Note by the Edinburgh
Translator.
————————————
Letters of Cyprian to
Quintus
, to
Jubaianus
, to
Pompey
, on “the baptism of
heretics;” and to
Magnus
on “baptizing the
Novatians, and those who obtain grace on a sick-bed,” may be
found translated in Ep. lxx. (p. 377,
supra
), Ep. lxxii. (p.
379,
supra
), Ep. lxxiii. (p. 386,
supra
), and Ep. lxxv.
(p. 397,
supra
), respectively; and the Letter of
Firmilian
to Cyprian against the
Letter of Stephen
, at p.
390,
supra
, Ep. lxxiv. All these letters are repeated,
in extenso
, in the
Monumenta Veterum
.
Eusebius says, by way of introduction to the
fragment of a letter written to Stephen by Dionysius of Alexandria, as
follows: “Dionysius indited to Stephen the first of those
letters which were written on the subject of baptism, when no small
controversy had arisen whether they who are converted from any kind of
heresy ought to be purged by baptism (because an ancient custom had
prevailed, that in receiving such there should only be hands laid upon
them, with prayers). Cyprian, who then ruled the Church of
Carthage, was the first who judged that they must not be admitted to
communion unless they were first purified from error by baptism.
But Stephen, thinking that nothing should be innovated contrary to the
tradition which had already obtained in that matter from the beginning,
was indignant at this. And as Dionysius had already written many
letters to him on this argument, he intimates to him finally, that all
the churches everywhere, now that the fury of persecution was abated,
detesting the turbulent novelty of Novatian,
5489
had established peace with one
another.”
5490
5489
Eusebius calls him Novatus.
5490
See
H. E
., book viii. chaps. ii., iii, and iv.; and vol.
vi., this series.