Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 4.djvu/661

 CYPRIAN

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CTPRIAN

as well as by the priest Messianus and the deacon Stephen. The main part of the work up to the for- tieth chapter of the first book was most probably writ- t<'n by Cyprian himself. Within the last few years another writing of his li;is become known, a letter to Bishop Maxinuis of tieiieva, which discusses some of the disputed theological questions of that age. The feast of St. Cyprian falls on 3 October.

Ada SS., Oct., II, 164-178; Ilisl. lilt, dc la France. Ill, 237- 241; Wawra gives the letter to Maximus in Theolog. Quarlal- schrift (Tubingen. 1903), L.XXXV, S7&-594; Mon. derm. Husl.: Kin.9l.. III. 434-436, also gives the letter; the life of St. Cssarius can be found in the following collections: Ada SS., Aug. .VI, &4-7.5; P. L.. LXVII, 1001-1042; and Mon. Germ. Hisl.; Krusch, Scriptores Meroving.. Ill, 457-501.

Gabriel Meier.

Cyprian, S.mnt, and Justina, Saint, Christians of Antioch who suffered martyrdom during the persecu- tion of Diocletian at Nicometlia, 2fi September, 304, the date in September being afterwards made the day of their feast. Cyprian was a heathen magician of Antioch who had dealings with demons. By their aiil he sought to bring St. Justina, a Christian virgin, to ruin; but she foiled the threefold attacks of the devils by the sign of the cross. Brought to despair Cyprian made the sign of the cross himself and in this way was freed from the toils of Satan. He was re- ceived into the Church, was made pre-eminent by miraculous gifts, and became in succession deacon, priest, and finally bLshop, while Justina became the head of a convent. During the Diocletian persecu- tion both were .seized and taken to Damascus where they were shockingly tortured. .\s their faith never wavered they were brought before Diocletian at Nico- media, where at his command they were beheaded on the hank of the river Ciallus. The same fate befell a Christian, Theoctistus, who had come to Cyprian and hail embraced him. After the bodies of the saints had lain iinburied for .six days they were taken by Chris- tian sailors to Rome where they were interretl on the estate of a noble lady named Rufina and later were entombed in Constantine's ba.silica. This is the out- line (if the legend or allegory which is found, adorned with dilTuse descriptions and dialogues, in the unreli- able " Symeon Metaphrastes", and was made the sub- ject of a poem by the Empress Eudocia II. The Btorj-, however, must have arisen as early as the fourth century, for it is mentioned both by St. Greg- ory Xazianzen and PrudentiiLs; both, nevertheless, liave confounded our Cyprian with St. Cyprian of Carthage, a mistake often repeated. It is certain that no Bi-sho]! of Antioch bore the name of Cyprian. The attempt has been made to find in Cyprian a mys- tical prototype of the Fau.st legend: Calderon took the story as the ba.sis of a dr.ania: "El raagico prodi- giiiso". The legend is given in Greek and Latin in Acta SS. September, VII. Ancient Syriac and Ethi- opic versions of it have been published vsnthin the last few years.

Kallkn in Kirehenlrx., s. v.; Zaun, Cuprian van Anliochien unil die d<iil.-<chv Faimtsage (Erlangen, 1SS2); IIvssel, Vrteit d. Cyvriansrhm Lcgcnilc in Archiv /. ru-urre Sprachen u. Litl.

i 1903), ('X, 273-311; BM. hagiog. lal. 30H; see also Butlek. ,ives of the .Sninis, 25 September; and (ibid.) Baring-Godld. Idves of the Saints.

Gabriel Meier.

Cyprian of Carthage (Tha.sciu.s C-ecilius Cypri- ANis), Saint, bi.shop and martyr. Of the date of the saint's birlli and of his early life nothing is known. At the time of his conversion to Christianity he had, perhaps, pa.ssed middle life. He w.as famous as an orator and pleader, had considerable wealth, and held, no doubt, a great position in the metropolis of Africa. We learn from his deacon, St. Pontius, whose life of the saint is preserved, that liis mien was digni- fied without severity, and cheerful without effusive- ness. Ilis gift of elouence is evident in his WTitings. He was not a thinker, a pliilosopher, a theologian, but

eminently a man of the world and an administrator, of v.ast energies, and of forcible and striking character. His conversion was due to an aged priest named Caeci- liamis, with whom he seems to have gone to live. (Aecilianus in dying commended to Cyprian the care of his wife and family. While yet a catechumen the saint decided to observe chastity, and he gave most of his revenues to the poor. He sold his property, including his gardens at Carthage. These were re- stored to him {Dei indulgentiA reslituti, says Pon- tius), being apparently bought back for him by his friends; but he would have sold them again, had not the persecution made this imprudent. His baptism probably took place c. 246, presumably on Easter eve, 18 April.

Cyprian's first Christian vvTiting is "Ad Donatum", a monologue spoken to a friend, sitting under a vine- clad pergola. He tells how, until the grace of God illuminated and strengthened the convert, it had seemed impossible to conquer vice; the decay of Roman society is pictured, the gladiatorial shows, the theatre, the unjust law-courts, the hollowness of polit- ical success; the only refuge is the temperate, studi- ous, and prayerful life of the Christian. At the begin- ning should probably be placed the few words of Donatus to Cj'prian which are printed by Hartel as a spurious letter. The style of this pamphlet is affected and reminds us of the bombastic unintelligibUity of Pontius. It is not like TertuUian, brilliant, barbar- ous, uncouth, but it reflects the preciosity which Apuleius made fashionable in Africa. In his other works Cyprian addresses a Christian audience; his own fervour is allowed full play, his style becomes simpler, though forcible, and sometimes poetical, not to say flowery. Without being classical, it is correct for its date, and the cadences of the sentences are in strict rhythm in all his more careful writings. On the whole his beauty of style has rarely been equalled among the Latin Fathers, and never surpassed except by the matclilcss energy and wit of St. Jerome.

Another work of his early days was the " Testimonia ad Quirinum", in two books. It consists of passages of Scripture arranged under headings to illustrate the passing away of the Old Law and its fulfilment in Christ. A third book, added later, contains texts dealing with Christian ethics. This work is of the greatest value for the history of the Old Latin version of the Bible. It gives ils an African text closely re- lated to that of the Bobbio MS. known as k (Turin). Hartel's edition has taken the text from a MS. which exhibits a revised version, but what Cyjirian wrote can be fairly well restored from the Mi^. cited in Har- tel's notes as L. Another Ixjok of excerpts on mar- tyrdom is entitled "Ad Fortunatum"; its text can- not be judged in any printed edition. Cyprian was ci^rtainly only a recent convert when he became Bishop of Carthage c. 248 or the beginning of 249, but he pa.ssed through all the grades of the ministry. He had declined the charge, but was constrained by the people. A minority oppo.sed his election, including five priests, who remained his enemies; but he tells us that he was validly elected "after the Divine judg- ment, the vote of the people and the consent of the bishops".

The Decian Persecutiox. — The prosperity of the Church during a peace of thirty-eight years had pro- duced great disorders. Many even of the bishops were given up to worldlincss and gain, and we hear of worse scandals. In October, 249, Decius became emi)eror with the ambition of restoring the ancient virtue of Rome. In Jamiary, 250, he published an edict against Christians. Bishoiis were to be put to death, other persons to be punished and tortured till they recanted. On 20 January Pope Fabian was mar- tyretl, and about the same time St. Cyjirian retired to a .safe place of hiding. His enemies continually re- proached him with this. But to remain at Carthage