One of Cyprian’s most powerful passages concerning church government is found in Cyprian to the Lapsed.
Our Lord, whose precepts and admonitions we ought to observe, describing the honour of a bishop and the order of His Church, speaks in the Gospel, and says to Peter: “I say unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock will I build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Thence, through the changes of times and successions, the ordering of bishops and the plan of the Church flow onwards; so that the Church is founded upon the bishops, and every act of the Church is controlled by these same rulers. Since this, then, is founded on the divine law, I marvel that some, with daring temerity, have chosen to write to me as if they wrote in the name of the Church; when the Church is established in the bishop and the clergy, and all who stand fast in the faith. [ANF 5: 305, Epistle XXVI]
Here Cyprian expresses plainly what the accepted belief of the Early Church was: the bishops ruled the church. There was no such thing as a “deacon board” that gave the Bishop orders and ran the business of the Church. The universal belief and practice of these early Christians was based on the Scriptures and tradition that had been handed down to them from the Apostles.
So how were the deacons to view the bishop and relate to him? St. Cyprian tells us in To Rogatianus, Concerning the Deacon Who Contended Against the Bishop.
But deacons ought to remember that the Lord chose apostles, that is, bishops and overseers; while apostles appointed for themselves deacons after the ascent of the Lord into heaven, as ministers of their episcopacy and of the Church. But if we may dare anything against God who makes bishops, deacons may also dare against us by whom they are made; and therefore it behooves the deacon of whom you write to repent of his audacity, and to acknowledge the honour of the priest, and to satisfy the bishop set over him with full humility. For these things are the beginnings of heretics, and the origins and endeavours of evil-minded schismatics;—to please themselves, and with swelling haughtiness to despise him who is set over them. Thus they depart from the Church—thus a profane altar is set up outside—thus they rebel against the peace of Christ, and the appointment and the unity of God. But if, further, he shall harass and provoke you with his insults, you must exercise against him the power of your dignity, by either deposing him or excommunicating him. For if the Apostle Paul, writing to Timothy, said, “Let no man despise thy youth, how much rather must it be said by your colleagues to you, “Let no man despise thy age? And since you have written, that one has associated himself with that same deacon of yours, and is a partaker of his pride and boldness, you may either restrain or excommunicate him also, and any others that may appear of a like disposition, and act against God’s priest. Unless, as we exhort and advise, they should rather perceive that they have sinned and make satisfaction, and suffer us to keep our own purpose; for we rather ask and desire to overcome the reproaches and injuries of individuals by clemency and patience, than to punish them by our priestly power. [ANF 5: 366, Epistle LXIV]
These bishops described by Cyprian are powerful individuals, as some have said “princes of the Church.” What can be done to ensure there is no abuse of power? Do away with the Episcopal office? Strip it of all its power and leave the Bishop as only a figurehead? None of these solutions would have suited the Early Church because of their unshakable belief that God had instituted the bishops, presbyters and deacons for the governance of His Church. Their solution was much more spiritual: keep the bishops but let them ever be reminded that they will answer to God for all their actions.
In which behalf we neither do violence to, nor impose a law upon, any one, since each prelate has in the administration of the Church the exercise of his will free, as he shall give an account of his conduct to the Lord. [ANF 5: 379, Epistle LXXI]
Rather than placing new landmarks just because things don’t work like we want them to, maybe we should follow the Scripture and “ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.” (Jeremiah 6:16)
