On the Unity of the Catholic Church · §4 · Cyprian of Carthage

The Church's unity founded on Peter

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Cyprian is arguing that the Church's unity is easily proved from Christ's words to Peter and from Scripture, so no long argument is needed.

If anyone considers and examines these things, there is no need for a long treatment or arguments. The proof is easy for faith, by a summary of the truth. The Lord says to Peter: "I tell you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the underworld will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:18-19). He builds the Church upon one man. And although after his resurrection he grants equal power to all the apostles and says: "As the Father sent me, I also send you. Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone's sins, they are retained" (John 20:21-23), yet to make unity manifest, he arranged by his own authority that the origin of this same unity should begin from one. Certainly the other apostles were what Peter was, endowed with equal sharing both of honor and of power, but the beginning proceeds from unity, so that the Church of Christ may be shown to be one. The Holy Spirit also designates this one Church in the Song of Songs, speaking in the person of the Lord, and says: "One is my dove, my perfect one; one is she to her mother, chosen to her who bore her" (Song of Songs 6:9). Does someone who does not hold this unity of the Church believe that he holds the faith? Does someone who opposes and resists the Church trust that he is in the Church? For the blessed apostle Paul also teaches this same thing and shows the sacred sign of unity, saying: "One body and one Spirit, one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God" (Ephesians 4:4-6).

Latin

Quae si quis consideret et examinet, tractatu longo adque argumentis opus non est. probatio est ad fidem facilis conpendio ueritatis. loquitur Dominus ad Petrum: ego tibi dico, inquit, quia tu es Petrus et super istam petram aedificabo ecclesiam meam, et portae inferorum non uincent eam. dabo tibi claues regni caelorum: et quae ligaueris super terram erunt ligata et in caelis, et quaecumque solueris super terram erunt soluta et in caelis. super unum aedificat ecclesiam, et quamuis apostolis omnibus post resurrectionem suam parem potestatem tribuat et dicat: sicut u t misit me pater et ego mitto uos. accipite Spiritum sanctum: si cuius remiseritis peccata, remittentur illi: si cuius tenueritis, tenebuntur, tamen ut unitatem manifestaret, unitatis eiusdem originem ab uno incipientem. sua auctoritate disposuit. hoc erant utique et ceteri apostoli quod fuit Petrus, pari consortio praediti et honoris et potestatis, sed exordium ab unitate proficiscitur, ut ecclesia Christi una monstretur. quam unam ecclesiam etiam in cantico canticorum Spiritus sanctus ex persona Domini designat et dicit: una est columbamea, perfecta mea, una est matri suae, electa genetrici suae. hanc ecclesiae unitatem qui non tenet tenere se fidem credit? qui ecclesiae renititur et resistit in ecclesia se esse confidit? quando et beatus apostolus Paulus hoc idem doceat et sacramentum unitatis ostendat dicens: unum corpus et unus spiritus, una spes uocationis uestrae, unus Dominus, una fides, unum baptisma, unus Deus.

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.