Sophia Scriptura

On the Unity of the Catholic Church 13

Cyprian of Carthage · On the Unity of the Catholic Church · 251 · Carthage · Read in context

Summary: God accepts neither prayer nor sacrifice from those at odds with their brothers, so schismatics cannot expect Christ's presence.

Latin text · CSEL 3.1:221–222

Ideo et cum orandi legem daret, addidit dicens: et cum steteritis ad orationem, remittite si quid habetis aduersus aliquem, ut et pater uester qui in caelis est remittat peccata uobis. et ad sacrificium cum dissensione uenientem reuocat ab altari et iubet prius concordare cum fratre, tunc cum pace redeuntem Deo munus offerre, quia nec ad Cain munera respexit Deus: neque enim habere pacatum Deum poterat qui cum fratre pacem per zeli discordiam non habebat. quam sibi igitur pacem promittunt inimici fratrum? quae sacrificia celebrare se credunt aemuli sacerdotum? secum esse Christum, cum collecti fuerint, opinantur qui extra Christi ecclesiam colliguntur?

English · Claude translation

Therefore, when he was giving the law of prayer, he added, saying: "And when you stand to pray, forgive if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven may also forgive you your sins." And one who comes to the sacrifice with dissension he calls back from the altar and bids him first be reconciled with his brother, and then, returning with peace, offer his gift to God; because God did not regard Cain's gifts either: for he could not have God at peace with him who, through the discord of jealousy, did not have peace with his brother. What peace, then, do the enemies of the brothers promise themselves? What sacrifices do the rivals of the priests believe they celebrate? Do they think Christ is with them when they are gathered, who are gathered outside the church of Christ?

About this passage

Source
CSEL 3.1:221–222 · Wilhelm von Hartel, ed., S. Thasci Caecili Cypriani Opera omnia, Pars 1, CSEL 3.1 (Vienna: Gerold, 1868), 209–233 · Latin text: W. von Hartel (CSEL 3.1, 1868), digitized by Open Greek and Latin, University of Leipzig (csel-dev), CC BY-SA 4.0
Text
As printed in CSEL 3.1. Manuscript variants and the editor's apparatus are not reproduced; no textual problem is noted in this passage.
Translation
Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 · Translated by Claude from the Latin text of CSEL 3.1; made independently of existing English translations.
Compare
Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 5 (1886) (an older public-domain English translation, whole volume at CCEL; checked against ours only after ours was made)
Scripture
Topics
Heresy, Prayer, Eucharist, Church office

Notes

Translation notes

  • The quotation is Mark 11:25; the altar is Matt 5:23–24; Cain is Gen 4:5. "Priests" (sacerdotes) here means the bishops.

Cite this passage

Cyprian, Unit. eccl. 13 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/cyprian-unitate/13/).

Plain text
Cyprian, Unit. eccl. 13 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/cyprian-unitate/13/).

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