CIPRIANO, bishop of CARTAGINE, saint. — In the history of the ancient Church of the West, he is one of the most prominent figures, indeed certainly the foremost, in the common estimation, until the rise of the great figures of the fourth century: Ambrogio, Girolamo, Agostino. The success of his works has no equal in the early centuries, as is shown by the number of manuscripts, surpassed only by those of the Latin Bible.
I. LIFE. — Sources for the biography of C. are: 1) the Vita written by the deacon Ponzio, his companion in exile and an eyewitness of the martyrdom; although plainly intended as an encomium and for edification, the Vita is a historical document of complete reliability; 2) the Acts of the Proconsul, that is, the record of the interrogations held before the proconsuls Paterno and Galerio Massimo, followed by the death sentence, and finally, improperly placed under this title, the account of the martyrdom; all three documents were drawn up by eyewitnesses immediately after the events; 3) the notice by Girolamo (De viris illustribus, 67); 4) C.’s own works, especially his letters.
Cecilio C., also called Tascio, was born in Africa at the beginning of the third century to pagan parents, who provided him with a thorough literary education; he taught rhetoric and allowed himself to be corrupted by the vices of paganism. Assisted by the Carthaginian presbyter Ceciliano, he converted to Christianity, beginning a new life already as a catechumen, in the practice of continence and charity, to such an extent that he distributed his possessions to the poor. Shortly after his Baptism he was ordained presbyter and then, in 248 or 249, bishop of Cartagine, by popular acclamation. When the persecution of Decius broke out, C. considered it his duty to go into hiding, so as not to deprive his Church of a leader then more necessary than ever; and from his retreat, not far from Cartagine, he governed it from the beginning of 250 until the spring of 251, maintaining an intense correspondence. He played a leading role in the question of the lapsi (v.), and had to restrain the laxism advocated by that party of the clergy which had already opposed his election (among whom the priest Novato stood out), and by a wealthy layman, Felicissimo, while preserving the authority of the episcopate intact, even in the face of the confessors. In this he had the support of the Roman clergy (the see being vacant), and thus prepared the decisions of the Carthaginian Council of April 251, which distinguished between the sacrificati, admitting them to reconciliation only at the point of death, and the libellatici (v. ASI), who could be given Communion after a period of trial. The laxists, strangely enough, would find support in the rigorist faction of the Roman clergy, led by Novaziano, who succeeded in having himself elected antipope against Cornelio, provoking a schism that was to spread and last for a long time (v. NOVAZIANO). In fact, the movement also spread through Africa, where C. fought it vigorously, supporting the election of Cornelio. A new wave of persecution, under Gallo and Triboniano (251–53), did not last long. Extremely serious was the controversy over the Baptism of heretics, in which C., supported by the bishops of Africa and by some from Asia Minor, decisively took a position against Pope Stefano (254–57), who maintained, together with the others, that Baptism administered by heretics should not be repeated. The death of Stefano (2 August 257), the intervention of St. Dionigi d'Alessandria with Pope Stefano, and the persecution of Valeriano brought an end to the controversy, which threatened to provoke a schism. On 30 August 257 C. was brought before the proconsul Paterno and, having confessed his faith, was exiled to Curubi.
When ordered by the new proconsul, Galerio Massimo, to present himself at Utica, the magistrate’s residence, he refused and went into hiding, because he wished to die among his people: he returned to Cartagine when the proconsul returned there, and on 13 September 258 he was condemned to death by him; the following day, before a crowd of Christians, he was beheaded.
(from M. Benson, S. Pierre et les origines de la primauté romaine, Cinéma 1929, pp. 125, 125)