On the Lapsed
An address by the bishop of Carthage to his church when the Decian persecution had ended. It describes how many Christians had sacrificed or bought certificates, and argues that they must do penance before being readmitted.
Cyprian had left Carthage when the persecution began and governed his church by letter. This address belongs to his return: it opens with thanks that peace has been restored and praise for those who stood firm, and then turns to those who had not.
It is the fullest description of how a large church behaved under Decius’s order, by a man who knew the people concerned. Cyprian says that most gave way at the first threat, that some hurried to the forum before they were summoned, and that others obtained certificates without sacrificing (7–9, 27). He writes as a pastor with a case to make: he wants neither to shut the lapsed out for good nor to let them back without penance, and he may be painting the collapse in dark colours for that reason. He also writes as a bishop who had himself gone into hiding, for which he was criticised.
Cited in
- AD 250, firm date