Cyprian of Carthage and the Australian Anglican Episcopate by The Reverend Luke Hopkins BTh (Hons Div. I) A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Divinity 2020 2 Abstract Can the ancient past be of value to the modern church? This thesis brings the theological weight and pragmatism of third century bishop and martyr Cyprian of Carthage to bear on the problems facing the contemporary Anglican episcopate in Australia. In doing so, it examines the vision of episcopacy within the Cyprianic corpus and as well as the development of the Anglican episcopate over the last five hundred years. How episcopacy developed and was conceived of during the English Reformation and how the Anglican Church of Australia was formed over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries will both be explored. Laying this essential historical groundwork enables contemporary episcopal challenges to be understood within their appropriate historical-cultural context. That groundwork having been established, the concluding chapters consider the role Cyprian’s theology can play in the facing the challenges Australian Anglicans face in the twenty-first century. This thesis will argue that just as Anglican theologians have looked to Cyprian in the past so contemporary adherents can feel confident in appealing to his writings in the present. It is argued that Cyprian’s vision of episcopacy provides an adaptive approach to episcopacy that retains certain core episcopal principals. This thesis concludes that a better examination of Cyprian is of value for bishops in the twenty-first century. 3 Statement of Originality I affirm that this thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other institution. To the best of my knowledge, this thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due reference is made in the text of the thesis. The Reverend Luke Hopkins 9 December 2020 4 Acknowledgements Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro. Dignum et iustum est. Firstly, my sincere thanks go to my supervisors, Don Saines and Peter Sherlock. I am forever indebted for their brilliant insight and care throughout this process, as well as their abundant patience. Without your help, Don and Peter, this thesis could never have come to pass. I also wish to thank their partners Pene and Craig for their support as well. I must also thank Andrew McGowan who encouraged me to take on this project and guided its first steps in 2013. I would also like to thank Bishop Keith Joseph, Bishop Brian Farran, Fergus King and Roger Sharr who encouraged me to pursue post-graduate research at that time. My thanks go to the staff and students of Trinity College Melbourne, Merton College Oxford and Ripon College Cuddesdon who allowed me to stay with them during the course of this research. During my sojourn in the U.K., I am particularly grateful to Martyn Percy, Mark Chapman, Simon Jones, Bishop Colin Fletcher, Felicity Scroggie, Martin Gorick, Sue Johns, Martin Freeman, Mark Young, David Houlding, Rebecca Feeney, Tristan Franklinos, Mary and Anthony Boyle, Anne Miles, Emma Bardsley, Jutta Toscano, Lee and Eileen Clarke, and Tom Plant. In Australia, my thanks also go to Aidan Norrie, Dorothy Lee, Mark Lindsay, Peter Campbell, Scott Kirkland, Colin Reilly, Charles Sherlock, Gary Bouma, Stephen Ames, Cecilia Francis, Peter French, Robyn Whitaker, Andreas Loewe and Katherine Firth. I would also like to thank the librarians and staff of the Bodleian Library in Oxford, the British Library in London and the Dalton McCaughey Library in Melbourne. Thank you to Austin Cooper, Ross Fishburne and John McDowell who offered their own insight and support during the confirmation stage. I also wish to thank Chris and Sarah Orczy for their support no matter where in the world we happened to be at the time. I wish to express my appreciation to the bishops, clergy and people of the Diocese of Newcastle, Australia, who consented to let a newly ordained priest pursue this research. Specific thanks are also extended to Bishop Charlie Murry and the trustees of the Rorke-Hunter Trust who offered much needed financial aid at the beginning of this journey. I am also grateful for the scholarship I received from the University of Divinity as a doctoral candidate. There are so many others who I am grateful to whose names are not written here. I wish to thank my family and friends for their support over the last few years and to my darling Alice to whom I dedicate this work. For the two of us, the duration of this doctoral thesis has seen multiple international moves, new degrees, new jobs, a cancer diagnosis and a wedding. 5 Table of Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................................... 7 i. Crisis in the Contemporary Australian Anglican Episcopate ...................................... 8 ii. Reading the Church Fathers Today..................................................................................... 14 iii. The Bishop of Carthage .......................................................................................................... 21 iv. Thesis Overview ........................................................................................................................ 27 v. A Personal Note ........................................................................................................................... 28 Chapter One – Cyprian of Carthage’s Theology of the Episcopate .................................. 30 1.1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 30 1.2. Cyprian’s Ecclesiology .......................................................................................................... 31 1.2.1. The Community of Christ .................................................................................. 31 1.2.2. The Apostolic Succession .................................................................................. 36 1.2.3. The Cathedra Petri ............................................................................................... 41 1.2.4. The Equality of the Episcopal College ......................................................... 45 1.2.5. The Unity of the Church ..................................................................................... 50 1.3. The Role and Responsibilities of Bishops .................................................................... 56 1.3.1. Bishop as Pastor – ‘Shepherd’ ......................................................................... 56 1.3.2. Bishop as Doctor – ‘Teacher’ ........................................................................... 61 1.3.3. Bishop as Iudex – ‘Judge’ ................................................................................... 61 1.3.4. Bishop as Sacerdos – ‘Priest’ ............................................................................ 66 1.4. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 71 Chapter Two – The Appeal to Cyprian during the Anglican Reformation .................. 78 2.1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 78 2.2. Trends in English Episcopacy – 1533 to 1662 ........................................................... 79 2.3. The Reception of Cyprian .................................................................................................... 83 2.4. Appropriating Cyprian’s Ecclesiology – Jewell, Hooker and Laud .................... 85 2.4.1. John Jewell (1522-1571) ................................................................................... 85 2.4.2. Richard Hooker (1554-1600) ......................................................................... 94 2.4.3. William Laud (1573-1645) ........................................................................... 105 2.5. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 115 6 Chapter Three – The development of the Anglican Episcopate in Australia ......... 119 3.1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 119 3.2. Ministry under the Diocese of Calcutta ...................................................................... 119 3.3. William Grant Broughton – the first and last Bishop of Australia .................. 121 3.4. Multiple Bishops for the Pacific ..................................................................................... 129 3.5. The Rise of Synodical Governance ............................................................................... 134 3.6. The Withdrawal of the Crown ........................................................................................ 137 3.7. The First Lambeth Conferences ..................................................................................... 143 3.8. Legal Problems Continue .................................................................................................. 147 3.9. A National Church ................................................................................................................ 151