Edwina Murphy

Australian College of Theology

This study examines how Cyprian of Carthage, the most significant bishop in the early Latin tradition, appropriates the canonical Paul. Cyprian, like Paul, is a pastoral theologian, so his pastoral concerns provide a helpful lens through which to study his use of the apostle. Examining Cyprian’s use of Paul in these areas allows us to move beyond a...

In German-speaking countries, the role of the diaconate has been strongly influenced by nineteenth-century ideas of diakonia as service towards the poor. As important as the social initiatives stemming from this perspective have been, in order to correctly understand deacons and diakonia in the early church, we must go back to the sources. For this...

The ways in which Cyprian appropriates Scripture to address the challenges facing his flock give us an insight into how theology, text, and context are interwoven in his biblical interpretation. As a contribution to studies in the reception of Paul and early North African exegesis, I examine all the quotations of and allusions to the canonical Paul...

"See, you have been made whole; sin no more lest anything worse befall you." (John 5, 14b) Cyprian quotes or alludes to these words of Jesus six times, focusing not so much on the healing itself (mentioned only once, separately from the maxim), but rather on the need to preserve such healing. Examining Cyprian's references to this passage highlight...

The question of who compiled Ad Quirinum remains unresolved. The previous consensus that it was indeed Cyprian, based largely on Koch’s work, was challenged by Bobertz over twenty years ago. Since then, the issue has received little attention. Here I refute Bobertz’s main arguments for believing that the collection existed prior to Cyprian’s conver...

Cyprian’s praise of virginity in De habitu uirginum is adopted by Ambrose and Jerome to support their own high estimation of its value. But Cyprian’s views are more nuanced than those fathers, or even more recent interpreters, suggest. He does not actively encourage the adoption of virginity, but instead writes to discipline those who have already...

By the middle of the third century, the leadership of the church in Roman North Africa had become more structured, as was the case elsewhere in the empire. Scholarship in this area has focused on the role of bishops in Cyprian’s thought, particularly the status of the bishop of Rome. But what of the other clerical orders? Here I examine the writing...

David Wilhite, one of my colleagues in the study of early North African Christianity, has this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his email footer: “I'm now reading Tertullian, Cyprian and others of the church fathers with great interest. In some ways they are more relevant to our time than the Reformers.” Now we’re not quite facing Nazi Germany, as...

A martyr's suffering and death is glorious, says Cyprian of Carthage. No surprises there. But what about the ageing, suffering and death common to humanity? Old age is naturally associated with physical decline in people, just as the ageing world is diminishing in vigour. Elders must be respected, however, and signs of age should be valued, not era...

If imitating Christ in his humility leads to peace and unity, imitating the devil in his jealousy leads to conflict and self-destruction. So warns Cyprian of Carthage in De zelo et livore, where he identifies the devil as the originator of envy, precipitating humanity’s downfall as well as his own. Cyprian further illustrates these fatal effects by...

Care for the poor was a major concern of Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, in the mid-third century. Luke’s gospel, with its emphasis on wealth and possessions, was an important source of his pastoral exhortations on the topic. This article considers the reading strategies Cyprian employs to appropriate Luke—model, image and direct application—and the t...

Ad Quirinum has long been studied for what it reveals about the Latin text of the Scriptures in the third century. It has also attracted interest for its contribution to the testimonia tradition and for its value as a catechetical document. Less attention, however, has been given to what it can teach us about Cyprian’s appropriation of Scripture. I...

Cyprian’s appropriation of Scripture and his theological emphases are closely connected with the circumstances of his congregation. As a case study in Cyprian’s biblical interpretation, this article considers all his quotations of and allusions to Philippians through the lens of his pastoral concerns: the unity of the Church; care for the poor and...

As Bishop of Carthage in the mid-third century, Cyprian was responsible for uniting his flock and keeping them on the path to salvation in the midst of persecution, schism and plague. Cyprian turned to the scriptures to answer the questions raised by these crises, and the way in which he applied them to his own situation reveals the interplay of th...