Cyprian

And we are taking any and all of your questions that you may have.

Think about the great Saint Cyprian of Carthage.

In his Epistle I, or depending on the numbering, that's a common modern numbering.

Certain editions may have different numbering.

Saint Cyprian is discussing a dead Christian named Victor, who had improperly appointed a cleric to act as an executor.

St. Cyprian will then say that the prescribed disciplinary consequences, they involve not making the customary offering or prayer in his name.

That's big.

That's important.

The church was coming forth from her long imprisonment into the light of day.

the successor of constantine in name a christian sat on the imperial throne the old struggle with paganism which had lasted for four hundred years was nearly at an end but new dangers assailed the christian world men had found that it was easier to twist the truth than to deny it and hearsay and schism were abroad in the atrium or outer court of a villa on the outskirts of tagaste an old woman and a young girl sat together looking out into the dark shadows of the evening for the hot african sun had sunk not long since behind the numidian mountains and the day had gone out like a lamp and the holy bishop cyprian asked the girl they sent him into exile said the old woman for his father had been a senator and his family was well known and powerful at that time they dared not put him to death though later he too shed his blood for christ it was god's will that he should remain for many years to strengthen his flock in the trial did you ever see him grandmother asked the girl no said the old woman it was before my time but my mother knew him well it was when he was a boy in carthage and still a pagan that the holy martyrs perpetua and felicitas suffered with their companions it was not till years after that he became a christian but it may have been their death that sowed the first seed in his heart tell me said the girl softly it was an oft-told tale of which she never tired her grandmother had lived through those dark days of persecution and it was the delight of monica's girlhood to hear her tell the stories of those who had borne witness to the faith in their own land of africa Perpetua was not much older than you, said the old woman.

She was of noble race and born of a Christian mother, though her father was a pagan.

She was married and had a little infant of a few months old.

His gospel is last written later in the first century.

The church people in his community approach him and say, John, will you write a gospel for us? Cyprian identifies that with us.

I think it was Cyprian or Cyril, Cyril, one of them.

And they and they speak of this idea that the community of John's community were, hey, please write us a narrative of the life of Christ.

And so what does John do? He doesn't give the same thing that Matthew, Mark, and Luke do.

You see it in The Shepherd of Hermas, which is second century.

In the thir- third century, Cyprian of Carthage wrote about how the grace of God ought to be without price, and he listed five verses.

Acts eight twenty, Peter's rebuke of Simon Magus; Matthew ten eight, freely you have received, freely give; John two sixteen, Christ's denunciation of the merchants in, in the temple; Isaiah fifty-five one, the call to come and buy without money; Revelation twenty-one six, the promise of that water of life freely given.

And then after that, in councils, this matter was addressed.