In honor of Saint Cyprian’s feast day tomorrow I was reading some of his epistles and found an interesting paragraph where the bishop writes about the Eucharist and Justification by faith. Curiously, Cyprian refers to the Eucharist both as the body/blood and bread/wine. He also seems to agree with the evangelical doctrine of St. Paul that we are justified by faith before God because of Christ’s sacrifice. Very interesting…
” For who is more a priest of the most high God than our Lord Jesus Christ, who offered a sacrifice to God the Father, and offered that very same thing which Melchizedek had offered, that is, bread and wine, to wit, His body and blood? And with respect to Abraham, that blessing going before belonged to our people. For if Abraham believed in God, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness, assuredly whosoever believes in God and lives in faith is found righteous, and already is blessed in faithful Abraham, and is set forth as justified; as the blessed Apostle Paul proves, when he says, Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. You know, then, that they which are of faith, these are the children of Abraham. But the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles through faith, pronounced before to Abraham that all nations should be blessed in him; therefore they who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.
Galatians 3:6-9 Whence in the Gospel we find that children of Abraham are raised from stones, that is, are gathered from the Gentiles.
Matthew 3:9 And when the Lord praised Zacchaeus, He answered and said This day is salvation come to this house, forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
Luke 19:9 In Genesis, therefore, that the benediction, in respect of Abraham by Melchizedek the priest, might be duly celebrated, the figure of Christ’s sacrifice precedes, namely, as ordained in bread and wine; which thing the Lord, completing and fulfilling, offered bread and the cup mixed with wine, and so He who is the fullness of truth fulfilled the truth of the image prefigured.” – St. Cyprian of Carthage (Epistle 62, 4)