On the Lapsed 36
Summary: God can forgive the truly penitent and even restore them to fight again and win the martyr's crown.
Latin text · CSEL 3.1:263–265
Si precem toto corde quis faciat, si ueris paenitentiae lamentis et lacrimis ingemescat, si ad ueniam delicti sui Dominum iustis et continuis operibus inflectat, misereri talium potest qui et misericordiam suam protulit dicens: cum conuersus fueris et gemueris, tunc saluaberis et scies ubi fueris, et iterum: nolo mortem morientis, dicit Dominus, quantum ut reuertatur et uiuat. et Iohel propheta pietatem Domini Domino ipso monente declarat, reuertimini, inquit, ad Dominum Deum uestrum, quoniam misericors et pius est et patiens et multae miserationis et qui sententiam flectat aduersus malitiam inrogatam. potest ille indulgentiam dare, sententiam suam potest ille deflectere. paenitenti, operanti, roganti potest clementer ignoscere, potest in acceptum referre quidquid pro talibus et petierint martyres et fecerint sacerdotes. uel si quis eum plus suis satisfactionibus mouerit, si eius iram, si indignationis offensam iusta deprecatione placauerit, dat ille et arma rursum quibus uictus armetur, reparat et conroborat uires quibus fides instaurata uegetetur. repetet certamen suum miles, iterabit aciem, prouocabit hostem et quidem factus ad proelium fortior per dolorem. qui sic Deo satisfecerit, qui paenitentia facti sui, qui pudore delicti plus et uirtutis et fidei de ipso lapsus sui dolore conceperit, exauditus et adiutus a Domino, quam contristauerat nuper laetam faciet ecclesiam nec solam iam Dei ueniam merebitur sed coronam.
English · Claude translation
If one prays with his whole heart, if he groans with the laments and tears of true penance, if he bends the Lord to pardon of his sin by just and continual works, he who has shown his mercy can have mercy on such, saying, “When you have turned and groaned, then you will be saved and will know where you have been”; and again, “I do not desire the death of the dying, says the Lord, so much as that he return and live.” And the prophet Joel declares the Lord's tenderness at the Lord's own prompting: “Return,” he says, “to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and kind and patient and of great mercy, and one who turns aside his sentence against the evil inflicted.” He can grant indulgence; he can turn aside his sentence. To one who repents, works, and asks he can mercifully pardon; he can credit to his account whatever the martyrs have asked and the priests have done on behalf of such. Or if anyone has moved him more by his own satisfactions, if he has appeased his anger and the offense of his indignation by just entreaty, he gives again arms with which the conquered may be armed; he restores and strengthens the powers by which renewed faith may be invigorated. The soldier will resume his contest, he will repeat the battle, he will challenge the enemy, made indeed stronger for the fight through his grief. He who has made satisfaction to God in this way, who by penance for his deed, by shame for his sin, has conceived more virtue and faith from the very grief of his fall, heard and helped by the Lord, will make glad the church which he had lately saddened, and will deserve not only God's pardon but a crown.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Isa 30:15 (in an Old Latin form following the LXX), Ezek 18:32 with 33:11, and Joel 2:13. The digital text's “neris” is read as “ueris”.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR slip; stray punctuation in the digital text): neris paenitentiae → ueris paenitentiae; et qui. sententiam → et qui sententiam.
Cite this passage
Cyprian, Laps. 36 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/cyprian-lapsis/36/).
Plain text
Cyprian, Laps. 36 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/cyprian-lapsis/36/).
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