About the unity of the Church

Treatise sschmch. Cyprian of Carthage “On the Unity of the Church” was written in the late spring - early summer of 251. The reason for its writing was the church schisms in Carthage (Novatus and Felicissimus) and in Rome (Novacianus). The essay reveals the dogma of the one saving Church. St. Cyprian regards schisms and heresies as an invention of the devil in order to overthrow faith, pervert the truth, and dissolve unity. The Lord establishes the Church “on one thing,” i.e. Apostle Peter. The other apostles had equal dignity with him, but first one is indicated to designate the one Church. This unity must be maintained and defended especially by bishops. There is one bishopric, and each of the bishops participates in it integrally; so the Church is one, although, expanding, it is split into many. In a mysterious sense, the Church is the immaculate and chaste Bride of Christ, remaining faithful to her Heavenly Bridegroom. She preserves the sanctity of the single bed. Anyone who separates from the Church becomes its enemy. The Church is the Mother of believers, from whom they are born. Christians feed on her milk, are animated by her spirit, and therefore “he can no longer have God as a Father who does not have the Church as a mother.” Unity is the most important property of the Church: “There is one God, and one Christ, one His Church, and one faith, and one people, united in the unity of the body by the union of consent.” The prototype of church unity of St. Cyprian sees the unity of the Persons of the Holy Trinity. The sacrament of the unity of the Church is symbolically indicated in the tunic of Christ, which was not divided, but went holistically to one who fell by lot. St. Cyprian speaks of the disastrous consequences of church schisms. Heretics and schismatics who dare to tear apart the unity of God, the garment of the Lord, the Church of Christ, go directly against God’s will. The author points out the invalidity of the Sacraments performed by schismatics, calls on believers to withdraw from communication with them and maintain unity with their bishop and elders. Only by arriving in the Church, maintaining grace-filled unity with it, can one be saved. *The title of the work in Latin is De unitate Ecclesiae. When the Lord says for our teaching: “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5.13), when He commands us to be simple with gentleness and to unite wisdom with simplicity (Matthew 10.16), then is it not most fitting for us, most beloved brothers, to foresee the machinations of the crafty enemy, with heartfelt care and vigilance to foreknow and avoid them, so that, having put on Christ - the Wisdom of God Father, have we not been foolish in guarding our salvation? Thus, one should be afraid not only of persecution, which, through an open attack, intensifies to defeat and overthrow the servants of God: it is easier to protect oneself there, where the danger is obvious, and the spirit is prepared in advance for battle when the enemy announces himself; One should be much more afraid and beware of the enemy in the case when he secretly creeps up, when, seducing with the image of the world, he creeps inconspicuously through hidden passages, which is why he received the name “creeper”, or serpent 2. Such is his constant deceit! Such is his hidden and cunning pretense in seducing people! Thus he deceived at the very beginning of the world, arousing careless gullibility in simple souls with caressingly deceitful words! He also tried to tempt the Lord himself and for this purpose he approached secretly in order to accidentally attack and seduce; however, he was recognized and reflected, and reflected because he was known and discovered. In this we are given an example - to avoid the path of the old man and unswervingly follow in the footsteps of Christ the Life-Giver, so that we again, through carelessness, do not fall into the snare of death, but so that, by foreseeing danger, we achieve immortality. But how can we achieve immortality if we do not preserve the commandments of Christ, by which death is struck and defeated? The Lord says as a lesson: “If you want to be taken into your life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19.17); and again: “If you do this, I command you: I say that you are not slaves to anyone, but also others” (John 15.14–15). He also calls them courageous and steadfast, based on a strong, heavy stone, protected by an unshakable and indestructible bulwark against all the storms and unrest of the century: “Every... “, - He says, “whoever hears these words of mine and does this, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his church on the rock: and the rain came down, and the rivers came, and the wind blew, and attacked that church: and without falling, it was founded on the rock” (Matthew 7.24-25). So we must adhere to His words; must learn and do what He taught and did. And how can one call himself a believer in Christ who does not fulfill what Christ commanded? Or how will one achieve the reward of faith who does not want to keep faith in the commandments? Of necessity, he will hesitate, wallow and, carried away by the spirit of error, rush about like dust swept up by the wind: without adhering to the truth of the saving path, he will not achieve salvation. We must beware, beloved brothers, of deception, not only obvious and obvious, but also that which is covered with subtle cunning and cunning. And after the enemy was discovered and overthrown by the coming of Christ, in which light came for the tongues and a saving light shone for the happiness of people, so that they began to hear spiritual grace more deeply, the blind opened their eyes to God, the weak received eternal healing, the lame hastily flowed into the church, the dumb began to say their prayers loudly; after he saw the idols abandoned, his dwellings and churches deserted because of the multitude of believers, what is more subtle guile and cunning than the enemy’s invention of a new deception: to deceive the unwary in the very name of a Christian? He invented heresies and schisms to overthrow faith, pervert truth, and dissolve unity. Whoever cannot be kept on the old path by blindness is led astray and deceived by the new path. It delights people from the Church itself and, when they were apparently already approaching the light and getting rid of the night of this age, it again spreads over them, unknown to them, a new darkness, so that they, not adhering to the Gospel and not preserving the law, nevertheless call themselves Christians and, wandering in the darkness, think that they are walking in the light. Such are the flattering machinations of the enemy, who, in the words of the apostle, “is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Cor 11.14) and gives his servants the appearance of ministers of righteousness, while they proclaim night instead of day, destruction instead of salvation, despair under the cover of hope, treachery under the pretext of faith, Antichrist under the name of Christ, and, covering lies with plausibility, destroy the truth with subtle cunning. This happens, dear brothers, because they do not turn to the beginning of truth, do not seek the head, and do not preserve the teachings of the heavenly Teacher. There is no need for lengthy reasoning and evidence: you just have to delve into the matter and examine it, then it is easy to verify this with a brief statement of the truth. The Lord says to Peter: “I... I say to you, for you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it: and I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and if you bind it on earth, it will be bound in heaven; and if you loose it on earth, it will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16.18–19). And again He says to him after his resurrection: “Feed My sheep” (John 21.16). Thus, He bases His Church on one thing. And although after His resurrection He gives equal authority to all the apostles, saying: “As the Father has sent Me, and I send you... receive the Holy Spirit: whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven them: and whose sins you hold, they hold fast” (John 20.21–23); however, in order to show the unity [of the Church], He was pleased to begin this unity from the same place. Of course, the other apostles were the same as Peter, and had equal dignity and power with him; but first one is indicated, to designate the one Church. This one Church is also denoted by the Holy Spirit in the Song of Songs, speaking on behalf of the Lord: “My dove is one, My perfect dove: one is her mother, chosen is the one who bore her” (Song 6.9). Is it possible for someone who does not adhere to this unity of the Church to think that he is keeping the faith? Can one who resists and acts contrary to the Church hope that he is in the Church when the blessed Apostle Paul, discussing the same subject and showing the sacrament of unity, says: “There is one body, one spirit, just as there was also a calling in one hope of your calling: one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God” (Eph 4.4-6)? This unity must be firmly supported and defended by us, especially by the bishops who preside over the Church, in order to show that the bishopric itself is one and indivisible. Let no one deceive the brotherhood with lies! Let no one undermine the truth of faith by treacherous betrayal! There is one bishopric, and each of the bishops participates in it integrally. Likewise, the Church is one, although, with the increase in fertility, expanding, it is split into many. After all, the sun has many rays, but there is only one light; There are many branches on a tree, but there is only one trunk, firmly held by the root; many streams flow from one source, but although the overflow resulting from the abundance of waters represents multiplicity, unity is still preserved at the source itself. Separate the sunbeam from its origin - unity will not allow a separate light to exist; break off a branch from a tree - the broken one will lose the ability to grow; separate the stream from its source - the separated one will dry up. In the same way, the Church, illuminated by the light of the Lord, spreads its rays throughout the world; but the light spreading everywhere is one, and the unity of the body remains undivided. Throughout the earth she will spread her branches laden with fruits; its abundant streams flow into a distant space - despite all this, there remains one head, one beginning, one mother, rich in the abundance of fruitfulness. We are born from her, we feed on her milk, we are animated by her spirit. The Bride of Christ cannot be corrupted: she is pure and uncorrupted, knows one house and chastely preserves the holiness of one bed. She watches us for God, prepares those born of Her for the kingdom. Anyone who separates from the Church joins an adulterous wife and becomes alien to the promises of the Church; he who leaves the Church of Christ deprives himself of the rewards predetermined by Christ: he is alien to her, indecent, her enemy. He can no longer have God as his Father who does not have the Church as his mother. Those outside the Church could only be saved if one of those outside Noah’s ark were saved. The Lord says this for our teaching: “Whatever is not with Me is in Me; and whatever does not gather with Me, scatters it away” (Matthew 12.30). The violator of the peace and harmony of Christ acts against Christ. He who gathers in another place, and not in the Church, scatters the Church of Christ; The Lord says: “I and the Father are one” (John 10.30). And again about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit it is written: “And these three are one” (1 John 5.7). Who will think that this unity, based on the immutability of the divine and united with the heavenly sacraments, can be disrupted in the Church and fragmented by the discord of opposing desires? No, he who does not keep such unity does not keep the law of God, does not keep faith in the Father and the Son, does not adhere to the true path to salvation. This sacrament of unity, this union of indissoluble consent is indicated in the Gospel story about the tunic of the Lord Jesus Christ. The tunic was not divided and torn, but went entirely to one who fell by lot, and came into possession unspoiled and undivided. The Divine Scripture says the following: “the tunic is not sewn, it is all worn from above. Having decided to ourselves: we will not despise him, but we will cast lots for him, whoever it will be” (John 19.23–24). He had unity from above, coming from heaven from the Father, and therefore could not be torn apart by those who received him into possession; but holistically, once and for all, he retained his strong and inseparable connection. Therefore, someone who tears apart the Church of Christ cannot possess the clothing of Christ. On the contrary, when, after the death of Solomon, the kingdom and his people were to be divided, the prophet Ahijah, meeting on the field with Jeroboam the king, tore his clothes into twelve pieces and said: “Take for yourself ten lots, as the Lord says...: Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give you ten banners: and two banners will be for him, for the sake of my servant David and Jerusalem for the sake of city...which I chose for myself for the position of my name there” (1 Kings 11.31–32, 36). So, when the twelve tribes of Israel were about to separate, the prophet Ahijah tore his clothes. But just as the people of Christ should not be divided, the robe of Christ, coherently woven everywhere, was not torn apart by those who prevailed over it: with the indivisible strength of its connection, it indicates the indivisible agreement of all of us who have put on Christ. Thus, with the mysterious sign of his clothing, the Lord prefigured the unity of the Church. Who is so wicked and treacherous, who is so infected with a passion for discord, that he considers it possible or dares to tear apart the unity of God - the garment of the Lord - the Church of Christ? The Lord Himself reminds us in His Gospel and teaches us, saying: “and there will be one flock and one Shepherd” (John 10.16). Who would think that in one place there can be either many Shepherds or many flocks? The Apostle Paul, instilling in us the same unity, begs and exhorts us, saying: “I pray... you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same way, and that there be no dissension among you, but that you may be established in the same understanding and in the same thought” (1 Cor 1.10). And in another place he says: “bearing with one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4.2-3). Do you think that you can stand and live at a distance from the Church, arranging for yourself other various dwellings? But to Rahab, who prefigured the Church, it is precisely said: “Thou shalt gather thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s house unto thee into thy house: and whosoever goeth out of the door of thy house shall be guilty of himself (Joshua 2.18–19). And the mystery of Passover, according to the law expressed in the book of Exodus, also required that the lamb, slain in the image of Christ, be eaten in one house. God says this: “let it be carried out in one house: ... do not take the meat out of the house” (Exodus 12.46). The flesh of Christ, the shrine of the Lord, cannot be taken out of the house; and for believers there is no other home except the one Church. The Holy Spirit designates this house, this abode of like-mindedness in the psalms, saying: “God brings those of like mind into a house” (Ps 67.7). Thus, only those who are like-minded, agreeable and simple-hearted live and abide in the house of God, in the Church of Christ. For this reason also the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove. This simple and meek animal, without bitter bile, does not bite, does not torment fiercely with its claws, loves human dwellings and knows only one common nest; During childbirth, couples raise children together, while flying they are not separated from each other, spend their lives in mutual cohabitation, with kisses they testify to their consent and peace, and observe the law of like-mindedness in everything. And in the Church the same simple-heartedness must be known, the same love must be achieved: brotherhood must imitate doves in love, and in meekness and quietness equal lambs and sheep. What produces in the heart of a Christian the brutality of wolves, the rage of dogs, the deadly poison of snakes and, in general, the bloodthirsty cruelty of animals? We must rejoice when people like them separate from the Church, lest they destroy the doves and sheep of Christ with their ferocious and poisonous infection. Bitterness with sweetness, darkness with light, bad weather with a bucket, war with the world, barrenness with fertility, dryness with a water source, storm with silence cannot be combined and mixed. Let no one think that the good can separate from the Church. The wind does not scatter the wheat, and the storm does not uproot the tree that grows on its hard roots. Only empty tares are carried away by the whirlwind; only weak trees fall from the rush of the storm. It is these who are cursed and struck down by the Apostle John, saying: “She departed from us, but was not maddened from us; even if they had been from us, they would have remained with us” (1 John 2.19). Heresies have occurred and often occur because the obstinate mind does not have peace in itself and the treachery that sows discord does not maintain unity. The Lord, preserving our free will, allows this to happen, so that through the temptation of our hearts and thoughts by competition for the truth, the pure faith of the worthy will appear in a clear light. The Holy Spirit foretells this through the Apostle, saying: “It is fitting that heresies also should be among you, so that trials may appear in you” (1 Cor 11.19). Thus the faithful are tested and the treacherous are revealed; Thus, even before the day of judgment, the souls of the righteous are separated from the unrighteous and the tares are separated from the wheat! Those who, without a divine order, arbitrarily take command over reckless crowds, set themselves up as leaders without legal consecration, and appropriate the name of bishop to themselves when no one gives them the episcopacy are separated. The Holy Spirit in the Psalms calls them sitting on the seat of the destroyers (Ps. 1.1), a plague and infection for faith; people who deceive through the lips of serpents, skilled in perverting the truth; a destructive tongue spewing deadly poison; people whose word spreads like cancer (2 Tim. 2.17), and conversation pours a mortal infection into the heart of everyone. The Lord cries against them, restrains and turns away his erring people from them, saying: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets, who prophesy to you and deceive you: they speak vision from their hearts, and not from the mouth of the Lord. They say to those who reject Me: ... peace be with you: and to everyone who walks in their lusts, and to everyone who walks in the obstinacy of his heart, this command: no evil will come against you... You did not speak to them, and they prophesied. And if they had stood in My counsel, they would have heard My words, and would have turned My people from their evil way and from their evil ways” 3 (Jer 23.16-17, 21-22). The Lord describes and designates them, saying: “For I have forsaken the fountain of water alive, and dug up for myself treasures that were broken... those who were not able to contain water” (Jer 2.13). While there can be no other baptism except one, they think that they can baptize. Having abandoned the source of life, they promise the grace of life-giving and saving water. People do not wash themselves there, but only become more defiled; Sins are not cleansed, but only aggravated. Such a birth produces children not of God, but of the devil. Those born of lies are not worthy of the promises of truth. Those born of treachery destroy the grace of faith. Those who violate the peace of the Lord through violent strife cannot achieve the reward of peace. Let some not deceive themselves with the words spoken by the Lord: “Where... there are two or three assembled in My name, I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18.20). Perverters of the Gospel and false interpreters cite these words, but these are the words that follow, and they skip the previous ones; while recalling one part, they insidiously keep silent about the other; Just as they themselves separated from the Church, they also cut apart the integrity of one and the same place. The Lord, inspiring his disciples to maintain unanimity among themselves and peace, says to them: “I say to you, that if two of you speak on earth concerning every thing that anyone asks, it will be done from My Father who is in heaven: where there are two or three congregations in My name, I am in the midst of them” (Matthew 18.19-20), - and thus shows that much is granted not to the multitude, but to the unanimity of those who pray. “Two more from you shall take counsel upon the earth,” He says. Thus, the Lord first commanded unanimity, pointed to agreement and taught us to truly and decisively agree with each other. How can one agree with anyone who does not agree with the body of the Church itself and with the entire brotherhood? How can two or three gather in the name of Christ, who are known to be separated from Christ and from His Gospel? After all, it was not we who moved away from them, but they from us. After heresies and schisms occurred among them through the establishment of various assemblies, they abandoned the head and beginning of the truth. And the Lord speaks about His Church, speaks to those in the Church, that if they agree, if, in accordance with His reminder and instruction, two or three gathered and unanimously pray, then, despite the fact that there are only two or three of them, they can receive what they ask from the greatness of God. “Where... there are two or three congregations in My name, I am in the midst of them,” that is, in the midst of the simple and peace-loving, who fear God and keep His commandments. In the midst of such He promised to be, just as He was with the three youths in the fiery furnace and, in the midst of the flames that surrounded them, He encouraged them with the spirit of dew, because they were devoted to God and unanimous among themselves (Dan 3.50); just as He was with the two apostles imprisoned, and, since they were simple and of one mind, He opened the prison doors for them and brought them out from there, so that they would convey to the people the word that they had faithfully preached (Acts 5.19). So, when the Lord in His commandments lays down and says: “Where... there are two or three assemblies in My name, I am in the midst of them,” then He who created and established the Church does not separate people from the Church, but, convicting those who have fallen from the faith and exhorting the faithful to peace, shows in His words that He is more willing to be with two or three who pray with one accord than with a large number of dissenting minds, and that more can be requested by the concurring prayer of a few, rather than by the dissenting prayer of many. That is why, prescribing the law of prayer, He added: “And whenever you stand praying, forgive whatever you have against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will forgive you your sins” (Mark 11.25). He does not allow anyone to approach the sacrifice with enmity against anyone to the altar, but commands him to first be reconciled with his brother and then, returning in peace, bring a gift to God (Matthew 5.23–24). God did not look upon the sacrifices of Cain, because one who, out of envy and enmity, did not have peace with his brother, could not have God merciful to him. What kind of world do the enemies of the brothers promise themselves? What sacrifices are envious priests thinking of making? Do they really think, when they gather, that Christ is with them when they gather outside the Church of Christ? Even if they suffered death for confessing the name, their stain cannot be washed away even by blood itself. The indelible and grave guilt of discord is not cleared away even by suffering. One cannot be a martyr who is not in the Church; he who leaves the Church, which has to reign, cannot achieve the kingdom. Christ gave us peace; He commanded us to be agreeable and unanimous, commanded us to inviolably and firmly preserve the union of affection and love, and whoever does not observe brotherly love cannot be a martyr. This is taught and confirmed by the Apostle Paul, saying: “Even if I have given up all faith, even as I have given up mountains, but I am not an imam of love, I am nothing. And even if I give away all my possessions, and even if I give up my body, I burn it, but love is not an imam, there is no benefit for me. Love is long-suffering, merciful,... love is not arrogant, is not proud, does not act outrageously,... is not irritated, does not think evil,... loves everything, has faith in everything, trusts everything, endures everything. Love no longer disappears” (1 Cor. 13:2–5, 7–8). “Love,” he says, “no longer disappears”: it will forever remain in the Kingdom (Heavenly), it will forever continue there in the unity of a fraternal union. Discord cannot be worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven and reward from Christ, Who said: “This is My commandment, that you love one another as you have loved” (John 15.12). He who has violated the love of Christ by treacherous disagreement will not belong to Christ: he who does not have love does not have God. The blessed apostle says: “God is loving, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 John 4.16). So, those who did not want to be unanimous in the Church of God cannot remain with God, even if they, having been betrayed, were burned in flames and fire or gave up their spirit, being thrown to be eaten by wild beasts; however, this will not be the crown of faith for them, but will be a punishment for treachery; it will not be the glorious end of a pious deed, but the outcome of despair. One like them can be killed, but he cannot be crowned. Yes, he calls himself a Christian just as falsely as the devil often falsely calls himself Christ, according to the saying of the Lord himself: “Many... will come in My name, saying that I am (Christ), and will deceive many” (Matthew 24.5). Just as the devil is not Christ, although he deceives in His name, so one who does not abide in the truth of His Gospel and faith cannot be considered a Christian. It is, of course, a great thing and worthy of wonder to prophesy, cast out demons and perform great miracles on earth; but the one who does all this will not reach the Kingdom of Heaven if he does not follow the straight path. The Lord, proclaiming this, says: “Many people will say to Me in that day: Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and in Your name we have cast out demons, and in Your name we have created many mighty powers? And then we will confess to them, because I have known you no more: Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity” (Matthew 7.22–23). Truth is needed in order to be favored by God the Judge; we must obey His commandments and instructions so that our merits will be rewarded. The Lord, briefly showing in the Gospel the path of our faith and hope, says: “The Lord your God is one Lord: and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul... and with all your strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is similar to it: love your neighbor as yourself... On this both commandments hang the whole law and the prophets” (Mk 12.29-31; Mt 22.37-40). In this teaching of His He taught unity and at the same time love; in two commandments he concluded the law and all the prophets. What kind of unity does he maintain, what kind of love does he preserve, or what kind of love does he think about, who, indulging in the impulses of discord, dissects the Church, destroys the faith, disturbs the world, uproots love, desecrates the sacrament? Long ago, beloved brothers, this evil began; but the devastating effect of this disastrous evil has now increased, and the poisonous destruction of heretical corruption and schisms has begun to manifest itself and spread more and more. However, the Holy Spirit predicted through the Apostle and foretold that this would be the case at the end of the age. “In the last days,” He says, “there will come times of cruelty. People will be self-lovers, lovers of money, majestic, proud, blasphemers, opposed to parents, ungrateful, unrighteous, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, intemperate, necrotic, unkind, traitorous, insolent, pompous, voluptuous rather than lovers of God, having the image of piety, the power of it rejected... From these... they are diving into houses and captivating wives, burdened with sins, led by various lusts, always learning and never able to come into the mind of truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these too resist the truth, men who are corrupt in mind and inexperienced in the faith. But they will prosper no more: for their foolishness will be revealed to everyone, just as they were” (2 Tim 3.1-9). What was predicted is being fulfilled, and with the approach of the end of the century such people already appear and such times are coming. With the increasing ferocity of the enemy, error seduces, violence inflames, envy inflames, lust blinds, wickedness corrupts, pride puffs up, discord embitters, anger destroys. But let not the extreme and unexpected treachery of many shake us or confuse us; let the truth of what was predicted strengthen our faith. Just as some became such because it was foretold, so let the other brothers beware of them, because this too was foretold in the instruction of the Lord: “But be careful: behold, first I have rebuked you all” (Mk 13.23). Flee, I pray you, from such people and, like a deadly infection, keep their destructive conversations away from yourself and from your hearing, according to the Scripture: “guard your ears with thorns and do not listen to the tongue of the wicked” 4 (Sir 28.28), because “evil conversations corrupt good customs” (1 Cor 15.33). The Lord Himself teaches us and commands us to move away from such people: “leaders make the blind blind,” He says, “but if a blind man leads a blind man, they will both fall into a pit” (Matthew 15.14). One must turn away and flee from everyone who has separated from the Church: “for such one has become corrupt, and sins, and is self-condemned” (Titus 3.11). Can one imagine that he is with Christ, who acts against the priests of Christ, and separates himself from communion with His clergy and people? But he is armed against the Church, he opposes the Divine economy, he is an enemy of the altar, a rebel against the sacrifice of Christ, a traitor in relation to faith, in relation to piety - a blasphemer; a disobedient slave, a lawless son, a hostile brother: having despised the bishops and abandoned the priests of God, he dares to build another altar, compose another prayer from inappropriate words, desecrate the truth of the Lord’s sacrifice with false sacrifices, and does not even want to know that he who acts contrary to God’s order is punished for reckless daring at the divine discretion. Thus, Korah, Dathan and Abiron, who rebelled against Moses and Aaron the priest and attempted to usurp the right of sacrifice, were immediately punished for their attempt: the earth, breaking its connection, opened a deep abyss and with its gaping gap swallowed them standing and alive; and not only the instigators were struck by the wrath of God, but the fire that came from the Lord did not hesitate to incinerate, among the two hundred and fifty, and the others who united with them, participants and accomplices of the same madness (Num. 16.1-35), reminding and showing that all attempts undertaken by the wicked of their own free will to destroy the Divine order are made against God. So King Uzziah, when, having taken the censer in his hands and, contrary to the law of God, arrogating to himself the right of sacrifice, did not want to obey and yield to the priest Azariah, who forbade him to do so, he was put to shame by the wrath of God and struck with leprosy on his forehead - he was marked by the offended God on that part of the body on which those who please the Lord receive a sign (2 Chronicles 26.1-19). Likewise, the sons of Aaron, who placed strange fire on the altar, which the Lord did not command to be placed, were immediately burned in the face of the Punisher God (Lev. 10.1–2). They are imitated and followed by those who, having despised the Divine commandments, are carried away by alien teachings and introduce regulations established by people. The Lord denounces and reproaches such people in His Gospel, saying: “forsaking... the commandment of God, keep the traditions of men” (Mk 7.8). This crime is worse than that apparently committed by the fallen, who then, repenting of their sin, beg God with a completely satisfactory repentance. Here they seek the Church and pray to it, there they resist the Church. Here necessity could lead to lawlessness, there free will. Here the fallen one harmed only himself, and there he who intensified to produce heresy or schism carried away many with him by deception. Here there is damage to one soul, there there is danger for many. This one understands that he has definitely sinned, cries and laments about it, and the other one, proud in his sin and enjoying the very iniquities, separates sons from their mother, lures sheep away from the Shepherd, destroys the sacraments of God, and while the fallen one has sinned once, he sins daily. Finally, the fallen one, who has been worthy of martyrdom, may also be worthy of the promise of the kingdom; and even if he suffers death outside the Church, he cannot achieve the rewards of the Church. Let no one be surprised, beloved brothers, that even some of the confessors reach the same point and therefore sin just as wickedly and gravely. Confession does not free one from the wiles of the devil and does not provide those still in this world with constant protection from the temptations, dangers, attacks and blows of the age. However, we have never subsequently seen such deceptions, outrages and fornications among confessors as we see among some people today, for which we grieve and are sick. Whoever the confessor is, he is still no higher, no better, and no more godly than Solomon. And as long as Solomon walked in the ways of the Lord, he also possessed grace received from God; then, when he abandoned the path of the Lord, then he lost the grace of the Lord, as it is written: “And the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon” (1 Kings 11.14). And therefore the Scripture says: “Take hold of the hedgehog, so that no one may receive your crown” (Rev 3.11). The Lord would not have threatened the possibility of taking away the crown of righteousness if the loss of righteousness had not necessarily been followed by the loss of the crown. Confession is only an approach to glory, and not the achievement of a crown: it does not end the achievement, but only begins dignity. The Scripture says: “he who endures... to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10.22): therefore, everything that happens before the end is only a step along which one ascends to the top of salvation, and not a limit where the very top is reached. He is a confessor, but after confession there is also a great danger, because here the enemy is more irritated. He is a confessor, therefore he must hold on to the Gospel of the Lord all the more tightly because through the Gospel he has gained glory from the Lord. The Lord says: “To everyone... to whom much will be given, much will be required from him: and to whom he has given much, much will be taken from him” (Luke 12.48). Let no one perish through the example of the confessors! Let no one learn from the actions of the confessor untruth, pride, or treachery! He is a confessor, let him be meek and quiet; Considering his actions with decorum, let him be modest and, calling himself a confessor of Christ, let him imitate Christ, Whom he confesses. Christ says: “like... he will be exalted, he will humble himself: and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23.12); and He Himself is exalted by the Father because, being the Word, Power and Wisdom of God the Father, He humbled Himself on earth (Phil 2.8-9) - how can He love arrogance, Who also commanded us in His law to be humble and Himself received from the Father a glorious name as a reward for humility? He is a confessor of Christ, but only in this case if through him the greatness and dignity of Christ is not then blasphemed. The tongue that has confessed Christ should not be slanderous and quarrelsome, should not utter slander and curses, should not, after words of praise, spew out snake venom on the brothers and priests of God. And if the confessor subsequently becomes vicious and dishonest, if he dishonors his confession by behavior, defiles his life with shameful deeds, if, finally, leaving the Church in which he became a confessor and dissolving the union of unity, he replaces his former faith with subsequent treachery, then because of his confession he cannot delude himself that he has been chosen for a glorious reward; on the contrary, because of this very thing he deserved all the greater punishment. The Lord chose Judas as one of the apostles, but Judas later betrayed the Lord. However, just as the faith and firmness of the apostles did not waver because the traitor Judas separated from their community, so here the dignity and holiness of the confessors was not diminished because some of them became treacherous. The blessed Apostle in his Epistle says: “What if you don’t believe? will food and unbelief destroy their faith in God? Let it not be: let God be true, but every man is a lie” (Rom 3.3-4). The majority and best part of the confessors stand firmly in the faith and in the truth of the law and decency of the Lord. Those who remember that in the Church they received grace by God’s favor do not retreat from the world of the Church, and they deserve praise for their faith all the more because, having removed themselves from the treachery of those with whom they were united by the communion of confession, they thereby escaped the sinful infection. Enlightened by the true light of the Gospel, illuminated by the pure and clear radiance of the Lord, they, the victors of the devil in the fight against him, are equally worthy of praise for preserving the peace of Christ. I wish, most beloved brothers, I advise and convince that none of the brothers, if possible, perish, and that the mother, rejoicing, embraces in her arms one body made up of one willing people. If the salutary council cannot return to the path of salvation some of the leaders of the schism and the originators of dissent, who are in blind and stubborn madness, then at least you, caught in simplicity, or enticed by deception, or deceived by some cunning cunning, break apart the insidious snares, free your wavering feet from error, know the right path of the heavenly path. The Apostle says: “We command... you... in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you separate yourself from every brother who walks disorderly, and not according to tradition, which you received from us” (2 Thessalonians 3.6). And in another place: “Let no one flatter you with vain words, for for their sake the wrath of God is coming on the disobedient sons. Do not therefore be partakers of this” (Eph 5.6–7). One must move away from those who deliberately sin, one must even flee from them, so that someone, joining those who walk disorderly and walking with them along the paths of error and vice, turning away from the true path, does not become guilty of the same sin. There is one God, and one Christ, one His Church, and one faith, and one people, united in the unity of the body by a union of consent. Unity should not be fragmented; in the same way, one body should not be fragmented through a break in the connection - it should not be torn into pieces by the torment of rejected entrails: everything that has only been separated from the life principle cannot, with the loss of its saving essence, live and breathe a special life. The Holy Spirit, exhorting us, says: “Who is the man who loves the days and sees good things? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking flattery. Turn away from evil and do good: seek peace and marriage” (Ps 33.13-15). The son of peace must desire and seek peace; he who has known and loved the union of love must refrain his tongue from evil discord. The Lord, already approaching suffering, among His other instructions and saving suggestions, taught the following: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you” (John 14.27). This is the inheritance Christ has given us! In the preservation of peace He has concluded all the gifts and rewards of His promises. So, if we are heirs of Christ, then we must abide in the peace of Christ; if we are sons of God, then we must be peacemakers: “Blessed,” He says, “are the peacemakers, for these will be called the sons of God” (Matthew 5.9). The sons of God must be peaceful, meek in heart, simple in speech, agreeable in mutual disposition, faithfully united with each other in a union of unanimity. Such unanimity once existed under the apostles: the leading Christians, observing the instructions of the Lord, adhered to mutual love. This is confirmed by Divine Scripture, which says: “But the people who believed were one in heart and soul” (Acts 4.32). And in another place: “These all endured with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and with His brethren” (Acts 1.14). That is why their prayer was valid, that is why they could hope to receive everything they asked from the merciful Lord. But among us, unanimity has become scarce, and generosity in alms has diminished. Then they sold houses and villages and, laying up treasures for themselves in heaven, gave the money they received to the apostles to distribute to the poor. Nowadays we do not give even a tenth of our acquisitions, and when the Lord commands us to sell them, we buy and increase all the more. Our strength of faith has become so weak! Thus the strength of the believers has diminished! And that is why the Lord, foreseeing our times, says in his Gospel: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18.8) We see that what He predicted is coming true. We have no faith, neither in the fear of God, nor in the law of righteousness, nor in love, nor in deeds. No one thinks about the day of the Lord and the wrath of God with fear for the future, no one thinks about the future punishments for unbelievers and the eternal torment intended for the treacherous. Our conscience would be afraid of this if it believed it, but since it does not believe, it is not afraid. If she believed, she would have been careful, and by being careful, she would have avoided danger. Let us rouse ourselves, beloved brothers, as much as we can, and, shaking off the sleep of former laziness, let us be vigilant in keeping the commandments of the Lord. Let us be what the Lord Himself commanded us to be, saying: “Let your loins be girded, and your lamps burning...: and you are like a man who waits for his Lord when he returns from marriage, so that when he comes and pushes, it will be opened to Him. Blessed are the servants, for whom the Lord will find those who are watching” (Luke 12.35–37). So we must be girded, so that the coming day of denouement does not find us in difficulty and unpreparedness. May our light be enlightened and shine in good deeds, which would lead us from the night of this age to the light of eternal glory. Let us wait with constant care and prudence for the sudden coming of the Lord, so that when He knocks, our faith will be awake, hoping to receive a reward from God for our vigilance. If we keep these commandments, keep these instructions and commandments, then we will in no way be accidentally caught lulled by the devil’s charms and, as watchful servants, we will begin to reign with the Lord Christ. The treatise “On the Unity of the Church” was translated from the edition of Fell and Pearson, which was published in Amsterdam in 1700. In other editions (at the beginning, where it is said that divisions in the Church occur when “they do not go back to the beginning of the truth, do not seek the head,” etc.) this treatise is presented more extensively, but critics suspect here later additions that partly distort Cyprian’s thought. This is the reason why we preferred the Amsterdam edition in this case. – Transl. Serpens - serpent or creeper, from the verb serpo - to crawl. The last verse (22) of St. Cyprian reads like this: if they stood in My essence, obeyed My words and taught My people, then I would turn them from their evil thoughts. This verse is read like this by St. Cyprian and in the Vulgate. You might be interested in: