A Schism in the
Church of Carthage.
As the Church of Rome was rent by the Schism of Novatian, so was the Church of Carthage by that of Felicissimus; and as the former, upon his being excommunicated by Cornelius, and the Council of Rome, had recourse to St. Cyprian, in like manner the latter, being cut off from the Communion of the Church by St. Cyprian, and the Council of Carthage, had recourse to Cornelius. But as the Doctrine of Felicissimus, though diametrically opposite to that of Novatian, was equally repugnant to the Catholic Truth, and to the Discipline established in the Church, as I have observed above, he was at first rejected by Cornelius, with great Steadiness and Resolution. But the Bishop of Rome had, at last, been frightened into a Compliance, had he not been animated and encouraged by St. Cyprian: for the Followers of Felicissimus having, in Imitation of the Novatians, appointed one of their own Faction, named Fortunatus, Bishop of Carthage, Felicissimus took upon himself to carry to Cornelius the Letters of the new and Third Bishop of that City. Accordingly he set out for Rome, attended by a Troop of seditious, desperate, and abandoned Men, says St. Cyprian[[397]]. Cornelius rejected them at first with great Firmness, and immediately acquainted St. Cyprian with what had passed; but Felicissimus threatening to read publicly the Letters he had brought, if Cornelius did not receive them, and to discover many scandalous Things, he was not a little intimidated. He therefore writ a second Letter to St. Cyprian, but betrayed in it a great deal of Fear and Weakness: however, the excellent Letter, which St. Cyprian writ in Answer to his, inspired him with new Vigour, and kept him steady[[398]].
The Persecution
renewed by Gallus.
In the mean time, Decius being killed, the Persecution was carried on, or rather renewed, with more Fury than ever, by Gallus his Successor. As the Roman Empire was, at this Time, afflicted with a dreadful Plague, Gallus, who, it seems, had not molested the Christians during the first Months of his Reign[[399]], issued an Order, injoining Men of all Ranks and Professions to offer Sacrifice to the Gods, hoping, by that means, to appease their Wrath, and put a Stop to the raging Evil. It was on Occasion of this Plague that St. Cyprian writ his excellent Discourse on Mortality, wherein he so eloquently teaches a Christian to triumph over the Fears of Death, and shews with how little Reason we mourn for those Friends and Relations who are snatched from us. |Cornelius
apprehended.| Such of the Christians as refused to comply with the Emperor’s Edict, were either banished or executed. Cornelius, among the rest, was apprehended at the first breaking out of the Persecution, and made a glorious Confession of his Faith, as appears from St. Cyprian, who, on that Occasion, writ him a Letter of Congratulation[[400]]. What happened to him afterwards is uncertain; for his Acts are evidently fabulous, though they have been received by Bede, by Ado, by Anastasius, and many others, far more considerable for their Number than their Authority. We read in the Pontifical of Bucherius, that he was banished to Centumcellæ, now Civita-vecchia, and died of a natural Death, according to the Expression used there[[401]] (Dormitionem accepit). As to the Title of Martyr, with which he is distinguished by St. Jerom[[402]], it was antiently given to all those who, for the Confession of Faith, died in Prison, which in all Likelihood happened to Cornelius[[N5]].
[N5]. Cornelius is reckoned, by St. Jerom, among the Ecclesiastic Writers, on account of the Four Letters, which he writ to Fabius Bishop of Antioch, who seemed not to dislike the Tenets of Novatian[[1]]. He writ several other Letters, whereof Two are still extant among those of St. Cyprian[[2]]; and some Fragments of his Fourth Letter to Fabius have been transmitted to us by Eusebius. As for the Letter to Lupicinus, Bishop of Vienne, which was found in the Archives of that Church, and published by Father du Bosc, the Cardinals Baronius[[3]] and Bona[[4]] think it genuine; but it is, without all Doubt, supposititious: for, according to Ado and Baronius himself[[5]], Florentius, whom Lupicinus is supposed to have succeeded, was raised to that See in the Reign of Maximus, or Gordian, about the Year 240. and held it till the Reign of Valerian, and about the Year 258. so that in 252. when Cornelius died, Lupicinus was not yet Bishop. Besides, in the Title of the Letter, which Baronius has suppressed, Lupicinus is styled Archbishop; which Title was not known then, nor long after. The Letter is therefore rejected by Launoy[[6]], and Dr. Pearson[[7]], as a forged and spurious Piece. Erasmus ascribes to Cornelius the Treatise on Charity[[8]]; and du Pin both that, and the other on the public Shews, with the Discourse against Novatian[[9]], which are all to be found among St. Cyprian’s Works.
[1]. Hier. vir. ill. c 66. p. 290.
[2]. Cypr. ep. 46. 48.
[3]. Bar. ad ann. 255. n. 47.
[4]. Bona lit. 1. c. 3. p. 13.