Epistle to Timothy clearly states that an elder or bishop should not be a new convert lest they become swollen with pride and become the prey of the devil (I Tim. 3:16).  As a man with a commanding knowledge of the scriptures, Cyprian knew this and rejected the intentions of the congregation.  Unfortunately for Cyprian, the Church rejected his rejection and literally forced upon him the mantle of being their bishop.  Although his election was resented by some in church leadership who questioned mere popularity as a qualification for bishop, God used Cyprian in a mighty way and his viewpoints were to have a future impress on the entire church for generations to come.

To understand the context of Cyprian’s teachings and ministry you need to be aware that his ministry started with the Decian persecution for the first two years of it, continued with controversy in the aftermath of the persecution and then ended with the Valerian persecution (257-260) of which Cyprian was one of its casualties.  The Decian persecution was very harsh on the church and was very effective in terms of driving many nominal Christians to apostasize.  Cyprian had observed that the years of prosperity and ease that preceded the persecution had caused the discipline and morals of the church to become quite lax.  Cyprian had only started to enforce stricter discipline when the persecution broke out.   Cyprian viewed the persecution as a divine cleansing of the church which led him to set strict standards by which those who came back to the church would be restored to fellowship.

Read more on the later Donatist Controversy in North Africa  

But Cyprian was destined for controversy because during the persecution, he, the bishop of the city, went into hiding.  Cyprian defended his position as thoroughly biblical: “Our Lord commanded us in times of persecution to yield and fly.  He taught this and practiced it  himself.  For since the martyr’s crown comes by the grace of God, it cannot be gained before the appointed hour.  He who retires for a time and remains true to Christ, does not deny his faith, but only abides his time”.  Though very much criticized for his pattern of hiding and avoiding arrest during persecutions, Cyprian’s extant writings show that he was actively leading his people.  He instructed all to not offer themselves up, but if caught not to cave-in and apostasize but stand faithful in the face of persecution and torture.

In the wake of this persecution,  Cyprian was faced with the issue of dealing with those who failed to stand and yet wanted to be re-admitted to the church.  He believed their failure to stand in persecution sundered their bonds with Christ and the church.  Although Cyprian didn’t originate the idea of penance, this idea certainly crystallized in his times.  If the community of the faithful was going to remain truly that, grievous failure (such as apostasy) and the desire to be restored to the church needed an orderly connection.

Cyprian was committed to theology and the scripture

In truth, Cyprian dealt with this quite circumspectly.  Some had been faithful in their confession but had been tortured severely and had a momentary break in their loyalty.  Others had used money to buy off the authorities.  And still others, even lay leaders, gave up without a fight.  He recognized that there were degrees of failure and made allowances for human frailty.  It seems that his strongest policy was directed towards those who willingly cooperated with the Roman government.

In this case if you were penitent you may attend a sermon or church gathering but you will be deprived of the sacraments until you are on your deathbed or so sick that death might be imminent. 

Cyprian also advocated an alternative if you felt  your soul was in peril.  The alternative was to offer yourself in martyrdom during another persecution.  This offering of your lifeblood was believed efficacious in cancelling out your previous betrayal of Christ by undergoing a second baptism.  In Luke 12:50 Jesus referred to his going to the cross as “a baptism” and so it was implied that this was a baptism in blood. Others were critical of this and cited a tradition that a Christian who had been faithful in a persecution and didn’t die could and did have the right to forgive and restore the lapsed.

Cyprian’s view may seem stern but in fact was a ‘golden-mean’.  Novatus, a priest in Carthage who set himself up in Cyprian’s place when he went into hiding the first time, readmitted everyone who had lapsed without any question of their motives or circumstance.  On the other hand, the Pope in Rome had taken the view (at least for a short period) that never under any circumstance could a lapsed Christian return to the church.

Watch a short 2 minute video on Cyprian and Pope Cornelius 

Penance was considered a medicine for the soul.  It allowed a person to demonstrate over time their sorrow for their sin and eventually be received back into the church as a full member.  It allowed for grace and forgiveness but also restoration and discipline in the community of the faithful.  It may seem that the church forgot the fact that Jesus took back Peter after Peter denied him on the night of his betrayal and arrest (Mt. 26:75) and that Christ is our advocate and mediator before the Father when we sin (I John 2:1).  From my own perspective it seems withholding the benefits of the sacraments from a sorrowful believer is a denial of grace, but the modern viewpoint tends to cheapen grace by extending it often at the sacrifice of all church discipline.  I would also suggest that today’s evangelicals do actually have a form of penance in their ranks.  Witness the complete predictability of what happens when a high-profile minister is caught having committed a grievous sin.  Although the names and sins vary, their elders uniformly send the pastor and his spouse away to a counseling center for 10 weeks and then they return with several accountability advisors and then they are officially restored.  The ancients were seeking the same end in the absence of a therapeutic culture.

Cyprian in bishop's clothing

But far beyond his policies regarding lapsed Christians, Cyprian’s impress on the office of the bishop and the role of the church came to be the dominant view of Christendom and centuries later contributed to the development of the Roman papacy.  Cyprian held a high view of his office as a bishop.  In his day, the bishop was the leader of a church in a particular area (such as a city) and governed the life of the church in its worship and discipline.  Other ministers of congregations were his deputies and served under his authority.  His view was that “Bishop is in the church, and the church is in the Bishop and outside of the church there is no salvation”.  What Cyprian was doing was pointing to the reality, much more clearly known in his day, that bishops either succeeded or were connected in their succession to the original apostles of Christ.  Lists were kept and maintained because it was believed this would maintain and conserve the truth and apostolic foundations of the true church (as opposed to any heretical or schismatic churches).  Being connected with a true bishop in church membership and the receiving of the sacraments ensured that one had believed in the true gospel and was rightly connected into the body of Christ.  Apostolic succession and the inheritance of the churches knowledge and experience is important to all Christians.  For Protestant Christians the inheritance of the faith is found in the Apostolic writings (The New Testament) alone.  For Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism the inheritance of the faith comes the scriptures but also the long and unbroken chain of bishops from the ancient times to the present.

Bishops met in councils to discuss problems and theology

Cyprian, like others in his day, also believed that the bishop of one church was the equal to all other bishops in the world.  He believed in praying for other bishops and also to gather with them to discuss and make judgments on matters of faith and teaching.  The practice of councils was in place and the practice of the North African churches prior to Constantine and Nicea although it is marked as the first world council.  One should also note that Cyprian, strong as he was on the importance of the bishop, believed in collegiality.  The concept of the Roman Papacy having primacy over all the bishops of the church would have been utterly contrary to his thought on this office despite the fact that his thinking was adopted to support it.

The Valerian persecution (257-260 AD) was more fierce and more torturous than many of the other persecutions.  Empire wide, it was directed specifically to Church leadership, members of the senate, military and aristocracy that were Christians.  Valerian sent a letter to the pro-consul of Carthage naming Cyprian as one he wanted targeted for death.

In 257 he was demanded to sacrifice to the god Jupiter by the local pro-consul.  Cyprian refused and found himself banished from Carthage.  He continued to write and teach his church from a distance at his country estate in Utique. But the next year a death sentence was handed down and Cyprian was to report to the proconsul there for it to be carried out.  When he was officially summoned to the magistrate, Cyprian fled Utique and went back to Carthage. There and there only would Cyprian present himself to bear witness and seal his testimony, for it was Carthage and not Utique that Cyprian was the chief bishop.

Great resource landing page for further study of St. Cyprian here 

Cyprian writes “For whatever the bishop as confessor says at the moment of his confession he speaks, under the inspiration of God, as the mouth of them all (meaning the Christian community of Carthage). On Sept. 14, 258 AD  Cyprian was taken outside the city where he gave the executioner 25 gold pieces (to do his job well), stripped off his outer garments, prayed, and then kneeled to receive the sword.He was buried on the spot and church was built over his grave.  Unfortunately the later invasion of the Vandals ended up causing the church to be demolished. 

Beheading of Cyprian in church frescoe

Cyprian truly had no view of the visible and invisible church.  For him, all Christian life was directly related to your external connection to the visible church.  His most well-known words must be understood in that context:  “He cannot have God as his father who does not have the church as their mother.”  “Outside the church there is no salvation.”  To be outside the church is to be outside the ark of God’s provision drowning in the flood.  In a time when church membership is minimized in its importance and is seen as contributing nothing to a person’s salvation, Cyprian seems hard to understand.  But his passion was that Christians be connected to Jesus and that connection was made from within the body of Christ which was a very visible presence in his world. 

Sources:

Born to New Life : Cyprian of Carthage.  Oliver Davies Ed.  (New Rochelle : New City Press, 1992)

Cyprian of Carthage.  On the Church.  Allen Brent, trans.  (Crestwood : St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2006)

Chadwick, Harold J. and John Foxe.  The New Foxes’s Book of Martyrs.  (New Brunswick :  Bridge-Logos Publishing, 1997)

“Cyprian”  Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Knowledge.  McClintock and Strong Eds.  (Grand Rapids : Baker Book House, 1981)

“Cyprian”  New Dictionary of Theology.  Ferguson, Wright, and Packer Eds.  ( Downers Grove : Intervarsity Press, 1988)

The Oxford History of Christianity.  John McManners Ed.  (Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1990)

Latourette, Kenneth Scott  The History of Christianity Vol. 1. Rev. Ed.  (New York : Harper and Row, 1975)

Saint of the Day:  Lives, Lessons, and Feasts.  Leonard Foley O.F.M. Ed., Pat McCloskey O.F.M. Rev.  (Cincinnati : St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2001)

Schaff, Philip.  History of the Christian Church Vol. II: Ante-Nicene Christianity AD 100-325.  (Grand Rapids : Eerdmans Publishing, 1910)