St.Cornelius and St. Cyprian

St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian

September 16, a reminder

Position: Pope and bishop, martyrs

Death: 252

Patron: Cornelius: peasants; invoked in convulsions, nervous disease, and leprosy; Cyprian: invoked against the plague

Attributes: Kornelia: tiara, horn; Cyprian: book, sword, palm tree

CURRICULUM VITAE

Cornelius was elected Pope only when the imperial ban on the election of the bishop of Rome began to weaken. Opponents then elected antipopes, and the issue of accepting apostates back into the Church became an extraordinary problem. The emperor Gallus restored the decree to sacrifice to idols, and Pope Cornelius testified to his faithfulness to Christ by martyrdom.

Coming from Carthage in northern Africa, Cyprian had oratory training and knowledge of law. He became a Christian only after more than 30 years of his age. He began to study the Scriptures of St. and follow them faithfully and diligently. He became a priest and bishop in Carthage. Here he dealt with the problem of receiving apostates, about which he wrote to Bishop Cornelius, and experienced double persecution. He lost his life in the second.

A common destiny brought these martyrs together to glorify one monument. Therefore, their further biography is interesting.

“OUTSIDE THE CHURCH THERE IS NO SALVATION”

This is the famous saying of Cyprian Thasiu, born around 205 in Carthage, Tunisia. He grew up in a pagan family of the local aristocracy and, due to his talent, easily studied oratory and law. As a pagan lawyer, he led, in his own words, “a long impious, and abominable life.” Then Cecil became his friend, a priest (perhaps they knew each other in their youth). Mutual conversations led to a conversion to the faith, which Cyprian accepted with great sincerity. He studied the Scriptures of St. and gave away his wealth to people experiencing poverty. He accepted baptism and began the path to the priesthood. Soon after his ordination, he also received episcopal ordination and the management of the Church in a part of Africa.

Soon, Emperor Decius issued an edict ordering all the inhabitants of the Roman Empire to sacrifice to the pagan gods. The edict also severed punishments for those who would not obey, including Christians.

The persecution was primarily aimed at them, especially their representatives. Cyprian then thought it prudent to govern his Church from seclusion using letters. At that time, he also wrote his most important work, “On the Unity of the Church.”

Only after the emperor was busy with the war with the Goths could he fully assume his duties again, and first, he had to solve the question of apostates, vol. “lapse.” He proceeded with mildness, seeing how great several apostates there were in Carthage itself. Even after the initial commandment to sacrifice to idols, many procured certificates in various ways that they sacrificed to the gods to secure peace. Some bought them without sacrifice. The weak and severely defrauded suddenly wanted to return to the Church. But the practice was originally such that apostasy from the Church was punishable by lifelong penance.

Some confessors who passed through the prison were seized with pride and arrogance, so they even began to order the bishops on what to do. Cyprian’s enemies, led by five priests, who, as a matter of course, immediately readmitted anyone, no matter how great his guilt, demanded that he do the same. According to them, a ticket with the text “Be admitted to the church!” was enough to return from some martyr who interceded for him. – The imperative method already raised doubts, and Cyprian disagreed with such a practice. He wanted to wait for the Church’s decision.

The Church of Rome was without a bishop for about 14 months (since Pope Fabian’s death) because the secular government observed a strict ban on the election of a pope. While in Africa, Cyprian worked from seclusion; in Rome, the leadership of the Church was taken over by a priestly body headed by Novatianus. He dazzled his friends with education and eloquence, but some Christians saw his unreliability and other vices.

With the reduction of cruel persecution, the election of the Pope was being prepared, and Cyprian’s enemies, led by the priest Novatianus, went to Rome from Carthage to influence the election of the Roman bishop, which took place in mid-March. They failed, and the priest Cornelius, the son of the Roman Castinus, was elected. The defeated party rioted and finally elected Novatian as their bishop as an antipope.

Cornelius took office, and before he began to address the question of the return of the apostates, he heard the resolution of the Synod of Bishops from Carthage, directed by Cyprian. It contained the opinion that if they sincerely repent, all apostates may be with St. repentance admitted and reconciled with the Church at least at the hour of death. The punishment should be conditional on the size of the offense. – Cornelius agreed with these views and called a meeting of Italian bishops for final approval, 60 of whom attended. The decision was confirmed.

The adversary Novatianus did not agree with him, and since he had not yet been consecrated as a bishop, he invited three rural bishops, whom he excessively entertained and drunk. Then he was ordained a bishop by them. He also demanded an oath from them not to go over to Cornelius. He subsequently stated that apostates could never be reconciled to the Church. He declared himself and his companions pure Christians – catharsis (from him comes the word heretic) – holding fast to the gospel. They rose above the rest with this statement. Pope Cornelius and his bishops, Cyprian in Carthage and Dionysius in Alexandria strove for the pacification and unity of the Church with great zeal. Many schismatics returned to Cornelius, acknowledging their error and confessing that they had been deceived by cunning and seductive verbiage.

Under Cornelius’ leadership, despite the persecution, 46 priests, seven deacons and seven subdeacons, 42 acolytes, and 56 exorcists, lecturers, and clerics who opened and closed the Church worked in Rome. Cornelius himself gave these numbers in a letter to the bishop of Antioch. According to this letter, in which 1500 widows are mentioned, E. Gibbon estimates that there were 50 thousand Roman Christians.

Under Decius’ successor, Trebonianus Gallus, a plague broke out, and the pagans blamed the plague on the Christians for not sacrificing to the gods. At the same time, the emperor renewed the decree, which once again ordered Christians to make new sacrifices to the gods. It is said that at the beginning of the persecution, whole groups of Christians came to the authorities to declare that they would rather die than deny their faith. Bishop Cornelius was imprisoned outside Rome in Centumcellae (today’s Civitavecchia). Because of his repeated refusal to sacrifice, he was often flogged and finally beheaded for his persistence, probably already in June (as stated by P. Alberti in the work of the Pope). Bishop Cyprian called him a martyr several times. From this, it can be concluded that he died a little earlier than Cyprian, who was probably in Rome. According to St. Jeroníma, however, both died on the same day, September 14. In some older reports, it is also stated that Cornelius died during transport as a result of the treatment. What is certain is that the Christians buried him in the old part of the Kallistus cemetery.

Bishop Cyprian was brought before the proconsul Galerius Maximus, who called him the head of the wicked and called the emperor pious. Cyprian confessed who he was and, at the words about (pagan) rites, declared, “I will not perform!” and remained adamant. Therefore, Galerius pronounced the sentence: “The sword will cut him down!” He went to the execution respectfully, and a crowd of believers accompanied him. Before his death, Cyprian gave the executioner 25 gold coins to reward his efforts. The servants of the altar helped him to take off his priestly robes, and the people spread cloths to catch his blood, which greatly disturbed the executioner, but at last, he mustered courage and cut off the head of the kneeling Cyprian.

His remains were transferred to Compiègne, France, and later part of them to Lyon. However, the skull was placed in Kornelimünster near Aachen.

In 1849, the Appian Road found a marble fragment with the inscription “NELIUS MARTYR” in a vineyard. Pope Pius XI bought the land for excavations, which the finder De Rossi himself embarked on, and in 1852, he discovered the addition of a fragment and the tomb of the martyr Cornelius, the bishop of Rome. On the left side of the grave are images of St. Cornelius and Cyprian as faithful friends. There are other paintings on the opposite page. Experts found that it dates from 561 – 574, significantly demonstrating Rome’s relations with Africa. Both holy martyrs are still invoked in the first canon of the Holy Mass.

Resolution and Prayer

What am I willing to endure for the sake of unwavering dedication to Christian principles, even if it means sacrificing my life? Am I aware of the profound impact of my faith on others?

Almighty, eternal God, through the intercession of St. Cornelius and St. Cyprian, please protect and guide the shepherds of Your people and the communities entrusted to their care, that they may lead us on the path to eternal salvation. We ask this through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever.