The Bishop and the Apostle by Edwina Murphy

Author:Edwina Murphy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
Published: 2018-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

6.6 The church in context: Martyrs, marriage, money and the ministry

What can we learn about Christianity in Roman North Africa from Cyprian’s use of Paul? Here I examine a number of areas that are of interest to scholars, with a caveat: If we seek to determine Cyprian’s thought on a particular subject without considering the broader context of his work, we will be misled. Cyprian the pastor writes to exhort members of his audience to embrace a particular ethic, often emphasising the high esteem in which he holds them, and holding out the hope of future reward. Considered in isolation, his works on martyrdom suggest that the martyrs have a great and glorious reward, far beyond that of other Christians. Similarly, a study of De habitu virginum will confirm the view that virgins have a destiny which surpasses that of the married. De opere and eleemosynis may appear to teach the redemptive value of almsgiving, in opposition to the doctrine that all sins are dealt with in Jesus’ death and resurrection.1127 But martyrs are not the only ones who go to live and reign with Christ when they die, nor is virginity the only way to live out the resurrection life in the present. The promises that Cyprian makes to these groups need to be read in the light of other works, such as De mortalitate and De zelo et livore, in which faithfulness in all aspects of the Christian life will be rewarded.1128

Similarly, later tradition can colour our perception of Cyprian’s thought. What Cyprian means by a given term, and the way it is used by subsequent authors, is not always the same. This has been demonstrated regarding the primacy of the bishop of Rome, but equally needs to be kept in mind in other areas of his thought.

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