Source edition
Cyprian. Saint. S. Thasci Caecili Cypriani Opera omnia, Pars I (Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum, Volume 3.1). Hartel, Wilhelm von, editor. Vienna: Gerold, 1868.
Source data
Open Greek and Latin · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a Christian apologetic treatise that criticizes pagan idolatry and presents the truth of the one true God and salvation through Christ. It begins by applying Euhemerism to argue that the Greek and Roman gods were originally mortal humans, such as kings, who were deified after death to preserve their memory. The text then points out that the rise of the Roman Empire was due to fate rather than moral merit, while exposing pagan gods and oracles as impure demons that deceive humanity. In contrast, it proclaims that God is the sole ruler of the universe and that His Logos, Christ, was sent as the mediator for human salvation after the Jewish people lost their privileged status. Finally, it outlines Christ's passion, resurrection, and the subsequent mission of His disciples, who endured martyrdom to spread the promise of salvation to the entire world.