| dc.description.abstract | St Cyprian of Carthage (c 210-258 AD) delivers a testimony that the Church of his time was unequivocally organized on a basis of monoepiscopal ministry and governance, and that each local gathering of the faithful was presided over by a bishop (episcopos) who safeguarded and coordinated various ecclesiastical activities. There is no ground for doubt that according to Cyprian s understanding and experience bishops were successors of the apostolic ministry in the Church. Therefore, he didn’t hesitate to describe the apostles as bishops1 and the bishops as direct successors of the apostles.2 The older notion about the ancient apostolic centers, i.e. about the local churches originally founded by the apostles, which was so important in the theologies of St Irenaeus and Tertullian and functioned as a paradigm and the source of the authentic apostolic tradition and teaching, was not so prominent in Cyprian s thought. This was the case most probably because this idea didn’t need perpetual emphasis and argumentation anymore as the influence of Gnostic theologies decreased significantly. Additionally, partially at least, it was the case because the schisms and disorders in Cyprian s time didn’t spring out of problems connected primarily with doctrinal issues. Likewise, he intensely insisted on his insight about utter mutual equality of all apostolic successors, i.e. of all the bishops throughout the Christian oikoumene as well as on the necessity of maintaining the unity of all of the faithful with their bishops (overseers) on a local level. | en |
