On the Unity of the Catholic Church · §16 · Cyprian of Carthage

The growth of schism and heresy in the last days

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Cyprian is addressing the faithful about those who break the Church's unity, and now describes how this evil has grown as the end of the world approaches.

But what unity does he preserve, what love does he keep or even consider, who is driven mad by the fury of discord, splits the Church, destroys faith, disturbs peace, scatters love, and profanes the sacred sign?

This evil, most faithful brothers, had begun long ago, but now the hostile disaster of that same evil has grown, and the venomous ruin of heretical perversity and schisms has begun to rise up and spring forth more and more. For so it had to be at the setting of the world, as the Holy Spirit forewarned and admonished us through the apostle: “In the last days troublesome times will come. People will be lovers of themselves, proud, puffed up, greedy, blasphemous, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, impious, without affection, without loyalty, accusers, without self-control, unkind, not loving what is good, traitors, reckless, swollen with stupor, loving pleasures more than God, holding a form of religion but denying its power. From these come those who creep into houses and prey on weak women loaded down with sins, led by various desires, always learning and never arriving at knowledge of the truth. And just as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so these also resist the truth, but they will not get very far. For their folly will be plain to everyone, as theirs also was” (2 Timothy 3:1-9).

Everything that was foretold is being fulfilled, and now that the end of the age is drawing near, the testing of people and times alike has come. As the adversary rages more and more, error deceives, stupor puffs up, envy burns, greed blinds, impiety corrupts, pride inflates, discord embitters, and anger hurls people down.

Latin

quam uero unitatem seruat, quam dilectionem custodit aut cogitat qui discordiae furore uesanus ecclesiam scindit, fidem destruit, pacem turbat, caritatem dissipat, sacramentum profanat P

Malum. hoc, fidelissimi fratres, iam pridem coeperat, sed nunc creuit eiusdem mali infesta clades et surgere ac pullulare plus coepit haereticae peruersitatis et schismatum uenenata pernicies, quia et sic in occasu mundi oportebat praenuntiante per apostolum nobis et praemonente Spiritu sancto: in nouissimis, inquit, diebus aderunt tempora molesta, erunt homines sibi placentes, superbi, tumidi, cupidi, blasphemi. parentibus in dicto non audientes, ingrati, impii, sine adfectu, sine foedere, delatores, incontinentes, inmites, bonum non amantes, proditores, procaces, stupore inflati, uoluptates magis quam Deum diligentes, habentes deformationem religionis, uirtutem autem eius abnegantes. ex his sunt qui repunt in domos et praedantur mulierculas oneratas peccatis quae ducuntur uariis desideriis, semper discentes et numquam ad scientiam ueritatis peruenientes. et quomodo Iannes et Mambres restiterunt Moysi, sic et hi resistunt ueritati, sed non proficient plurimum. imperitia enim eorum manifesta erit omnibus, sicut et illorum fuit. adimplentur quaecumque praedicta sunt et adpropinquante iam saeculi fine hominum pariter ac temporum probatione uenerunt. magis ac magis aduersario saeuiente error fallit, extollit stupor, liuor incendit, cupiditas excaecat, deprauat inpietas, superbia inflat, discordia exasperat, ira praecipitat.

About this text

Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, writes in 251 against the Novatian schism: the Church Christ founded is one and cannot be divided.

Cyprian of Carthage (c. 200–258) wrote this treatise as bishop of Carthage, addressing the faithful brethren and especially the bishops who preside in the Church. He composed it in 251 to warn Christians against schism and heresy, which he regarded as a subtler and more dangerous attack by the devil than open persecution, and to defend the unity of the Church against those who had broken away from it.

The immediate occasion was the schism of Novatian, which had been stirred up in part by Novatus and other presbyters of Cyprian's own church. Cyprian wrote to keep the Carthaginians from following the breakaway movement. He argues that the Church is one and indivisible, founded by Christ upon Peter as the single source of its unity, and that this unity is preserved through the one episcopate. Schismatics and heretics, even if they claim the name of Christian and suffer death, are cut off from the Church and cannot be saved.

A reader will meet Peter, the apostle upon whom Christ founded the Church, and Paul and John, whose letters and Gospel are quoted on unity, love, and those who went out from the Church. Old Testament figures such as Korah, Dathan, Abiram, Uzziah, Aaron, Ahijah, Rahab, Solomon, and Judas appear as examples of rebellion, division, or prefigurations of the Church. The Lord, Paul, John, the Holy Spirit, Ahijah the prophet, and Scripture all speak in the treatise.

New English from the Latin base text; no published English used as wording.

Printed text used

Translated from CSEL 3.1 (1868) (Latin)

This work has passed this project's source check. This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Latin on each section (or the Latin source witness link) for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.