The Actual Characteristics of the Dec Ian Persecution
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THE ACTUAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DEC IAN PERSECUTION ACCORDING TO SAINT CYPRIAN’ S LETTERS BY SISTER M. JOSEPHITA GLADI3, O.S.U. A THESIS Submitted, to the Faculty of the Graduate School o f the Creighton University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements fo r the Degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Latin OMAHA, 1955 ACKNOWLEDGMENT To Mother M. Columba, Superior o f the Uroutines of Louisville, Kentucky, for her encouragement. To the Faculty and Librarians of Creighton Uni versity for their helpful assistance. To D octor L . V. Jacks, Head of the Latin Depart ment, Creighton U n iversity, fo r his competent direction and advice. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION........................ ......................................... Vi Chapter I . CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE, BISHOP AM) MARTYR . 1 I I . CONDITIONS IF THE AFRICAN CHURCH PRIOR TO THE DEC IAN PERSECUTION ................ 7 I I I . THE ACTUAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EEC IAN PERSECUTION................................................ 14 Loss of Property and Exile ....... 15 Imprisonment . .............................................. 18 Interrogation and Torture ....... 21 Death by Beheading or Labor in the Mines ................................................. 22 IV. DEFECTIONS FROM THE FAITH AND THEIR EFFECTS ON THE C H IB C H ................................... 25 CONCLUSION.................................................................... 36 BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................................... 38 V INTRODUCTION The letters of Cyprian provide an authentic and rich source of general historical inforraation. They also give firs t hand account of events that disturbed his times—the situation of the Lapsi, the schism of Novation, the baptismal controversy, and the trials and terrors of the Roman persecutions. The purpose of this investigation is to study the actual characteristics of the Declan persecution, and its e ffe c ts upon the A frican Church as revealed in Cyprian's l e t t e r s . The first chapter describes very briefly the im portant events in Cyprian's life . The prestige the saint enjoyed not only in his own diocese but throughout the whole of Roman Africa is likewise touched upon. * The second chapter treats of conditions in the African Church prior to the Decian persecution. In stances are cited which show how sin and pleasures cou pled with an insatiable quest for wealth had replaced fidelity to God in the lives of the greater number of Christians. Later, during the persecution, this lack of discipline led to wholesale defections from the faith. The actual characteristics of the persecution are dealt with at length in chapter three. Passages v i i from Cyprian’s letters are cited which heat depict the inhuman treatment of the Christians and the different types o f punishments in flic t e d upon them. The fourth chapter which treats of the aposta sies has an important hearing on our subject, for it throws light on the great numbers who, either through fear or voluntary abjuration, offered incense to the heathen gods and p articip a ted in the s a c rific e s o ffe re d to them. Cyprian’s treatise he Lapsis is quoted par ticularly with reference to the moral and spiritual con dition of the Church in the third century. CHAPTER I CYPRIAN OP CARTHAGE , BISHOP AND MARTYR Cyprian, one of the most interesting personali ties of the third century, was horn of an illustrious pagan family in Carthage about the year 200 A.D, L ittle is known of his life prior to his conversion except that he had studied rhetoric, law, and declamation.1 In ac cordance with his education and station in life , he was accepted into the best intellectual and social circles. But in the course of his public career, however, he chanced to make the acquaintance of a holy old priest, Caecilianus2 by name. With this friendship came a pro found disgust for his former life and a great zeal and energy to excel in the study of Christianity. Conse quently he turned his fu ll attention to the study of the ^Le Chanoine Bayard, Saint Cyprien; Correspon dance (Paris: Société D♦Edition, 1905), IntroductionV pp.IX-X. Ce qui est certain c’est qu’il était, lui aussi, un lettre, rompu a tous les artifices de l ’an cienne rhétorique ses écrits le montrent a 1'evidence. I l ex erça it meme avec beaucoup de succès (selon S. Jerome, de vir. ill. 6?, et Lac tance, Div. Inst., 1, 24) a Car thage . 2A. A. Cayre. Translated by H. Howitt, A.A.B.S., Manual of Patrology and History of Theology (Roma; P rin t- era of Socie ty of sV.~'~jfohn the ifvange lis t , 1936), p. 256. Cyprian’s baptis m occurred about the year 245. His con version was due largely to the Influence of Caecilianus. A number of details regarding this venerable old priest are given in the Treatise Ad Donatua. 2 3 Bible, not ao much to indulge an intellectual curiosity as to seek fora more perfect way of life . Although the Bible took preeminence, Cyprian read and admired other ecclesiastical authors, foremost among whom was Tertul- A llan. Another striking incident in the life of Cyprian during the early days of his conversion was that while yet a catechumen he made a vow o f continency and disposed of the greater part of his possessions to alleviate the indigence of many throughout Carthage. It is interesting to note that, due to his rapid growth in holiness, his keen intellect and sound judgment, his ordination and his elevation to the episcopate fo l lowed within the space of a few years Cyprian had 345 3?.ev. John Laux, 11.A ., Introduction to the Bible (New York: Benziger Brothers, 1&S4), pp. 15-16. Up to the time o f St. Jerome (336-384) there were severa l Latin translations of the Bible in use, of which the Itala was the most popular. Because the translation into Latin was poor and very crude, Pope Lamas us p revailed upon Jerome to take over the great task of revision. This massive assignment was completed and published shortly before the death of the Pope in 384. 4nev. Alban Butler, The Lives of the .aints (New York: L. & J. Sad lie r, 1864), p, 677. Butler states that Cyprian was particularly delighted with the writings of TertuIlian, that he scarcely allowed a day to pass with out reading something in them. He adds that, according to St. Jerome, Cyprian referred to fertullian as his master and would c a ll fo r his w ritin g s , "Bring h ith e r my master,H 5 '■J. 1. Darraa, Abbe, A General History of the Catholic Church (Hew York: ?. Oflihea Publishers,' 1865), 3 hardly accustomed himself to his new duties when the Decian persecution broke out and he was impelled to go into hiding. From his place of concealment he kept in touch with his flock by an active correspondence. His letters, which were written intermittently over a period of nine years, portray the turbulent events of his epis- copate; they mirror the hopes and fears not only of the shepherd but also of the flock. These le tte r s were not composed a fte r intense study, but were rather written extemporaneously when the fu lfillm e n t o f some p astoral duty required them; they were obviously intended to be passed from hand to hand so as to be read by many, numerous passages and a llu sions are scattered throughout, acquainting us with the Decian and Valerian persecutions, the rebellion of No- vat ian, the question of the Papal, and the controversy with Pope Stephen on heretical baptism. Moreover, they are testimonials of the energetic activity of a great I, 228. His ordination took place about the year 247 and about a year la te r 248, upon the death of Donat us, he was, by the unanimous vote of the faithful and clergy, chosen to succeed Don at us. There were, however* five ambitious priests who vigorously opposed hi a election* and later, during the Decian persecution, taught heresy in regard to the Lapai. (5 Johannes ^uasten, Patrology (Maryland: The New man Press, 1953), p. 341. 4 7 bishop» whose practical charity entered into his daily life and inspired its multitude of detail* * This remarkable and historical assemblage com prises eighty-one tetters, 3ixty-f ive of which are from the pen of Cyprian; the others are epistles addressed to him by prominent persons holding responsible p osition s in the Roman and A frican Church. At the time that Deciua launched hia destructive program against Christianity, Roman Africa consisted of three provinces: the province of Africa proper comprising the proconsulate Bysacena and Trippoli, and those of Numidia and Mauretania* However, these three divisions formed but one ecclesiastical province over which the Bishop of Carthage exercised a real though not officia l primacy,8 In recording the episcopate of Cyprian, Cayre writes that Tixeront summed up the character of the Car thaginian bishop in the following words, "He was a leader. He was a man of government and authority before whom a ll inclined, even those he did not command." During the nine years of his episcopate, Cyprian, by means of his n * Xavier S. Than! Nayagam, The Carthaginian Ctergy (South India: Tami Literature Society, 1950)7 p. 8. 8Maurice Haasett, "Carthage," Catholic Encyclo pedia (Hew York: Robert Appleton Co., 1908),' IV, 387. 5 personal influence and his highly refined re a pet for the righ ts o f others, was able to group around him the hundreds of bishops who governed the various African Sees. His prestige grew to such stature that he was referred to not only as the bishop of Carthage, but also as the Pope of A fric a : Papa Cyprianus.9 It was not u n til the sprin g o f 251, a fte r the ces sation of the Decian persecution»^ that Cyprian retumad to Carthage, The next few years of his episcopate were spent amid the most trying c ire urns t anoes .