The works of Nathaniel Lardner - The Christian Researcher - Home

4 Credibililij of the. Gospel Ilislory.
' time he was made presbyter, and then bishop of Carthage.
' It is needless to give a catalogue of his works, which are
' brighter than the sun. He suffered under the emperor
' Valerian and Gallienus, in the eighth persecution, the
' same day that Cornelius died at Rome, but not in the same
' year.'
A more particular history of St. Cyprian may be collected
from his life, written by his deacon Pontius, from his own
works, the mention made of him by other ecclesiastical
M'riters, and those Acts of his martyrdom, which are gene-
rally reckoned genuine, and are allowed by'' Basnage to
contain for the most part matters of fact truly related,
though he thinks they have some interpolations. It is fit I
should here give a short history of this celebrated bishop of
the third century.
Beside the name of Cyprian, he had that of "^ Thascius ;
and bore likewise, as we have already seen, the name of
Coecilius, from the presbyter by whom he was converted.
His whole name therefore was Thascius Coecilius Cyprianus.
He was an African, as we have been assured by
Jerom ; but that he was born at Carthage is not certain. His
conversion happened, according to '^ bishop Pearson, in the
year 24G : and therefore, since he suffered martyrdom, in the
year 258, the gi-eatest part of his life was spent in heathenism,
and he might be born before the end of the second century.
Csiecilius'^ was not only a presbyter by office, in the church
of Carthage, but venerable likewise for his age, at the thne
of Cyprian's conversion.
Jerom says, that Cyprian, in the former part of his life,
taught rhetoric with great applause. Lactantius' writes to
the same purpose ; and the like occurs f^ in Eusebius's Chronicle.
Fabricius,'' however, was of opinion, that Cyprian
rather showed his eloquence at the bar, than taught it in the
schools ; which, he thinks, may be concluded from Avhat
** Noa enira legitima omnino sunt atque sincera, quae cum Cypriani operi-
bus edita sunt ex Vet. Cod. MS. Etsi niulta in illis verissima contineri,
faciles largiamur. Annal. Polit. Ecc. 257. num. 5. •= Cyprianus
qui et Thascius.—Pupieno S. Ep. Cyprian, 66. [al. G9.] Vid. et Passionis
Act. p. 13. ^ Vid. Ann. Cypr. p. 6. ^ Erat sane illi
etiam de nobis contubernium viri justi ef laudabilis memoria> Cjecilii, et aetate
tunc et honore presbyteri, qui eum ad agnitionem verae divinifatis a seculari
errore correxerat. Cypr. Vit. per Pont. p. 3. ' Cyprianus magnam
sibi gloriam ex artis oratoriae professione quaesierat. Lact. Div. Inst. lib.
V. cap. 1. 8 Cyprianus primum rhetor, deinde presbyter, ad extremimi
Carthagiensis episcopas, martyrio coronatur. Eus. Chr. p. 175.
'' Non rhetoncam adeo in schoHs docuisse, quam in foro exercuisse Cyprianus
videtur. Confer quae ipse de se Cyprianus hbro ad Donatum, non longe
ab initio. Fabric, annot. ad Hieron. de V. I. c. G7.