The Lapsed


Book Description

St. Cyprian's writings portray vividly the life of the Christian church in the middle of the third century. The two pastoral addresses of this intensely devout bishop reveal the aftermath of the persecution by the Emperor Decius. +







Letters (1–81)


Book Description

The letters, of which eighty-one have come down to us, written from c.249 until his death in 258 A.D., may be found translated in this volume.




The Complete Works of Saint Cyprian of Carthage


Book Description

"Translation of St. Cyprian's works originally published as part of The Ante- Nicene Fathers: The Writings of the Fathers down to AD 325, Volume 5, 1885."




The Church in the Latin Fathers


Book Description

What is the church? What does it mean to be a member of the church? This book examines how the earliest Christian theologians in the Latin West understood the nature, ends, and boundaries of the church. By analyzing the thought and practices of figures such as Tertullian of Carthage, Cyprian of Carthage, Augustine of Hippo, and Pope Leo the Great, James K. Lee shows how early Latin theologians forged distinctive views of the church as one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. Lee argues that according to the Latin fathers, the church was one complex reality with visible and invisible aspects that could be distinguished but not separated. God could work outside of the church’s visible bounds, yet all who were saved were joined to the church’s invisible bond of charity. The church’s unity was found in charity, and for the early Latin fathers, there was no salvation outside of the church. In addition, Lee demonstrates the trajectory from an exclusivist ecclesiology to a more inclusive understanding of church membership in the development of Latin ecclesiology over the course of the first five centuries of Christianity.




On Baptism Against the Donatists


Book Description

This treatise was written about 400 A.D. Concerning it Aug. in Retract. Book II. c. xviii., says: I have written seven books on Baptism against the Donatists, who strive to defend themselves by the authority of the most blessed bishop and martyr Cyprian; in which I show that nothing is so effectual for the refutation of the Donatists, and for shutting their mouths directly from upholding their schism against the Catholic Church, as the letters and act of Cyprian. Aeterna Press




On the Unity of Christ


Book Description

This text is one of the most important and yet approachable works produced by Cyril. It was written after the Council of Ephesus (431) to explain his doctrine to an international audience. Cyril argues for the single divine subjectivity of Christ, and describes how it encompasses a full and authentic humanity in Jesus - a human experience that is not overwhelmed by the divine presence, but fostered and enhanced by it. Christology becomes then, for St Cyril, a paradigm for the transfigured and redeemed life of the Christian. There is an introduction to the historical and theological background of the time, of the text and to St Cyril himself.




Christianity or the Church?


Book Description

“ ... That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us ... ” (John 17:21)How is our Christian faith properly lived? Is Christianity a series of abstract teachings to which we, as individuals, give our mental or emotional assent? Or, as the future Russian Orthodox Archbishop and sainted martyr Ilarion (Troitsky) writes here, is the true aim of Christian life the transformation of our whole being as members of the Body of Christ, His Church?This classic translation is refreshed for the first time with updated typesetting and interior design. Questions for group discussion or personal reflection have been added as well as a biography of the author, subject and Scripture indexes.




The Bishop and the Apostle


Book Description

This study examines how Cyprian of Carthage, the most significant bishop in the early Latin tradition, appropriates the canonical Paul. Cyprian, like Paul, is a pastoral theologian, so his pastoral concerns provide a helpful lens through which to study his use of the apostle. These include divine truth and eternal glory; the church’s unity, ministry and sacraments; discipline and repentance; and wealth and welfare. Examining Cyprian’s use of Paul in these areas allows us to move beyond a simple literal/allegorical paradigm to appreciate the wide range of reading strategies used by Cyprian: model, image, maxim, title, contextual exegesis, direct application, prophetic fulfilment and qualification. It also provides a different perspective on Paul than the one arrived at by privileging a handful of texts. This study of Cyprian’s appropriation of Pauline texts therefore illuminates the interplay between text, context and theology in his exegesis. It also deepens our understanding of the early North African hermeneutical tradition and the early reception of Paul.