Letter 19: We received your letter, beloved brother, and found it full of good sense, honesty, and faith.

Cyprian to his brother Caldonius, greetings. We received your letter, beloved brother, and found it full of good sense, honesty, and faith. Given how deeply versed you are in the Lord's Scriptures, it is no surprise that you handle everything with such care and wisdom. You are entirely right about granting peace to those brothers and sisters who, through genuine repentance and the glory of confessing the Lord's name, have restored themselves — justified now by their words, when before they had condemned themselves by their actions. Since they have washed away their sin, and since the Lord's help has overcome their former stain through a more powerful virtue, they should not be left lying prostrate under the devil's power any longer. They have been banished, stripped of everything they owned — and they have risen to stand with Christ. I wish the others who fell would also repent and be restored to what they were. So you can see how I have dealt with those who rushed forward with reckless impatience, demanding peace, I am sending you a book along with five letters I wrote to the clergy, the people, and the martyrs and confessors. These letters have already been sent to many of our colleagues, and they are satisfied. They have written back to confirm that they share the same view, in accordance with the Catholic faith. Please share this with as many of our colleagues as you can, so that we may all follow one course of action and maintain one agreement, according to the Lord's commands. Farewell, beloved brother.

Epistle 19