The Lord taught us: "You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free". The chapter on Justin was about reaching after the truth. Now, speaking about Cyprian, we seem to pass to the other part of Christ's teaching, to the problem of freedom. When we know the truth we become free. But free from what? Is freedom equivalent to the lack of any rules, hierarchy, order, that is to anarchy?
At Cyprian's time Rome was collapsing. The great Empire was shaken by political and social instability. Everything that seemed stable was going to break down. But the Church grew even stronger, though this process was painful.
Cyprian was born in northern Africa, in the old and glorious city of Carthage. He was a rhetorician, that is had a well-paid and prestigious job. Wealthy Romans of that time lived in grand stile as if there were no tomorrow. Future bishop was no exception.
It is not known why and how Cyprian met an old priest named Cecilius. There were no lengthy sermons: Cecilius simply gave him the Bible. The rest was accomplished by itself. Cyprian's conversion shocked all of Carthage: the young rhetorician was a well-known figure. A Christian? That couldn't be! However, Cyprian made a clean break with the past: such was the strength of repentance in his heart. Moreover, he never mentions heathen authors in his extant works, even though he had classical education. If we draw a parallel between Cyprian and the apostles Peter and Paul, then Cyprian was much closer to Peter: he was not concerned by issues like relations with heathen culture, external influence and the like. He was concentrated on things that were inside the Christian community, not outside it.
Conversion affected all areas of the young man's life. He gave away his fortune (that was rather large) to the poor and was now concerned by only two things: the Scripture and Tertullian's writings. Soon he grew famous in Christian circles. When the time came to elect a new bishop of Carthage, the parishioners chose him among multiple other candidates. It happened early in AD 249. However, as early as in AD 250 Decius' persecutions broke.
When Christians were safe and there was no danger, the community grew large. But now any one who professed Christ, might be killed. Many parishioners panicked. Authorities proclaimed that they would not arrest those who would sacrifice to gods. What did Christians have to do? At that moment Cyprian escaped from the city, having abandoned their flock to their fears and doubts. We might say that the bishop of Carthage acted faint-heartedly, but let us not forget that the apostles also fled when Christ was arrested. Let us remember that Peter denied the Lord three times at that terrible night. Our most "painstaking" task is probably visiting the local Church on Sunday. But in the third century Carthage Christians had to face matters of life and death.
Bereft of their leader, Christians flooded the magistrates to sacrifice and to save both themselves and their families from tortures and execution. Those who did it were called sacrificati (from the Latin word sarificium, sacrifice). But many believers, especially those wealthy, found another solution: this way or another they provided themselves with the official document (libellum), which attested that sacrifices had been accomplished (even though they had not been). Those people were called libellatici. Cyprian was openly blamed for his behavior. In response he wrote letters where he tried to justify himself.
After some time persecutions ceased. Rome had too many other problems, besides Christians. Cyprian came back to the city. What did he see? Thousands of the faithful denied their faith. many others saved their lives through counterfeit libella. But those who persevered to the end, even though they felt insulted, accepted the sacrificati and libellatici back into the community: to do otherwise would mean acting against brotherly love. Cyprian saw clearly that all would believe now that faith is like a game: one can accept it and then renounce if it becomes dangerous. What to do about this situation? Could he, as a bishop, take decisions concerning the issue, if he himself hided during persecutions, even though did not deny his faith.
In May 251 a council was convened, where Cyprian was restored as the bishop of Carthage. The corporate decision was as follows: Libellatici had to accomplish penitence and could be accepted back after some time (a rather long time). Sacrificati, who had in fact denied Christ, were not accepted back into the community, but if they were ill or they were going to die, they were received into the fellowship: earthly Church did not think that it had the right to close the door of salvation before them.
This episode of Churfh history was exceptionally important for later times. Three basic principles were established in the practice of the Church: The power of the keys, that is Church authority, extended as far as to the power of the remission of sins, even such grave sins as denying Christ; final decision should be taken in an assembly of the bishops, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit; lay people who had acted unfairly, still must be received back into the fellowship.
A year passed. At Rome the emperor Gallus came to power. New persecutions followed. Many Christians who denied their faith during previous trial, were now ready for martyrdom. Something was happening in the minds of Christians. Order and discipline brought their first fruit.
Amazingly, citizens of Carthage treated Christians much more amiably than before, and with much more sympathy. There had been an epidemic in the city, and Christians helped everybody, both their brothers and sisters in faith and heathens. They were not afraid to become infected and die. Such courage and charity produced a great impression on Carthaginians.
In AD 251 Cyprian supports Cornelius, the bishop of Rome, in his efforts to reestablish order. It is then that Cyprian wrote his book "On the Unity of the Church". But soon relations between Carthage and Rome became complicated. Cyprian's authority grew considerably, he was often addressed for solving conflicts. Thus in AD 254 two Spanish communities, displeased by the decision of Rome to reestablish two priests who had denied Christ during persecutions, sent their representatives to Carthage. Cyprian always thought that treatment of lay people and clerics cannot be the same: the parish has the right not to receive a priest who committed such a greave sin as denying Christ. Rome grew more and more displeased by the independence of Carthage. An argument about the Sacraments broke.
Cyprian thought that the Baptism of those who subsequently denied the Lord could not be considered as valid. During the time of persecutions such ideas seemed to be rather natural. Everybody understood that it was extremely important to be faithful to God and His Church for each Christian community. At the same time the teaching about Sacraments had not been developed in detail yet. Unfortunately, Cyprian's personal convictions were supported by a council where bishops from Africa and Asia Minor were present. They began to baptize once again those who had renounced their faith after the first Baptism. The Pope of Rome Eutychius rightly believed that such practice was inadmissible. However, he based his arguments not on the Scriptures but on the authority of the Roman chair, with which, he thought, one had to agree without contradiction.
Cyprian made many mistakes. Yet he lived and served in those times during which any step might lead to a catastrophe, and inaction guaranteed defeat. Cyprian's biography is the best confirmation of the old truth: he is lifeless who is faultless. He cared so much about the unity of the Church, but he could not allow Rome to usurp all the power. He thought that none among bishps can give orders to others. Each important decision had to be taken in a council, that is in an assembly of many bishops. His emphasis on that idea led to arguments and was dangerous for the unity of the Church. Cyprian never resolved this painful contradiction. However, the argument with Rome ended by itself: the Pope Eutychius died and the emperor Valerianus started persecutions at Carthage.
On the 30th of August 257 Cyprian was summoned before the proconsul Aspasius Paternus. What did he have to do? Once he had avoided danger be fleeing. But since then much time had passed. Both the Church and Cyprian himself changed. Should he go? If so, what would happen to him? What would happen to his community? Cyprian prayed, stood for a few minutes in front of his Church, looked at the old acacia tree on the other side of the street and went to the proconsul.
That time he was exiled to the city of Curubis on the gulf of Hammamet. But in a year they summoned him back to Carthage, sentenced to death, tortured and executed. Was Cyprian able to resolve the eternal question of combining freedom and order? It is hardly so. But very few people were able to go this way so far as Cyprian of Carthage. That is why Christians do remember this remarkable figure.
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