Letter 29: The presbyters and deacons in Rome to Father Cyprian, greetings.

The presbyters and deacons in Rome to Father Cyprian, greetings. When we read your letter, beloved brother, we were struck by a double sorrow: first, that you have been given no rest amid the crushing demands of the persecution; and second, that the reckless insolence of the lapsed has reached such a dangerous pitch. But though these things weigh heavily on us, your firmness and the severity with which you have upheld proper discipline lighten the burden considerably. You are right to restrain the wickedness of some and to show, through your call to repentance, the true path to salvation. That they would rush to such an extreme does astonish us — demanding peace at so unseasonable and bitter a time, burdened as they are with so great a sin. They do not so much ask for peace as claim it for themselves. Indeed, they say they already have it in heaven. If they have it, why are they asking? But if the very fact that they are asking proves they do not have it, then why won't they accept the judgment of the very people from whom they are requesting it? If they believe they have received the privilege of communion from some other source, let them test it against the Gospel — and let it stand only if it is not at odds with Gospel truth. For no privilege of communion can hold that is established in contradiction to the will of the one with whom it seeks communion. We fully support your position. The lapsed must not try to extort by pressure what should be earned through patience and repentance. A church that yields to intimidation rather than principle ceases to govern and begins merely to submit. Let the lapsed weep, plead, and knock — but let them do so knowing that the door opens on the church's terms, not theirs. As for the certificates of peace distributed by confessors: these carry the weight of personal goodwill and grace, but they cannot substitute for the bishop's judgment. The confessors themselves refer the lapsed to the bishops — which proves they recognize where the actual authority lies. The seditious demands coming from Felicissimus's faction are nothing but the politics of disruption, and should be treated accordingly. We bid you, brother, ever farewell.

Epistle 29