The large number of Christians who abandoned the faith during the Decian Persecutions, but were now seeking to return the faith creates much tension for the church of Carthage and its bishop, Cyprian. How can the Church offer forgiveness to those who have denied Christ and still preserve the purity of it teachings?

Links:

Image: Penitents seeking reconciliation

Cyprian’s On The Lapsed

Gordon Harris “Cyprian and his Role as the Faithful Bishop in Response to the Lapsed, the Martyrs, and the Confessors Following the Decian Persecution”

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#314 – A History of the Catholic Church – Whoever Denies Me Before Others