Saints Cornelius, Pope and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs

Nothing certain is known of Cornelius’ early life. After Rome had been without a bishop for about a year because of the persecution of the Emperor Decius, Cornelius, a member of the Cornelia family, was elected Bishop of Rome in 251 by the clergy and people. The principal difficulty he had to face was not persecution, but divisions in the Christian community arising out of the reconciling of those who had lapsed by, for instance, denying their faith. A priest, Novatian, was against the bishop’s policy of forgiveness. He claimed that the Church had no power to pardon those who had lapsed during time of persecution. The same applied to cases of murder, adultery and even in the cases of those who had entered a second marriage (also seen as a form of adultery). Novatian then set himself up as a rival pope.

However, Cornelius, with the strong support of Cyprian, whose feast we also celebrate today, insisted that the Church did have the power to forgive apostates and other sinners. And that they could be readmitted to the Eucharistic table after having performed an appropriate period of penance. Some letters of Cornelius to Cyprian, together with Cyprian’s replies, have survived.

A synod of Western bishops in Rome in October of 251 upheld Cornelius, condemned the teachings of Novatian, and excommunicated him and his followers. When persecutions of the Christians started up again in 253 under Emperor Gallus, Cornelius was exiled to Centum Cellae (Civitavecchia, a coastal town, northwest of Rome), where he died a martyr probably of hardships he was forced to endure. But Cyprian called him a martyr and later accounts said that Cornelius had been beheaded. He was buried at Rome in the crypt of Lucina, where his tomb can still be seen with the inscription Cornelius Martyr. A painting of Cyprian was added to the wall of the crypt in the 8th century.

Cyprian (Thasius Cecilianus Cyprianus) was born about the year 200 at Carthage in North Africa. He was of a wealthy and distinguished pagan background. He was either of Punic stock or, as is sometimes claimed, a Berber. In fact, the site of his eventual martyrdom was his own villa.

He became an orator, a teacher of rhetoric, and an advocate in the courts before being converted to Christianity about 245. After his baptism, he gave away a portion of his wealth to the poor of Carthage, as befitted a man of his rank. He gave up all pagan writing and devoted himself exclusively to Scripture and Christian commentaries. He particularly liked Tertullian, whom he regarded as his master. In the early days of his conversion he wrote an Epistola ad Donatum de gratia Dei (Letter to Donatus concerning God’s grace), and three books of Testimoniorum adversus Judaeos that adhere closely to the models of Tertullian, who influenced his style and thinking, and are largely interesting as documents about the history of antisemitism.

A few years after his conversion he was ordained priest, and in 248 was proclaimed Bishop of Carthage by the clergy, the people and with the agreement of neighbouring bishops. However, a small number of people refused to recognise the appointment. And very soon he was facing the persecution of the Emperor Decius. He took refuge in a safer place, but kept in contact with his flock by letter. During the persecution, a number of Christians renounced their faith by sacrificing to idols or bought certificates which falsely claimed they had made the sacrifices.

After a suitable period of penance, Cyprian reconciled these apostates. One of his priests, Novatus, accepted them back without imposing any penance. However, as we saw with Cornelius, Novatian the anti-pope, denied that the Church had the right to absolve them. Cyprian, for his part, insisted on quiet compassion, on the unity of the Church and the need for obedience and loyalty on the part of all. In 251, his policy towards the lapsed was approved by the Council of Carthage.

Another controversial issue was the validity of baptism performed by people not in union with the pope, by heretics and apostates. Contradicting the opinion of Pope Stephen II, Cyprian was against the validity of these baptisms and in this was supported by other North African bishops. The issue was resolved only after the death of Stephen and Cyprian by the Church’s acceptance of the Roman tradition in favour of the validity of such baptisms.

At the end of 256, a new persecution of the Christians under the emperor Valerian broke out, and both Pope Stephen and his successor, Sixtus II, were martyred in Rome. In Africa, Cyprian courageously prepared his people for the expected edict of persecution by his De exhortatione martyrii. He himself was brought before the Roman proconsul Aspasius Paternus on 30 August, 257. He refused to sacrifice to the pagan deities and firmly professed Christ. The consul banished him to remote Churubis. From here he comforted as best he could his flock and exiled clergy. In a vision he saw his approaching fate. After a year he was recalled, but kept a prisoner in his own villa. A new and more stringent imperial edict demanded the execution of all Christian clerics.

On 13 September, 258, Cyprian was imprisoned by orders of a new proconsul, Galerius Maximus. On the following day he was examined for the last time and sentenced to die by the sword. His only answer was “Thanks be to God!” The execution was carried out at once in an open place near the city. A large crowd followed Cyprian on his last journey. He took off his garments without assistance, knelt down, and prayed. After he blindfolded himself, he was beheaded.

The body was interred by Christians near the place of execution, and over both his tomb and place of execution, churches were erected. They were later destroyed by the Vandals. Charlemagne is said to have had the bones transferred to France and Lyons, Arles, Venice, Compiègne, and Roenay in Flanders all boast possession of the martyr’s relics.

Contemporary writings indicate a devoted and pastoral bishop who was deeply respected. His thoughts are best revealed in his writings. Among the most important are his De Catholicae Ecclesiae Unitate (On the Unity of the Universal Church), De Lapsis (On the Apostates), De Habitu Virginum (On the Dress of Virgins) as well as sermons and letters.

Cornelius and Cyprian are linked together in the Catholic liturgy and are mentioned in the First Eucharistic Prayer.

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Saints Cornelius, Pope and Cyprian, Bishop, Martyrs – Readings

Commentary on 2 Corinthians 4:7-15; John 17:11-19

The Gospel reading comes from Jesus’ long discourse at the Last Supper as found in John’s Gospel. It is part of the prayer that Jesus makes at the end of the discourse and is the part where he prays for his own disciples. He prays that they may be one as Jesus and his Father are one.

While he was still with them, he protected them, but now that Jesus is preparing to return to his Father, he prays that they, too, may share the joy that Jesus is going to experience. Jesus gave them the ‘word’ of the Father, the message of where true life was to be found and paradoxically, because of this, the world is full of hatred for them. It is because they do not identify with the spirit of the world any more than Jesus himself does.

At the same time, Jesus does not pray that they may be removed from the world, which needs so much to hear their message of life, but only that they be protected from the evil forces which pervade the world. And so Jesus prays that they may be consecrated in truth, the truth that comes from the Father and which has been mediated by Jesus.

And, with this protection, Jesus sends them out into the world in the same way that Jesus himself was sent into the world by the Father:

And the Word became flesh and lived among us… (John 1:14)

Cornelius and Cyprian lived in a world of division and hatred, both in the secular world and within the Church itself. They spent their lives bringing the truth of Christ to their world. They were attacked by members of their own Church and eventually fell victims of persecution by the forces of the emperors.

Our Church today still is the object of hatred and derision by anti-religious and secular forces and that is something we should be ready to expect. And it is not a sign that we should escape from that world, but rather stay within it and persevere both in word and action in communicating our message to create a world of love, service and sharing to replace one of hatred, domination and self-seeking.

In the First Reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the Christians at Corinth, he speaks of the paradox of being a Christian missionary:

We have this treasure in clay jars…

The message of the Gospel and the vision of life that it communicates is a treasure, but it is brought to the world in very fragile vessels, our weak humanity.

We are afflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed…

And, Paul says:

…always carrying around in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies..

Paul elaborates on this:

For we who are living are always being handed over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our mortal flesh.

This indeed is the paradox of the Christian witness. The Church finds life and gives life most effectively through those who sacrifice their lives for the Message of the Gospel. We see this happening even in our own time.

It is, of course, the reason we celebrate the memory of such people as we do today in the persons of Cornelius and Cyprian. But we just do not remember and admire. We are also to be inspired and emboldened to follow in their footsteps. It is those who are ready to let go of their human life who will find true life and pass it on to others.

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