Sophia Scriptura

On the Unity of the Catholic Church 25

Cyprian of Carthage · On the Unity of the Catholic Church · 251 · Carthage · Read in context

Summary: In the apostles' time believers were of one mind, and so their prayers were effective.

Latin text · CSEL 3.1:232

. Haec unanimitas sub apostolis olim fuit: sic nouus credentium populus Domini mandata custodiens caritatem suam tenuit. probat scriptura quae dicit: turba autem eorum qui crediderant anima ac mente una agebant. et iterum: et erant perseuerantes omnes unanimes in oratione cum mulieribus et Maria quae fuerat mater Iesu et fratribus eius. et ideo efficacibus precibus orabant, ideo impetrare cum fiducia poterant quodcumque de Dei misericordia postulabant.

English · Claude translation

This unanimity existed once under the apostles; so the new people of believers, keeping the Lord's commands, held fast their charity. Scripture proves it, saying: "And the multitude of those who had believed acted with one soul and mind." And again: "And they were all persevering with one mind in prayer, with the women and Mary, who had been the mother of Jesus, and his brothers." And therefore they prayed with effective prayers; therefore they could obtain with confidence whatever they asked of God's mercy.

About this passage

Source
CSEL 3.1:232 · Wilhelm von Hartel, ed., S. Thasci Caecili Cypriani Opera omnia, Pars 1, CSEL 3.1 (Vienna: Gerold, 1868), 209–233 · Latin text: W. von Hartel (CSEL 3.1, 1868), digitized by Open Greek and Latin, University of Leipzig (csel-dev), CC BY-SA 4.0
Text
As printed in CSEL 3.1. Manuscript variants and the editor's apparatus are not reproduced; no textual problem is noted in this passage.
Translation
Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 · Translated by Claude from the Latin text of CSEL 3.1; made independently of existing English translations.
Compare
Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 5 (1886) (an older public-domain English translation, whole volume at CCEL; checked against ours only after ours was made)
Scripture
Topics
Prayer

Notes

Translation notes

  • The quotations are Acts 4:32 and Acts 1:14.

Cite this passage

Cyprian, Unit. eccl. 25 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/cyprian-unitate/25/).

Plain text
Cyprian, Unit. eccl. 25 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/cyprian-unitate/25/).

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