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Belatedly Cyprian

Last week, while I was in the woods, the Church marked the memorial of Saints Cyprian and Cornelius. Even from my sylvan outpost, though, I managed to do a KVSS interview on the great third-century African bishop, and I herewith direct you to the audio file (scroll way down the page). Cyprian is important for many reasons — you’ll learn all that from the interview — but not least for the fact that he wrote a great treatise on the Eucharist, the earliest that has survived to our day. Blogger Maria Lectrix has posted audio of St. Cyprian’s treatise On the Lapsed, along with some wonderful background material. I may have missed the feast day, but Cyprian’s work is a feast always in season.

Cyprian’s Letters are available in three volumes in the excellent Ancient Christian Writers series. His little treatise on the Lord’s Prayer is included in this volume in St. Vladimir’s Seminary’s Popular Patristics Series.