The Presbyters Project

Epistula 67

Cyprianus, Caecilius, Primus, Polycarpus, Nicomedes, Lucilianus, Successus, Sedatus, Fortunatus, Ianuarius, Secundinus, Pomponius, Honoratus, Victor, Aurelius, Sattius, Petrus, alius Ianuarius, Saturninus, alius Aurelius, Venantius, Quietus, Rogatianus, Tenax, Felix, Faustus, Quintus, alius Saturninus, Lucius, Vincentius, Libosus, Geminius, Marcellus, Iambus, Adelphius, Victoricus et Paulus Felici presbytero et plebibus consistentibus ad Legionem et Asturicae item Aelio diacono et plebi Emeritae consistentibus fratribus in Domino s[alutem].

Cyprian and his colleagues confirm that the Spanish bishops who sacrificed to idols during the persecutions should not be readmitted to the community.

(ed. Diercks 1996: 447)

Letter 67

Cyprian, Caecilius, Primus, Policarp, Nicomedes, Lucilianus, Successus, Sedatus, Fortunatus, Januarius, Secundinus, Pomoponius, Honoratus, Victor, Aurelius, Sattius, Peter, another Januarius, Saturninus, another Aurelius, Venantius, Quietus, Roagatianus, Tenax, Felix, Faustus, Quintus, another Saturninus, Lucius, Vincent, Libosus, Geminius, Marcellus, Iambus, Adelphius, Victoricus and Paul to the brothers: the presbyter Felix and the people who are at León and Astorga, and to the deacon Aelius and the people who are in Mérida, greeting in the Lord.

Cyprian and his colleagues confirm that the Spanish bishops who sacrificed to idols during the persecutions should not be readmitted to the community.

(translation and summary by S. Adamiak)

Discussion:

Although Astorga and León are distant 50 km from each other, they seem to make a single community. The bishops of Astorga, León and Mérida, Basilides and Martialis, fell during the persecutions, and the Presbyter Felix and the Deacon Aelius remained the most senior clerics in the place (we may suppose that there were no other presbyters there, although it is possible, that they did not sign the letter to the African bishops) after their deposition. They appealed to Rome and were aquitted by Cornelius, so the Iberian clergy wrote to Carthage; the council of AD 254 confirmed the decision of the Spaniards, as shown in this passage. The decision was notified by Cyprian to Stephen of Rome, who probably accepted it.

Bishop Geminius may very well have been the Presbyter Geminius Faustinus mentioned in Letter 1 of Cyprian [1015].

Place of event:

Region

Iberian Peninsula

City

León
Astorga

About the source:

Author: Cyprian
Title: Letters, Epistulae, Epistolae
Origin: Carthage (Latin North Africa)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian

Cyprian was born probably about 200 AD. He converted to Christianity in about 245 and in 248 was elected Bishop of Carthage. Soon after, the Decian persecution began (in 249/250) and Cyprian went into hiding. In 251 he returned to the city. Under Valerian, he was exiled in 257 and executed in 258. The epistolary of Cyprian consists of 81 letters (16 of them by his correspondents, and 6 synodal or collective), the majority of them are from the period of 250-251, when they were the means of Cyprian`s communication with his clergy. They offer us a wide view on the organization of the Church in Carthage in the middle of the third century, her relation with the Church of Rome, on the development of the persecutions, and on the conflicts that they caused inside the Church.

Different numerations of Cyprian's letters exist, I follow the edition of Diercks in Corpus Christianorum.

Edition:

G.F. Diercks ed., Sancti Cypriani Episcopi Epistularium. Epistulae 58-81, Corpus Christianorum. Series Latina 3C, Turnhout 1996.

Categories:

Writing activity - Correspondence

PR575.

Further ecclesiastical career - Bishop

PR528.

Described by a title - Presbyter/πρεσβύτερος

PR575.

Specific number of presbyters from the same church

PR575.

Relation with - Bishop/Monastic superior

PR575.

Relation with - Townsman

PR575.

Ecclesiastical administration

PR575.

Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: S. Adamiak, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER1102, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=1102