A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

§ 49. The Development of the Cultus 259(c) Cyprian, Ep. ad Cæcilium, Ep. 63, 13-17. (MSL, 4:395.)The eucharist.Thascius Cæcilius Cyprianus, bishop of Carthage, was bornabout 200, and became bishop in 248 or 249. His doctrinalposition is a development of that of Tertullian, beside whomhe may be placed as one of the founders of the characteristictheology of North Africa. His discussion of the place andauthority of the bishop in the ecclesiastical system was offundamental importance in the development of the theoryof the hierarchy, though it may be questioned whether hisparticular theory of the relation of the bishops to each otherever was realized in the Church. For his course during theDecian persecution see §§ 45, 46. He died about 258, in thepersecution under Valerian.In the epistle from which the following extract is takenCyprian writes to Cæcilius to point out that it is wrong touse merely water in the eucharist, and that wine mixed withwater should be used, for in all respects we do exactly whatChrist did at the Last Supper when he instituted the eucharist.In the course of the letter, which is of some length, Cypriantakes occasion to set forth his conception of the eucharisticsacrifice, which is a distinct advance upon Tertullian. Thedate of the letter is about 253.Ch. 13. Because Christ bore us all, in that He also bore our sins,we see that in the water is understood the people, but in the wineis showed the blood of Christ. But when in the cup the water ismingled with the wine the people is made one with Christ, and theassembly of believers is associated and conjoined with Him onwhom it believes; which association and conjunction of water andwine is so mingled in the Lord's cup that that mixture cannot beseparated any more. Whence, moreover, nothing can separate theChurch—that is, the people established in the Church, faithfully