A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

262 A Source Book for Ancient Church History[237]Ch. 17. And because we make mention of His passion inall sacrifices (for the Lord's passion is the sacrifice which weoffer), we ought to do nothing else than what He did. For theScripture says: “For as often as ye eat this bread and drink thiscup, ye do show forth the Lord's death till He come.” 81 As often,therefore, as we offer the cup in commemoration of the Lord andHis passion, let us do what it is known the Lord did.§ 50. The Episcopate in the ChurchThe greatest name connected with the development of the hierarchicalconception of the Church in the third century is withoutquestion Cyprian (see § 49). He developed the conception ofthe episcopate beyond the point it had reached in the hands ofTertullian, to whom the institution was important primarily as aguardian of the deposit of faith and a pledge of the continuity ofthe Church. In the hands of Cyprian the episcopate became theessential foundation of the Church. According to his theory ofthe office, every bishop was the peer of every other bishop andhad the same duties to his diocese and to the Church as a wholeas every other bishop. No bishop had any more than a moralauthority over any other. Only the whole body of bishops, or thecouncil, could bring anything more than moral authority to bearupon an offending prelate. The constitution of the council wasnot as yet defined. In several points the ecclesiastical theories ofCyprian were not followed by the Church as a whole, notablyhis opinion regarding heretical baptism (see § 47), but his maincontention as to the importance of the episcopate for the veryexistence (esse), and not the mere welfare (bene esse), of theChurch was universally accepted. His theory of the equality ofall bishops was a survival of an earlier period, and represented81 I Cor. 11:26.