The History of African Christianity (4)

Who was Cyprian?

Saint Cyprian, even though his name is not popular in this day and has become a foreigner to many professing Christians, he was not an unknown man in his day and age. He was a contemporary of Tertullian. He was also born in Carthage, just like Tertullian, in 200 AD. Before he became a Christian, he was a trained lawyer and practiced law in Carthage. Later, he was converted and baptized as a Christian. It was not long that he was elected bishop of Carthage. In 250 AD, Cyprian went into hiding because of Roman persecution by Emperor Decius. Some Christians recanted their faith because they feared death. Nonetheless, a whole lot were martyred for their faith in Christ. Others also suffered one way or the other.

After the persecution was over, those who stood and defended their faith (that is, the Christians who suffered an injury but did not die) did not want to have anything to do with those who recanted. The church became divided more than ever on this issue. It was Cyprian that stood, preached, and wrote for the unity of the Church. Bishop Cyprian believed that those who have lapsed can be brought back or restored to the church. For this reason, Cyprian then said that after they (those who apostatized) have gone through some penance, they can be restored to the church regardless of what they had previously done. Novatian and his followers had a dissenting view. This was why the church was divided. Cyprian defended his view in a series which later became a book called The Unity of the Catholic Church. On this issue, he wrote, “He no longer has God for his Father, who does not have the Church for his mother” (On the Unity of the Catholic Church). That is, whoever has God as a Father must belong to the church.

Saint Cyprian is also remembered for his works on pandemics. In the middle third century, there was a deadly plague in his time. It has been estimated that about 5,000 people died each day because of the plague. The Romans even blamed the Christians for the plague. Cyprian wrote several works, one being On Mortality. He addressed and encouraged his members who were struggling about the plague and also the fear that had come upon the people who were not Christians to look to Christ. He wrote about the fear that the people were in and addressed the fears. Instead of asking “why” Cyprian urged Christians to look to Christ and have hope in the future resurrection. He asserted that in this life, there would be suffering but the hope of believers is that of the resurrection in Christ. Later in his life, Cyprian was martyred when he refused to renounce his faith when another persecution broke out.

 As it has been mentioned time and again that the Christian faith and the gospel of Christ made it home in Africa in the 1^st century, some still do not believe that Christianity and the Christian message are for Africans. The facts do not support such a view, yet some do hold on to it. In Africa today, many are torn asunder about the African Religions and Christianity. Opposers and accusers of the Christian faith are raising questions about the Christian faith. The legitimacy of the Christian faith for Africans has been questioned in this century more than in the other centuries. To refute the unsubstantiated claims of the critics of the Christian faith, we must allow historical evidence to speak for itself. Cyprian, an African man proves that the gospel and Africa are close friends. In the third century, Cyprian was the voice of the voiceless.

Not only has the Christian message been a source of hope for many people in the African continent in this day and age, but it did also provide comfort to the people in Ancient Africa in the early centuries. In fact, the gospel of Christ spread faster in Africa than in any other place in the early centuries. Due to this, one writer asserted, “Christianity grew much more rapidly in Africa than in any other western province.” In Egypt and North Africa, Christianity grew in the early centuries after the church was birthed on Pentecost. Although many 21^st century people might wonder how North Africa, which was the center of the Christian faith in the early centuries, became foreigners to the Christian faith. In the past, Christianity thrived and flourished in this place. A time would be dedicated to discussing the decline of Christianity in Egypt and North Africa. Soli Deo Gloria

Michael Yaw Tano

tanomichael65@gmail.com

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Works cited

Frend, W. Hugh Clifford (2020, September 10). St. Cyprian. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Cyprian-Christian-bishop