Ante-Nicene Fathers • VOLUME 5
Hippolytus, Cyprian, Caius & Novatian
SECTION 281
5. And that we may more fully understand, beloved brethren, that patience is a thing of God, and that whoever is gentle, and patient, and me
5. And that we may more fully understand, beloved brethren, that patience is a thing of God, and that whoever is gentle, and patient, and meek, is an imitator of God the Father; when the Lord in His Gospel was giving precepts for salvation, and, bringing forth divine warnings, was instructing His disciples to perfection, He laid…
2,552 wordsSECTION 28214. But patience, beloved brethren, not only keeps watch over what is good, but it also repels what is evil. In harmony with the Holy Spirit
14. But patience, beloved brethren, not only keeps watch over what is good, but it also repels what is evil. In harmony with the Holy Spirit, and associated with what is heavenly and divine, it struggles with the defence of its strength against the deeds of the flesh and the body, wherewith the soul is assaulted and taken. Let u…
2,352 wordsSECTION 28323. But who is this that says that he has held his peace before, and will not hold his peace for ever? Surely it is He who was led as a shee
23. But who is this that says that he has held his peace before, and will not hold his peace for ever? Surely it is He who was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and as a lamb before its shearer is without voice, so He opened not His mouth. Surely it is He who did not cry, nor was His voice heard in the streets. Surely He who was …
2,460 wordsSECTION 2846. Considering which things, beloved brethren, let us with vigilance and courage fortify our hearts dedicated to God against such a destruct
6. Considering which things, beloved brethren, let us with vigilance and courage fortify our hearts dedicated to God against such a destructiveness of evil. Let the death of others avail for our safety; let the punishment of the unwise confer health upon the prudent. Moreover, there is no ground for any one to suppose that evil …
2,337 wordsSECTION 28515. For this is to change what you had been, and to begin to be what you were not, that the divine birth might shine forth in you, that the
15. For this is to change what you had been, and to begin to be what you were not, that the divine birth might shine forth in you, that the godly discipline might respond to God, the Father, that in the honour and praise of living, God may be glorified in man; as He Himself exhorts, and warns, and promises to those who glorify H…
1,636 wordsSECTION 286Preface.
Preface. 1. You have desired, beloved Fortunatus [3694] that, since the burden of persecutions and afflictions is lying heavy upon us, and in the ending and completion of the world the hateful time of Antichrist is already beginning to draw near, [3695] I would collect from the sacred Scriptures some exhortations for preparing …
2,212 wordsSECTION 287[3708] Deut. vi. 13; x. 20.
[3708] Deut. vi. 13; x. 20. [3709] Ex. xx. 3. [3710] Deut. xxxii. 39. [3711] Rev. xiv. 6, 7. [3712] Mark xii. 29-31. [3713] Matt. xxii. 37-40. [3714] John xvii. 3. 3. What is God's threatening against those who sacrifice to idols? In Exodus: "He that sacrificeth unto any gods but the Lord only, shall be rooted out." [371…
2,452 wordsSECTION 288[3745] 2 Chron. xv. 2.
[3745] 2 Chron. xv. 2. [3746] Ezek. xxxiii. 12. [3747] Matt. x. 22. [3748] John viii. 31, 32. [3749] Luke xii. 35-37. [3750] Oxford edition: "For every one that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things." [3751] 1 Cor. ix. 24, 25. [3752] 2 Tim. ii. 4, 5. [3753] Rom. xii. 1, 2. [3754] Rom. viii. 16, 17. [3755]…
2,667 wordsSECTION 289But what utterances of confessions did they herald forth! how illustrious, how great proofs of faith did they afford! The king Antiochus, th
But what utterances of confessions did they herald forth! how illustrious, how great proofs of faith did they afford! The king Antiochus, their enemy--yea, in Antiochus Antichrist was set forth--sought to pollute the mouths of martyrs, glorious and unconquered in the spirit of confession, with the contagion of swine's flesh; and…
2,640 wordsSECTION 290[3799] In many editions this clause is wanting.
[3799] In many editions this clause is wanting. [3800] Wisd. iii. 4-8. [3801] Ps. cxvi. 15. [3802] Ps. cxxvi. 5, 6. [3803] Ps. cxix. 1, 2. [3804] Matt. v. 10. [3805] Luke vi. 22, 23. [3806] Luke ix. 24. [3807] Luke xviii. 29, 30. [3808] Rev. xx. 4, 5. 13. That we receive more as the reward of our suffering than what we…
2,225 wordsSECTION 291[3824] Jer. vii. 25; xxv. 4.
[3824] Jer. vii. 25; xxv. 4. [3825] The words "and again" are sometimes omitted; and sometimes read "Moreover, in the same place." [3826] Jer. xxv. 6, 7. [3827] 1 Kings xix. 10. [3828] Neh. ix. 26. 3. That it was previously foretold that they would neither know the Lord, nor understand, nor receive Him. In Isaiah: "Hear, O…
2,297 wordsSECTION 292[3868] Isa. xliii. 18-21.
[3868] Isa. xliii. 18-21. [3869] Isa. xlviii. 21. [3870] Matt. iii. 11. [3871] John iii. 5, 6. 13. That the old yoke should be made void, and a new yoke should be given. In the second Psalm: "For what purpose have the heathen raged, and the people imagined vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers have ga…
2,785 wordsSECTION 293[3894] Gen. xi. 1-3.
[3894] Gen. xi. 1-3. [3895] The quotation in the Oxford edition begins from this point. [3896] Gen. xxvii. 27-29. [3897] Gen. xlviii. 17-19. The whole of this quotation is wanting in more than one codex. [3898] "Frutice." The Oxford translator has here, without any authority as it appears, from the text, adopted the reading …
2,375 wordsSECTION 294[3940] Ps. xlv. 1. [dvr mvv, Hebrew. logon, Sept. Verbum, Vulg. Matter, Eng. and Angl. Psalter.]
[3940] Ps. xlv. 1. [dvr mvv, Hebrew. logon, Sept. Verbum, Vulg. Matter, Eng. and Angl. Psalter.] [3941] Ps. xxxiii. 6. [3942] Isa. x. 23. [3943] Ps. cvii. 20. [3944] John i. 1-5. [3945] Rev. xix. 11-13. 4. That Christ is the Hand and Arm of God. [3946] In Isaiah: "Is God's Hand not strong to save? or has He made His ear h…
2,471 wordsSECTION 295[3984] Isa. xxxv. 3-6.
[3984] Isa. xxxv. 3-6. [3985] Isa. lxiii. 9. [3986] Isa. xlii. 6-8. [3987] Ps. xxv. 4, 5. [3988] John viii. 12. [3989] Matt. i. 20, 21. [3990] Luke i. 67-69. [3991] Luke ii. 10, 11. 8. That although from the beginning He had been the Son of God, yet He had to be begotten again according to the flesh. In the second Psalm…
2,202 wordsSECTION 296[4018] Ps. xxii. 6-8.
[4018] Ps. xxii. 6-8. [4019] Ps. xxii. 15. [4020] "Poderem," "a long priestly robe reaching to the heels" (Migne's Lexicon). The Oxford translation gives the meaning "an alb," which also is given in Migne. [4021] Cidarim, the head-dress for the Jewish high priest. [4022] Zech. iii. 1, 3, 5. [4023] "In nomine;" Oxford transl…
2,215 wordsSECTION 297[4049] Isa. ii. 2-4.
[4049] Isa. ii. 2-4. [4050] "Misericordiam." [4051] Ps. xxiv. 3-6. 19. That Christ is the Bridegroom, having the Church as His bride, from which spiritual children were to be born. In Joel: "Blow with the trumpet in Sion; sanctify a fast, and call a healing; assemble the people, sanctify the Church, gather the elders, collec…
2,293 wordsSECTION 298[4093] Hos. vi. 2.
[4093] Hos. vi. 2. [4094] Ex. xix. 10, 11. [4095] Matt. xii. 39, 40. 26. That after He had risen again He should receive from His Father all power, and His power should be everlasting. In Daniel: "I saw in a vision by night, and behold as it were the Son of man, coming in the clouds of heaven, came even to the Ancient of day…
2,695 wordsSECTION 299[4134] Ps. lxxii. 1, 2.
[4134] Ps. lxxii. 1, 2. [4135] The words "which He shall feed," or" shepherd," are wanting in the Apocalypse; and they are not found in many authorities. [4136] Rev. xix. 11-16. [4137] [Said to be in the old Itala, as in some Greek mss. So Irenæus, vol. i. p. 524.] [4138] Matt. xxv. 31-46. Third Book. Cyprian to his son Qu…
1,894 wordsSECTION 300In Isaiah: "Cry aloud," saith He, "and spare not; lift up thy voice like a trumpet; tell my people their sins, and the house of Jacob their
In Isaiah: "Cry aloud," saith He, "and spare not; lift up thy voice like a trumpet; tell my people their sins, and the house of Jacob their wickednesses. They seek me from day to day, and desire to know my ways, as a people which did righteousness, and did not forsake the judgment of God. They ask of me now a righteous judgment,…
2,202 wordsSECTION 301[4178] 2 Cor. ix. 9.
[4178] 2 Cor. ix. 9. [4179] 2 Cor. ix. 10, 11. [4180] 2 Cor. ix. 12. [4181] 1 John iii. 17. [4182] Luke xiv. 12-14. 2. In works and alms, even if by smallness of power less be done, that the will itself is sufficient. In the second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians: "If there be a ready will, it is acceptable according to…
2,201 wordsSECTION 302In Jeremiah: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the strong man glory in his strength, nor let the rich man glory in his
In Jeremiah: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the strong man glory in his strength, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understands and knows that I am the Lord, who do mercy, and judgment, and righteousness upon the earth, because in them is my pleasur…
2,340 wordsSECTION 303[4275] Job ii. 9, 10.
[4275] Job ii. 9, 10. [4276] Job i. 8. [4277] Ps. xxxiv. 1. [4278] Num. xvii. 10. [4279] Acts xvi. 25. [4280] Reputationibus; possibly "complainings." [4281] Phil. ii. 14, 15. 15. That men are tried by God for this purpose, that they may be proved. In Genesis: "And God, tempted Abraham, and said to him, Take thy only son…
2,196 wordsSECTION 304In the cxth Psalm: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." [4321] Of the same thing in the Wisdom of Solomon: "The beginning of w
In the cxth Psalm: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." [4321] Of the same thing in the Wisdom of Solomon: "The beginning of wisdom is to fear God." [4322] Also in the Proverbs of the same: "Blessed is the man who reverences all things with fear." [4323] Of the same thing in Isaiah: "And upon whom else will I look,…
2,301 wordsSECTION 305[4351] Rom. xii. 17.
[4351] Rom. xii. 17. [4352] Rom. xii. 21. [4353] Rev. xxii. 10-12. 24. That it is impossible to attain to the Father but by His Son Jesus Christ. In the Gospel according to John: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." [4354] Also in the same place: "I am the door: by me if any man …
2,418 wordsSECTION 306[4393] Jer. x. 2.
[4393] Jer. x. 2. [4394] Rev. xviii. 4-9. The Oxford text reads "deliciis" instead of "delictis,"--making the last clause, "and have walked in delicacies." [4395] Isa. lii. 11. 35. That God is patient for this end, that we may repent of our sin, and be reformed. In Solomon, in Ecclesiasticus: "Say not, I have sinned, and wha…
2,266 wordsSECTION 307[4437] [Hab. i. 16; Ps. cxxxi. 1.]
[4437] [Hab. i. 16; Ps. cxxxi. 1.] [4438] Ecclus. x. 26. [4439] Luke xvii. 7-10. 52. That the liberty of believing or of not believing is placed in free choice. In Deuteronomy: "Lo, I have set before thy face life and death, good and evil. Choose for thyself life, that thou mayest live." [4440] Also in Isaiah: "And if ye be …
2,882 wordsSECTION 308[4482] Wisd. xv. 15-17.
[4482] Wisd. xv. 15-17. [4483] Wisd. xiii. 1-4. [4484] Ps. cxxxv. 16-18. [4485] Ps. xcvi. 5. [4486] Ex. xx. 23. [4487] Ex. xx. 4. This section closes here, according to the Oxford text. The Leipzic edition continues as in the above reading. [4488] Jer. x. 2-5, 9, 11; ii. 12, 13, 19, 20, 27. [4489] Isa. xlvi. 1, 2, 5. [44…
2,202 wordsSECTION 309The apostle in his first Epistle to Timothy: "But if any take not care of his own, and especially of those of his own household, he denies t
The apostle in his first Epistle to Timothy: "But if any take not care of his own, and especially of those of his own household, he denies the faith, and is worse than an infidel." [4535] Of this same thing in Isaiah: "If thou shalt see the naked, clothe him; and despise not those who are of the household of thine own seed." [45…
2,284 wordsSECTION 310[4595] Ex. xix. 18.
[4595] Ex. xix. 18. [4596] Acts ii. 2-4. [4597] Ex. iii. 2. 102. That all good men ought willingly to hear rebuke. In Solomon, in the Proverbs: "He who reproveth a wicked man shall be hated by him. Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you." [4598] [4598] Prov. ix. 8. 103. That we must abstain from much speaking. In Solomon…
2,223 wordsSECTION 311Qui Ecclesiæ resistitur et resistit,^(g) in ecclesia se esse confidit?
Qui Ecclesiæ resistitur et resistit,^(g) in ecclesia se esse confidit? Interpolated. ^(a) Et iterum eidem, post ressurectionem suam dicit, Pasce oves meas. ^(b) Super illum unum...et illi pascendas mandat oves suas. ^(c) Et primatus Petro datur. ^(d) Una. ^(e) Et cathedra. ^(f) Et pastores sunt omnes et grex unus ostendit…
2,313 wordsSECTION 312If I have forborne in these notes to refer frequently to the Treatise of Bishop Sage, who often elucidates our author in a very learned mann
If I have forborne in these notes to refer frequently to the Treatise of Bishop Sage, who often elucidates our author in a very learned manner, it is because he is almost wholly a controvertist, and therefore not to my purpose in this work. For his Cyprian, [4660] however, I entertain a sincere respect; and, as it might seem oth…
2,428 wordsSECTION 313Primus of Misgirpa [4682] said: I decide, that every man who comes to us from heresy must be baptized. For in vain does he think that he has
Primus of Misgirpa [4682] said: I decide, that every man who comes to us from heresy must be baptized. For in vain does he think that he has been baptized there, seeing that there is no baptism save the one and true baptism in the Church; because not only is God one, but the faith is one, and the Church is one, wherein stands th…
2,247 wordsSECTION 314Castus of Sicca [4728] said: He who with contempt of the truth presumes to follow custom, is either envious and malignant in respect of his
Castus of Sicca [4728] said: He who with contempt of the truth presumes to follow custom, is either envious and malignant in respect of his brethren to whom the truth is revealed, or is ungrateful in respect of God, by whose inspiration His Church is instructed. Euchratius of Thenæ [4729] said: God and our Lord Jesus Christ, te…
2,254 wordsSECTION 315Also another Felix of Gurgites [4795] said: I judge that, according to the precepts of the holy Scriptures, he who is unlawfully baptized by
Also another Felix of Gurgites [4795] said: I judge that, according to the precepts of the holy Scriptures, he who is unlawfully baptized by heretics outside the Church, when he wishes to take refuge in the Church, should obtain the grace of baptism where it is lawfully given. Pusillus of Lamasba [4796] said: I believe that the…
2,238 wordsSECTION 316[4814] See p. 522, sec. 16, supra. All this interprets the Petra, not "Petrus."
[4814] See p. 522, sec. 16, supra. All this interprets the Petra, not "Petrus." cyprian questionable_treatises anf05 cyprian-questionable_treatises Treatises Attributed to Cyprian on Questionable Authority /ccel/schaff/anf05.iv.vii.html Treatises Attributed to Cyprian on Questionable Authority Translator's Introduction to T…
2,346 wordsSECTION 3176. But now to pass from this to the shameless corruption of the stage. I am ashamed to tell what things are said; I am even ashamed to denou
6. But now to pass from this to the shameless corruption of the stage. I am ashamed to tell what things are said; I am even ashamed to denounce the things that are done--the tricks of arguments, the cheatings of adulterers, the immodesties of women, the scurrile jokes, the sordid parasites, even the toga'd fathers of families th…
2,395 wordsSECTION 3182. For there is indeed, unless I am mistaken, even in the very power of conscience, a marvellous fear which at once disturbs and inflames us
2. For there is indeed, unless I am mistaken, even in the very power of conscience, a marvellous fear which at once disturbs and inflames us; whose power, the more closely you look into, the more the dreadful sense of its obligation is gathered from its very aspect of venerable majesty. For assuredly you ought to consider what g…
2,457 wordsSECTION 31913. And now, beloved brethren, I shall come to that point whence I shall very easily be able to show you how highly the virtue of martyrdom
13. And now, beloved brethren, I shall come to that point whence I shall very easily be able to show you how highly the virtue of martyrdom is esteemed, which, although it is well known to all, and is to be desired on account of the insignia of its inborn glory, yet in the desire of its enjoyment has received more enhancement fr…
2,341 wordsSECTION 32020. A horrible place, of which the name is Gehenna, with an awful murmuring and groaning of souls bewailing, and with flames belching forth
20. A horrible place, of which the name is Gehenna, with an awful murmuring and groaning of souls bewailing, and with flames belching forth through the horrid darkness of thick night, is always breathing out the raging fires of a smoking furnace, while the confined mass of flames is restrained or relaxed for the various purposes…
2,485 wordsSource & rights
Historical text source: Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The downloaded text itself records Public Domain.