On the Lapsed 20
Summary: Christ's promise to deny those who deny him must stand, or his promise to confess the faithful falls too; the martyrs, faithful to the gospel, cannot ask bishops to act against it.
Latin text · CSEL 3.1:252–253
In euangelio Dominus loquitur dicens: qui confessus me fuerit coram hominibus, et ego confitebor eum coram patre meo qui est in caelis: qui autem me negauerit, et ego negabo eum. si negantem non negat, nec confitentem confitetur. non potest euangelium in parte consistere et in parte nutare. aut utrumque oportet ualeat aut utrumque uim amittat. si negantes rei criminis non erunt, nec confitentes praemium uirtutis accipiunt. porro si fides quae uicerit coronatur, necesse est et uicta perfidia puniatur. ita martyres aut nihil possunt, si euangelium solui potest, aut si euangelium solui non potest, contra euangelium facere non possunt qui de euangelio martyres fiunt. nemo, fratres dilectissimi, nemo infamet martyrum dignitatem, nemo eorum glorias destruat et coronas. manet incorruptae fidei robur incolume, nec dicere aliquid aut facere contra Christum potest cuius et spes et fides et uirtus et gloria omnis in Christo est: ut ab episcopis contra mandatum Dei fiat, auctores esse non possunt qui ipsi Dei mandata fecerunt. an quisquam maior Deo aut diuina bonitate clementior qui aut infectum uelit quod passus est Deus fieri aut quasi illi minus potestatis ad protegendam ecclesiam suam fuerit, auxilio nos suo putet posse seruari?
English · Claude translation
In the gospel the Lord speaks, saying, “Whoever confesses me before men, I too will confess him before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me, I too will deny him.” If he does not deny the one who denies, neither does he confess the one who confesses. The gospel cannot stand in part and totter in part. Either both must hold good or both must lose their force. If those who deny will not be guilty of a crime, neither do those who confess receive the reward of virtue. Further, if faith that has conquered is crowned, it is necessary that faithlessness that has been conquered be punished too. So the martyrs can either do nothing, if the gospel can be dissolved; or, if the gospel cannot be dissolved, those who become martyrs from the gospel cannot act against the gospel. Let no one, dearest brothers, let no one defame the dignity of the martyrs, let no one destroy their glories and crowns. The strength of their uncorrupted faith remains unharmed; nor can one say or do anything against Christ whose hope and faith and virtue and whole glory is in Christ. That anything should be done by the bishops against God's command, those cannot be the authors who themselves have done God's commands. Or is anyone greater than God, or more merciful than the divine goodness, who would either wish undone what God has allowed to happen, or, as though God had less power to protect his church, would think that we can be saved by his own help?
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotation is Matt 10:32–33. The doubled word “amittat” in the digital text is removed.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (doubled word in the digital text): amittat amittat → amittat.
Cite this passage
Cyprian, Laps. 20 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/cyprian-lapsis/20/).
Plain text
Cyprian, Laps. 20 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/cyprian-lapsis/20/).
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