Alexandria and Nestorius from Constantinople. Eulogius of Alexandria
during the late sixth century composed six books against them.
St. Cyprian of Carthage was of that class of men who are born to rule.
Coming from a socially distinguished family, he possessed a scholarly
distinction and a courtesy to match. Decision-making, responsibility, and
courage were all St. Cyprian’s by nature, so too the spirit of a practical
controversialist. All these fine qualities shone through during the troubled
years of Decius’ persecution and the development of the Novatian schism.
The treatise On the Unity of the Church was St. Cyprian’s great attempt to
restore peace in the face of the growing schism: “Outside the Church there
is no salvation. He cannot have God as his Father, who has not the Church
for his Mother.”
Two problems, however, were inherent in St. Cyprian that remotely
contributed to his dispute with Pope St. Stephen. The first was that St.
Cyprian was a relatively recent convert and a newly consecrated bishop of
only five years standing (since 248). He still had much to learn in the areas
of philosophy and theology. His main readings were the writings of
Tertullian, who he called “Da Magistrum.” The second was the
exaggerated sense of his own relative importance to the Bishop of Rome,
which he may have gained while the Roman See was vacant during the
height of persecution and the beginning of the Novatian schism. In some of
St. Cyprian’s writings around this period are found passages stating that all
bishops are equals and that it is the right of the local people to depose
bishops who were sinners; in others he recognizes Rome as the ‘Ecclesia
Principalis’ and advocates, as well as urges, the Bishop of Rome to directly
intervene to appoint or depose bishops in other cities (as was the case with
the Novatianist bishop of Arles). There develops confusion also with
respect to his teaching on baptism.
During the religious revival after the Decian persecution, a layman of some
note addressed to St. Cyprian the question of whether persons already
baptized by heretics should be re-baptized when received into the Church.
St. Cyprian replied in writing, stating that baptism administered by heretics
cannot be of value for the Holy Spirit does not operate outside the one true
Church. Controversy soon developed and an opposition party to St.
Cyprian rose up quoting another practice no older than thirty years. In the
Lent of 256, a meeting of all the bishops of Africa and Numidia re-
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