Pope Cyprian?

[salvereginadude]

I attend a LCMS high school, currently in our religion class (which usually teaches correct and orthodox Christian truths) we’ve been having a unit in Church history. But there’s something I’ve been confused about. In learning about the Christian persecution under Emperor Decius, our religion teacher told us that Pope “Cyprian” would not let those Christians who had given in under pressure from the forces of the Emperor and renounced their Christianity back into the Church without performing penance and good works (he claimed this was the “beginning” of the “notion” of penance in the Roman Church, which would later lead to purgatory, indulgences, and other Church doctrines Protestants consider abusive). I’m sure the Pope at the time probably had good reasons for the lapsed to perform penance, but this isn’t the issure I’m having. I’m wondering if there ever was a Pope named “Cyprian.” I’ve never heard of a Pope named Cyprian. I’ve researched it online and I couldn’t find a single Pope with the name Cyprian. I know there was a *St. Cyprian *who worked closely with Pope Cornelius. Do you think my teacher could have gotten the names confused not knowing the proper history of the Catholic Church? One of the reasons Protestants don’t realize the truth and validity of the Church is because they will not properly look and analyze history and see that from its very beginnings the Church has always been Catholic.

 

[GregoryPalamas]

I believe your teacher probably just got the names confused. Cyprian is as much a hero to the East as he is to West. I’m surprised that your teacher has tried to leave with with a negative impression of him.

Rather sad, actually.

CDL

 

[Bishopite]

[salvereginadude;1935310]I attend a LCMS high school, currently in our religion class (which usually teaches correct and orthodox Christian truths) we’ve been having a unit in Church history. But there’s something I’ve been confused about. In learning about the Christian persecution under Emperor Decius, our religion teacher told us that Pope “Cyprian” would not let those Christians who had given in under pressure from the forces of the Emperor and renounced their Christianity back into the Church without performing penance and good works (he claimed this was the “beginning” of the “notion” of penance in the Roman Church, which would later lead to purgatory, indulgences, and other Church doctrines Protestants consider abusive).

Abusive? It sounds like your teacher has some serious dogmatic issues of the Church with which he/she doesn’t agree, that he/she is in a round-a-bout way defending Protestantism. Penance, indulgences and purgatory are all part the Church’s teaching on justification that we are infused with Christ’s righteousness, so that all those are linked together and ALL part of divine truth.
St. Cyprian didn’t make up penance, he carried on with the Apostolic Tradition handed down to him as a successor to Peter.

I’m sure the Pope at the time probably had good reasons for the lapsed to perform penance, but this isn’t the issure I’m having. I’m wondering if there ever was a Pope named “Cyprian.” I’ve never heard of a Pope named Cyprian. I’ve researched it online and I couldn’t find a single Pope with the name Cyprian. I know there was a *St. Cyprian *who worked closely with Pope Cornelius. Do you think my teacher could have gotten the names confused not knowing the proper history of the Catholic Church? One of the reasons Protestants don’t realize the truth and validity of the Church is because they will not properly look and analyze history and see that from its very beginnings the Church has always been Catholic.

It’s a good thing that you know your faith, otherwise you’d be really confused by this teacher. Again, I would suspect your teacher has problems with Catholic teaching. For your teacher to use the term “Pope Cyprian” instead of “Pope St. Cyrpian” may be on purpose in a sort of pejorative sense, but that is just my suspicion. Here is a good article on Pope St. Cyprian…
newadvent.org/cathen/04583b.htm

 

[GregoryPalamas]

Traditionally in the West “Pope” has been reserved for the bishop of Rome. Was Cyprian ever called “pope”? I know that there are other popes but was Cyprian one?

CDL

 

[Semper_Fi_1]

I attend a LCMS high school, currently in our religion class (which usually teaches correct and orthodox Christian truths) we’ve been having a unit in Church history. But there’s something I’ve been confused about. In learning about the Christian persecution under Emperor Decius, our religion teacher told us that Pope “Cyprian” would not let those Christians who had given in under pressure from the forces of the Emperor and renounced their Christianity back into the Church without performing penance and good works (he claimed this was the “beginning” of the “notion” of penance in the Roman Church, which would later lead to purgatory, indulgences, and other Church doctrines Protestants consider abusive). I’m sure the Pope at the time probably had good reasons for the lapsed to perform penance, but this isn’t the issure I’m having. I’m wondering if there ever was a Pope named “Cyprian.” I’ve never heard of a Pope named Cyprian. I’ve researched it online and I couldn’t find a single Pope with the name Cyprian. I know there was a *St. Cyprian *who worked closely with Pope Cornelius. Do you think my teacher could have gotten the names confused not knowing the proper history of the Catholic Church? One of the reasons Protestants don’t realize the truth and validity of the Church is because they will not properly look and analyze history and see that from its very beginnings the Church has always been Catholic.

There wasn’t a Pope Cyprian. There was however a great bishop whose name was Cyprian of Carthage. See my quote below.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyprian

 

[Semper_Fi_1]

Traditionally in the West “Pope” has been reserved for the bishop of Rome. Was Cyprian ever called “pope”? I know that there are other popes but was Cyprian one?

CDL

Actually, it was a modern development to reserve only the title of Pope to the Bishop of Rome (modern meaning hundreds of years after the title Pope came into common language to refer to leaders of the Church).

There’s even another leader of an Apostolic Church, the Oriental Orthodox Church, whose title is Pope of Alexandria to this day. Alexandria and Rome had always had close relations till the Council of Chalcedon when the Copts refused to accept the validity of this ecumenical council and broke off from the church.

http://gallery.phillyburbs.com/photos/123/9.aspx

Pope Shenouda and Pope John Paul the Great.

 

[Semper_Fi_1]

St. Cyprian didn’t make up penance, he carried on with the Apostolic Tradition handed down to him as a successor to Peter.

St. Cyprian wasn’t a Successor of Peter.

 

[GregoryPalamas]

Semper Fi,

Thanks for the picture. Yes, I knew of Pope Shenoudo and I was fairly certain that St. Cyprian was never called Pope. I think the teacher is probably worse than simply confused.

CDL

 

[rwoehmke]

Lutheran Church Missouri Synod was my father’s church.In the past they have not been at all kind in their teaching about the Cathlolic Church. From a historical perspective they really warped the past to justify their positions/docrines. I can’t speak for more recent times(the last couple of decades) but they really denigrated anything Catholic. As a matter of fact during the persecutions and shortly after, there were some Catholic Bishops/Priests who went so far as to say that apostates needed to be baptized all over again or some that apostates were forever outside the church. Apostates usually being those who out of fear and pressure renounced their faith or turned over their sacred writings to the secular authorities. When the heat was off some of them would want to come back to the Faith. Fortunately the more merciful won out. The Sacrament of penance has been in existence ever since Jesus gave the Apostles the authority to forgive sins. The actual way in which the Sacrament was ministered has evolved over the centuries. Confessing one’s sins only to God has never been a Catholic practice.

 

[Semper_Fi_1]

Semper Fi,

Thanks for the picture. Yes, I knew of Pope Shenoudo and I was fairly certain that St. Cyprian was never called Pope. I think the teacher is probably worse than simply confused.

CDL

I was just adding onto what you said… not trying to refute it.

God bless!

 

[GregoryPalamas]

I understand and thanks again for the picture. Pope Shenouda has quite dramatic robes.

CDL

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

I attend a LCMS high school, currently in our religion class (which usually teaches correct and orthodox Christian truths) we’ve been having a unit in Church history. But there’s something I’ve been confused about. In learning about the Christian persecution under Emperor Decius, our religion teacher told us that Pope “Cyprian” would not let those Christians who had given in under pressure from the forces of the Emperor and renounced their Christianity back into the Church without performing penance and good works (he claimed this was the “beginning” of the “notion” of penance in the Roman Church, which would later lead to purgatory, indulgences, and other Church doctrines Protestants consider abusive). I’m sure the Pope at the time probably had good reasons for the lapsed to perform penance, but this isn’t the issure I’m having. I’m wondering if there ever was a Pope named “Cyprian.” I’ve never heard of a Pope named Cyprian. I’ve researched it online and I couldn’t find a single Pope with the name Cyprian. I know there was a *St. Cyprian *who worked closely with Pope Cornelius. Do you think my teacher could have gotten the names confused not knowing the proper history of the Catholic Church? One of the reasons Protestants don’t realize the truth and validity of the Church is because they will not properly look and analyze history and see that from its very beginnings the Church has always been Catholic.

Your teacher is perfectly correct.​

St.Cyprian of Carthage was bishop of Carthage, not bishop of Rome. “Papa” was a title common to bishops in the West until it was reserved to the Bishop of Rome in (IIRC) the 11th century. At the time in question - the 250s - it was common to the Roman bishop & to others.

And no, there was no Roman bishop called Cyprian. ##

 

[GregoryPalamas]

Your teacher is perfectly correct.​

St.Cyprian of Carthage was bishop of Carthage, not bishop of Rome. “Papa” was a title common to bishops in the West until it was reserved to the Bishop of Rome in (IIRC) the 11th century. At the time in question - the 250s - it was common to the Roman bishop & to others.

And no, there was no Roman bishop called Cyprian. ##

Papa is a a term of endearment. I wonder if the teacher was using it in that way. I did not realize that it was commonly used for most bishops. Thanks for the tip. Do you have a source?

CDL