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 treatise addresses the critical issue of the "lapsed" (lapsi)—those Christians who fell away from their faith during a time of intense persecution—and how the Church should handle their return. The author begins by praising those who stood firm in their faith, while identifying the root cause of the crisis in the secularization and spiritual laxity of the Christian community. He harshly criticizes those who voluntarily participated in pagan sacrifices out of a desire to preserve their earthly possessions. Furthermore, he warns against offering "false peace" by allowing these apostates back into communion without rigorous penance, emphasizing that the power to forgive sins belongs to God alone rather than to the intercession of martyrs. Illustrating his warnings with vivid accounts of divine retribution against those who desecrated the sacraments, the author concludes with an urgent appeal for sincere confession, thorough repentance, and charitable works as the only path to divine mercy and restoration.