Rome, Hispania, and North Africa: the Case of the LIBELLATICI Bishops Martialis and Basilides

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Chapter 1 Rome, Hispania, and North Africa: The Case of the LIBELLATICI Bishops Martialis and Basilides

One of the earliest cases that we have involving the bishop of Rome and bishops in Hispania transpired during the tenure of Cyprian of Carthage, who be- came embroiled in a row on the status of lapsed clergy during the pontificate of Pope Stephen I (254–257). The scene had already been set, so to speak, in the pontificate of Pope Cornelius (251–253), immediate predecessor of Stephen I. There had been a series of councils in Rome and Carthage to deal with the Novatian heresy, which is what set off the intense debate over requiring rebap- tism of heretics as a non-negotiable condition of coming back into commu- nion with the Church. I would like to begin with a brief sketch of Cornelius and Stephen I, their activities and positions during this time of intense persecution by the Emperors Decius and Diocletian. It was a moment when the faith of Christians was quite literally at times being tested by fire and by other heinous Roman methods of torture used against enemies of Emperor and Empire. Cornelius’s election was delayed by the persecution of Decius. A priest named Novatian contested his selection and had himself consecrated as bishop amidst accusations of lapsing from the faith during the persecution. This conflict led to intense debates be- tween those who defended either party, Cornelius or Novatian, over clergy that lapsed during persecution and later wanted to be reintegrated into the Church and resume their ministry. Cornelius adopted the position that although all Christians always had grace awaiting them after a sincere period of penance, clergy was a different matter; he favored their reentry with penance into the Church, but they could not resume their ministry again. Novatian adopted a zero-tolerance position with regard to lapsed clergy; no readmission at all into the Church. This hard position was rejected by Cyprian of Carthage who had considerable influence not just in North Africa but in Rome as well and appar- ently in Hispania as we shall see. Cyprian used his considerable reputation to endorse the position of Cornelius, which allowed the latter to secure the bish- opric of Rome and rendered Novatian’s claim null and void. The moderate position that was adopted set a precedent in the Church; the decision of Rome and Carthage on lapsed Christians, especially clergy was highly influential.1

1 J.N.D. Kelly, The Oxford Dictionary of Popes, Oxford, 1986, pp. 17–18. For the letters of Cornelius and Stephen I, Regesta Pontificum Romanorum. I. Ed. Philippus Jaffé. Graz: Akademische Druck, 1956, pp. 17–21.

Rome, Hispania, and North Africa 9

When the case in Hispania emerged, Cyprian already had experience with this issue and it once again brought him into contact with Rome. Eusebius recorded key developments that shed light on what happened. No- vatian, a priest of Rome, founded the heresy that denied reentry of any apos- tate regardless of a sincere conversion and confession—once out, always out.2 In 251 a council was convened in Rome by Cornelius that brought together sixty bishops, many priests, and deacons; while in the provinces others also met to confront Novatian. They ruled that Novatian’s posture towards apos- tates as having no hope for reconciliation was at best inhuman.3 Moreover, they felt the fallen brothers who wished to return should be healed and nur- tured through penance.4 Cyprian’s letter to Stephen I cited this precedent from his predecessor in Rome, Cornelius. If anyone wished to return to the Church, they need only retract the heresy, appeal for reentry, and do sincere penance.5 Eusebius mentioned other letters in his possession: one, a letter from Corne- lius to Antioch and another from Cyprian and his churchmen from Africa, thus demonstrating the united front against Novatian. He was also able to cite spe- cifically by name the testimony of those—Maximus, Urbanus, Sidonius, and Celerinus—that had been in the circle of Novatian, but then realized their

2 Etenim Novatus, Ecclesiae Romanae presbyter, arrogantia adversus eos elatus, quasi nulla spes salutis ipsis posthac superesset, tametsi omnia explerent quae ad sinceram conversionem puramque confessionem pertinent, propriae cuiusdam sectae eorum qui tumore mentis elati seipsos Catharos cognominarunt, auctor exstitit, Eusebii Pamphili, Ecclesiasticae Historiae, liber, vi, 43, PG 20, 2: 615 = Eusebio de Cesarea, Historia Eclesiástica, Ed. A. Velasco-Delgado, OP (Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos Selecciones, 6), Madrid, 2010, p. 310. An overview on the pontificate of Cornelius and Lucius under Cyprian is in Obras Completas de san Cipriano de Cartago, Ed. J.A. Gil-Tamayo (Biblioteca de Autores Cristianos, 717), Madrid, 2013, pp. lxxxiv–lxxxviii. 3 Ob quam rem cum Romae congregate esset synodus, in qua sexaginta quidem episcopi, presby- teri vero ac diaconi multo plures convenerunt; cumque in provinciis antistites quid agendum esset seorsum consultassent, huiusmodi decretum cunctis promulgatum est Novatum quidem et eos qui una cum ipso sese insolentius extulerant, et quicumque inhumanissimae et a fraterna charitate alienae, vi, 43, PG 20, 2: 615. Eusebio de Cesarea, Historia Eclesiástica, A. Velasco- Delgado, pp. 310–11. Consult J.A. Fischer, “Die Konzilien zu Karthago und Rom im Jahr 251,” Annuarium Historiae Conciliorum 11 (1979), 263–86. 4 Fratres vero qui in calamitatem inciderant, poenitentiae remediis curandos esse et confovendos, vi, 43, PG 20, 2: 615 = Eusebio de Cesarea, Historia Eclesiástica, A. Velasco-Delgado, p. 311. 5 Qui episcopo Cornelio in catholica ecclesia de dei iudicio et cleri ac plebis suffragio ordinato profanum altare erigere et adulteram cathedram conlocare et sacrilega contra uerum sacer- dotem sacrificia offerre temptauerit; proinde si resipiscere et ad sanae mentis consilium redire uellet, ageret paenitentiam et ad ecclesiam supplex rediret, Epistvla 68, ii, i, Sancti Cypriani Episcopi Epistvlarvm, Ed. G.F. Diercks (ccsl, Series Latina, iii, C. Sancti Cypriani Episcopi Opera, Pars iii, 2), Turnhout, 1996, p. 464 = The Letters of St. Cyprian of Carthage, vol. 4: Letters 67–82, trans-comm. G.W. Clarke (Ancient Christian Writers, 47), New York-Ramsey, N.J., 1989, pp. 28–32 at 29 = Gil-Tamayo, Obras Completas de san Cipriano de Cartago, p. 811.