On the Lapsed 28
Summary: Those who only considered sacrificing do well to confess it to the clergy; those with certificates sinned less than those who sacrificed, but are not innocent and must still do penance.
Latin text · CSEL 3.1:257–258
Denique quanto et fide maiore et timore meliore sunt qui quamuis nullo sacrificii aut libelli facinore constricti, quoniam tamen de hoc uel cogitauerunt, hoc ipsum aput sacerdotes Dei dolenter et simpliciter confitentes exomologesim conscientiae faciant, animi sui pondus exponant, salutarem medellam paruis licet et modicis uulneribus exquirant scientes scriptum esse: Deus non deridetur. derideri et circumueniri Deus non potest nec astutia aliqua fallente deludi. plus immo delinquit qui secundum hominem Deum cogitans euadere se poenam criminis credit, si non palam crimen admisit. Christus in praeceptis suis dicit: qui confusus me fuerit, confundet eum filius hominis: et Christianum se putat qui Christianus esse aut confunditur aut ueretur? quomodo potest esse cum Christo qui ad Christum pertinere aut erubescit aut metuit? minus plane peccauerit non uidendo idola nec sub oculis circumstantis adque insultantis populi sanctitatem fidei profanando, non polluendo manus suas funestis sacrificiis nec sceleratis cibis ora maculando. hoc eo proficit ut sit minor culpa, non ut innocens conscientia. facilius potest ad ueniam criminis peruenire, non est tamen inmunis a crimine: nec cesset in agenda paenitentia adque in Domini misericordia deprecanda, ne quod minus esse in qualitate delicti uidetur in neglecta satisfactione cumuletur.
English · Claude translation
In short, how much greater in faith and better in fear are those who, though bound by no crime of sacrifice or certificate, yet, because they merely thought of it, confess this very thing to the priests of God sorrowfully and simply, make the confession of their conscience, lay open the burden of their mind, and seek a saving remedy even for slight and modest wounds, knowing that it is written, “God is not mocked.” God cannot be mocked and circumvented, nor deluded by any deceiving cunning. Indeed, he sins more who, thinking of God as of a man, believes that he escapes the penalty of his crime if he has not committed the crime openly. Christ says in his precepts, “Whoever is ashamed of me, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him”; and does he think himself a Christian who is either ashamed or afraid to be a Christian? How can he be with Christ who either blushes or fears to belong to Christ? He will have sinned less, certainly, by not looking on the idols, by not profaning the holiness of the faith under the eyes of a people standing round and insulting, by not polluting his hands with deadly sacrifices nor staining his mouth with wicked foods. This serves to make the guilt less, not the conscience innocent. He can more easily attain to pardon for his crime, yet he is not immune from crime. Let him not cease from doing penance and entreating the Lord's mercy, lest what seems less in the quality of the sin be heaped up by neglect of satisfaction.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- “Confession” renders exomologesis. The quotations are Gal 6:7 and a paraphrase of Mark 8:38 (Luke 9:26). The digital text's “Dens” is corrected to “Deus”.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR slip (n for u)): Dens non deridetur → Deus non deridetur.
Cite this passage
Cyprian, Laps. 28 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/cyprian-lapsis/28/).
Plain text
Cyprian, Laps. 28 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/cyprian-lapsis/28/).
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