Firmilian of Caesarea, Letter to Cyprian 25
Stephen fulfilled these apostolic mandates and health-giving warnings with great diligence, placing humility and gentleness first. What could be more humble or more gentle than his disagreement with so many bishops throughout the whole world, breaking peace with individuals over various kinds of discord — now with the Easterners, which we trust is not hidden from you, now with you who are in the South? He received their bishop legates patiently and gently enough, yet he would not even admit them to a common conversation. Moreover, remembering affection and charity, he instructed the whole brotherhood that no one should receive them into his house, so that those coming would be denied not only peace and communion, but also roof and hospitality. This is what it means to have kept unity of spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:5), to cut oneself off from unity of charity, to make oneself alien to brothers in all things, and to rebel against the sacrament and faith with a contumacious fury of discord. Can there be one body and one spirit with such a person, with whom perhaps even a single soul is not so slippery, changeable, and uncertain? But let us leave him to his own account. Let us rather examine the matter about which the greatest question arises.
Those who contend that people baptized by heretics should be received as if they had obtained the grace of legitimate baptism say that there is one baptism for us and for them and that it does not differ in anything. But what does the apostle Paul say? 'One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God' (Ephesians 4:5). If the baptism of heretics is one and the same as our baptism, then without doubt the faith is also one. If the faith is one, then certainly the Lord is also one. If the Lord is one, it follows that God is one. If, however, this unity — which cannot be separated or divided at all — also exists among heretics, what more do we contend, so that why do we call them heretics and not Christians? Further, since with us and heretics neither God is one, nor Lord is one, nor Church is one, nor faith is one, nor is the Spirit one, nor the body one, it is clear that baptism cannot be common to us and heretics, to whom nothing is common at all. And yet Stephen is not ashamed to give such patronage against the Church and to split the brotherhood for the sake of defending heretics, even calling Cyprian a false Christ, a false apostle, and a deceitful worker. He, conscious that all these things are in himself, anticipates by objecting to another through falsehood the very things he himself deservedly ought to hear. We wish you well, along with all of us and all the bishops in Africa, all the clerics, and the whole brotherhood, that we may have you perpetually like-minded and of one mind with us, even though gathered from afar.
Latin
Haec Apostoli mandata et monitasalutaria quam diligenter Stephanus implevit, humilitatem sensus et lenitatem primo in loco servans. Quid enim humilius aut lenius quam cum tot episcopis per totum mundum dissensisse, pacem cum singulis vario discordiae genere rumpentem, modo cum Orientalibus, quod nec vos latere confidimus, modo vobiscum, qui in Meridie estis; a quibus legatos episcopos patienter satis et leniter suscepit, ut eos nec ad sermonem saltem colloquii communis admitteret, adhuc insuper, dilectionis et charitatis memor, praeciperet fraternitati universae ne quis eos in domum suam reciperet, ut venientibus, non solum pax et communio, sed et tectum et hospitium negaretur. Hoc est servasse unitatem spiritus in conjunctione pacis, abscindere se a charitatis unitate, et alienum se per omnia fratribus facere, et contra sacramentum et fidem contumacis furore discordiae rebellare. Apud talem potest esse unum corpus et unus spiritus, apud quem fortasse ipsa anima una non est sic lubrica et mobilis et incerta? Sed quantum ad illum pertinet, relinquamus. Excutiamus potius id de quo maxima quaestio est. Qui contendunt ab haereticis baptizatos sic recipi oportere tamquam legitimi baptismi gratiam consecutos, unum nobis atque illis baptisma dicunt esse et in nullo discrepare. Sed quid ait apostolus Paulus? Unus Dominus, una fides, unum baptisma, unus Deus. Si unum atque idem est cum nostro baptisma haereticorum, sine dubio et fides una est. Si autem fides una est, utique et Dominus unus est. Si Dominus unus est, consequens est dicere quia unus est. Si autem haec unitas, quae separari omnino et dividi non potest, etiam apud haereticos ipsa est, quid ultra contendimus, ut quid illos haereticos et non christianos vocamus? Porro, cum nobis et haereticis nec Deus unus sit, nec Dominus unus, nec una Ecclesia, nec fides una, sed nec unus spiritus, aut corpus unum, manifestum est nec baptisma nobis et haereticis commune esse posse, quibus nihil est omnino commune. Et tamen non pudet Stephanum talibus adversus Ecclesiam patrocinium praestare et propter haereticos asserendos fraternitatem scindere, insuper et Cyprianum pseudo-christum et pseudo-apostolum et dolosum operarium dicere. Qui omnia in se esse conscius praevenit, ut alteri ea per mendacium objiceret quae ipse ex merito audire deberet. Bene te valere omnibus nobis cum universis qui in Africa sunt episcopis et cunctis clericis et omni fraternitate universi optamus, ut perpetuo unanimes et unum sentientes habeamus nobiscum etiam de longinquo adunatos.