Saint Cyprian and Saint Justina

But the bishop would not consent until the two spouses had made known to him the vision in which Christ had manifested Himself to them. At the same time, they expressed to him the desire their daughter had to consecrate herself to God. Edusius had his beard and long hair cut (for he was a priest of the idols); then all three, prostrate at the feet of the bishop, received the character of Christ. After a year and six months of preparation, Edusius merited the honor of the priesthood and renounced the world. As for the young virgin, her happiness was to come often to the church of God. Now, a young lawyer of the city, named Agladius, who often saw her going there, conceived a keen desire to marry her. He had her asked for by a great number of people of every rank; but the virgin always replied: "I have been betrothed to Christ, the heavenly spouse; He will keep me pure and without stain until the day of His coming."

Then, gathering a multitude of men sold to his passion, Agladius set an ambush and watched for the moment when the virgin would go to the church, with the design of abducting her by violence. At the sight of the danger, the women and young girls who accompanied her raised cries and sounded the alarm in the house of Edusius. Promptly, they armed themselves with swords and sticks, and the abductors were put to flight. The virgin continued to frequent the church and to attend to prayer; and she always triumphed over the numerous attempts of which she was the object by imprinting on her forehead the sign of the cross. Agladius therefore had re course Cyprien Bishop of Carthage cited as an example for his refusal to appoint his priests. to a skillful magician named Cyprian, and promised him two talents of gold if, through his malice , he co Justine Sister of Saint Aureus and a consecrated virgin, martyred with him. uld win for him the heart of the virgin Justine. He was unaware, the wretch, that the power of Christ is invincible. Cyprian easily entered into the designs of Agladius; soon he shared his passion for Justine, and resolved to act in his own name.

By means of the secrets of his magical art, he summoned a demon. This demon, answering his call, said to him: "Why have you called me?" Cyprian said to him: "I love a virgin of the sect of the Galileans; can you win her heart for me and persuade her to marry me?" The demon, despite his impotence, promised everything. And Cyprian said to him: "Show me your works, and I will believe in your power over the virgin Justina." The demon replied: "I have deserted the standard of God to obey my father; I have cast trouble among men, and from heaven I have torn down Angels. It is I who induced Cain to kill his brother, and persuaded the Jews to crucify Christ. I have overturned cities, I have shaken walls, I have undermined palaces; and these are but the least effects of my power; a young girl will not triumph over them. Take then the mixtures that you know, and go spread them around the house of the virgin on the outside; then I will come to your aid, I will inspire her with the true sentiments of my father, and at that very hour she will obey me."

It was the middle of the night; now, the third hour having come, the virgin of God rose to render to the Lord the homage of her prayer. Suddenly she felt the impetuous attack of the demon; immediately she made the sign of the cross over the whole house, asking God to put her enemy to flight. "Almighty God," she said, "only Son of the Father, you who created man in your image and likeness, and formed Eve from the rib of Adam; you gave them both to enjoy innocently every creature; and when, obeying the seductions of the serpent, they had deserved death, you had pity on their misery, granting them, with the remission of sins, the resurrection of the flesh. O Lord! every creature that has come from your hands glorifies you as the true God. Lord, redeeming God, help me and strengthen your servant, make me worthy of you; for Satan wishes at this moment to tempt my soul." Her prayer being finished, she again formed the sign of the cross over her whole body and breathed upon the demon. Then the demon went toward Cyprian, before whom he presented himself.

Cyprian said to him: "Well! why did you not bring me this virgin?" The demon said to him: "Do not force me to confess what I cannot say; I saw a sign, and I trembled." Cyprian laughed at his weakness and sent him away; then, having recourse a second time to the secrets of his magic, he summoned another more powerful demon. This one, like the first, boasted of his strength, and said to Cyprian: "I have heard your wishes and I have seen the impotence of the one you called before me. Take then the preparations of your art, and go spread them around the house of the young girl; I will come afterward, and I take it upon myself to win her." Cyprian did what the demon had told him. In the middle of the night, the virgin Justina had risen, according to her custom, to pray. She said in the fervor of her prayer: "In the middle of the night I rise to sing your praises, because of the judgments of your justice, O God of every creature, Lord of mercy! for it is you, sovereign ruler of heaven and earth, who have confounded the demon and given to men the power to trample underfoot the virtue of the enemy; it is you who snatched the holy prophet Daniel from the lions' den and destroyed Bel with his dragon; you have enlightened our darkness and restored the dead to life; you have confounded death and given to men the resurrection. Tender Father, do not reject me; forgive your servant, O almighty king! Lord, preserve me in chastity, and keep my lamp yourself, lest it be extinguished; so that I may enter with you into rest, O my Savior, God of holiness and purity! To you be glory with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit! Amen."

She spoke, and imprinting upon herself the sign of the cross, in the name of Jesus Christ, she breathed upon the demon; the demon immediately left her and returned to Cyprian. All covered with confusion, he stood before him upright and in silence. Cyprian said to him: "Where is the virgin to whom I had sent you?" The demon replied: "I have been vanquished; I fear to answer your question; for I have seen a sign that has filled me with terror." Cyprian then sent him away, insulting his weakness; and resorting for the third time to the secrets of his art, he summoned Satan in person, he whom the demons call their father, and said to him: "What is this impotence to which you are condemned? A virgin has triumphed all by herself over all your power." Satan replied to him: "I flatter myself that I will bring her to you presently; only be ready." Cyprian said to him: "Tell me what is the instrument and the sign of your victory?" Satan replied to him: "I am going to ignite against her the rage of the furies; by illusions and phantoms, I will inflame her body with the passion of evil, and I will prepare her as a victim for your infamous desires."

At these words, Satan manifested himself under the features of a young girl to the virgin of God. Having entered her room, he sat on her bed, and said to her: "I have been sent today to you by Christ, in order to learn to live like you in chastity. But tell me first what is the reward for the combats that you have to sustain to keep your virginity? I see you exhausted by abstinence." The holy virgin Justina replied: "The reward is immense and the pain light."

Satan said to her: "In the beginning God blessed Adam and Eve, and said to them: 'Increase, multiply, and fill the earth.' It seems to me that, if we persevere in virginity, we will have despised the word of God, and deserved to be treated at his judgment as rebels, who disdain the orders of their master and refuse to obey him."

At these words, the virgin felt her heart inflamed, as if the serpent had distilled a deadly venom into it. In her trouble, she rose and wanted to leave, so violent were the thoughts that agitated her soul; but God, who never permits his servants to be tempted beyond their strength, revealed to the virgin, by his Holy Spirit, that it was Satan who was speaking to her thus. Immediately she formed the sign of the cross upon herself, made a prayer, and at the same time breathed upon the infernal spirit. Satan vanished from her sight, like wax that melts at the approach of fire, and he did not reappear. The virgin then recovered from her trouble; the flame that was burning her in her flesh had suddenly been extinguished.

She cried out: "Glory to you, O Christ, Son of God, our Savior! In the perils where your servants are on the point of sinking, you save them and bring them back to the light; they were running after a foreign will, and you make them embrace your will as a guide. Lord, my God, do not permit your servant to be vanquished by Satan, the prince of evil; let not the jealous serpent soil the purity of your dove; preserve me without stain for your divine holiness; penetrate my flesh with the sting of your fear."

Satan, confounded, appeared again to Cyprian, and Cyprian said to him: "And you too, as I see, have been defeated! How is it that a single Christian virgin was enough to subdue you? Tell me what is the cause of her victory." Satan answered him: "I cannot tell you; but I saw a terrible sign and I trembled; immediately I fled, and the form I had taken dissipated like smoke. You want to know what mysterious virtue gave this young girl the victory; I ask you for an oath; make it, and I will answer you." Cyprian said to him: "By whom do you want me to swear?" Satan answered him: "Swear by my wonders and my power, which remain intact, that you will never separate yourself from me." Cyprian said: "I swear by your wonders and your great power, I will never separate myself from you."

Satan, full of confidence in this word, replied: "I saw the sign of the Crucified, and immediately dread seized me; I felt my whole being melt like wax in the presence of God." Cyprian said to him: "Is the Crucified then greater than you? Artisan of lies, why did you set a trap for my soul, when you were conscious of its weakness? If the mere shadow of Christ is enough to defeat you, what will you do when he comes himself in person? His name, the sign of his Passion, strike you with powerlessness; will you be able to snatch us from his hands when he comes to punish? Flee then far from me, cruel enemy of truth and piety; too long have I been the toy of your impostures."

At these words, Satan threw himself upon him to strangle him. Cyprian, on the point of succumbing under the violence of his embrace, remembered the sign the virgin had used, and cried out: "God of Justina, help me." At this word, he regained his strength; his hand was free again, and he made the sign of the cross. Satan then left him, but while hurling curses and threats against him. Cyprian, repeating the sign of Christ upon himself, was not afraid. He went to find the bishop, threw himself at his feet, and said to him: "Servant of the Most High, mark me with the sacred sign and catechize me, so that I may know Christ."

But the blessed Bishop Anthimus, fearing that he had come to lead the Church into his errors, drove him away, saying: "Content yourself, Cyprian, with those who are outside; you can do nothing against the Church of God; for the virtue of Christ is invincible." "I know it too," replied Cyprian, "that the virtue of Christ is invincible. This very night I sent two demons and Satan himself to the holy virgin Justina, to seduce her; but both the demons and Satan were put to flight by the virtue of the cross. That is why I conjure you to have pity on me and save my soul."

The bishop gave thanks to God, blessed him, and promised to welcome him into the ranks of the catechumens, saying: "Hasten, my son, to go to the church of God, and do not cease to offer your prayers to the Lord."

Cyprian, upon returning to his house, broke all his idols; he spent the rest of the night in prayers and tears: "How," he cried, "shall I dare to appear before the virtue of Christ, after having committed so many crimes? How will my lips be able to bless him, after having invoked impure demons so often and eaten defiled meats in their sacrifices? O God, I implore your mercy; have pity on me!" The next day, which was the day of the great Sabbath, he went to the church, making this prayer to God in his heart: "Lord Jesus Christ, if I am worthy to be called your servant, deign to let me hear it by the voice of your Holy Spirit." His desire was to receive, in the reading of the Holy Scriptures, a word of consolation.

Now, at the moment he touched the sacred threshold of the church, he heard the faithful who were loudly performing the chanting of the psalms and saying: "Save your servant; for he hopes in you"; then in the reading of the Prophet: "Behold, my servant has received understanding; he shall be exalted and filled with glory"; and again in the Psalm: "You have seen, O Lord, do not keep silent anymore; O Lord, do not distance yourself from me"; then these words of the Apostle: "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law"; finally in the holy Gospel: "He is my son; he was dead and I have found him again."

However, the deacon, raising his voice, said: "Catechumens, withdraw." Cyprian remained seated. The deacon Asterius said to him: "Cyprian, get up and go out." Cyprian answered him: "I have become a servant of Christ, and you are driving me outside!" The deacon said to him: "Have you become a perfect servant of God?" Cyprian replied: "Long live Christ who confounded the demons, saved the virgin, and had pity on me! I will not go out until I have become a perfect servant of Christ."

The deacon made this answer known to the bishop. The latter had Cyprian brought to him, and, according to the custom of the Church, he asked him what he wanted; he then had him recount before all the faithful the events that had led him to ask for baptism; finally, after having catechized him, he baptized him.

Some time later, Cyprian was made a deacon of the holy mysteries of Christ; grace was given to him against the demons, with the power to heal all diseases, and he converted a large number of Gentiles to the Christian faith. He was irreproachable in his Cyprien Bishop of Carthage cited as an example for his refusal to appoint his priests. life, and his morals were pure and without stain. After a year, he was promoted to the priesthood, whose holy functions he exercised for sixteen years. But in the end, the blessed Anthimus, foreseeing his approaching death, convened a meeting of bishops, and consecrated Cyprian as his successor; almost immediately after, rendering his soul to God, he fell asleep in the peace of Christ. Cyprian, having become bishop, brought the virgin Justina into a monastery of which she was abbess and mother, with authority over a large number of other holy congregations of virgins; for Cyprian enlightened souls by the word of Christ and converted them, multiplying each da Justine Sister of Saint Aureus and a consecrated virgin, martyred with him. y in a wonderful way the flock that had been entrusted to him.

However, as the tares had mingled with the good seed in the father of the family's field, the persecution did not take long to break out. The faithful people were scattered, the wolf dispersed the flock of Christ. In the midst of these dangers, Cyprian confirmed all the brothers by his letters, not only in the city but also throughout the region, and he managed to snatch a great number of them from the wolf's teeth. But the serpent, envious of the se succes Eutolmius Count of the Orient who ordered the arrest and torture of the saints. ses, suggested to Eutolmius, Count of the East, that Cyprian, the doctor of the Christians, was ruining the glory of the gods; that, in concert with a certain virgin, he was perverting souls through his prestiges, while at the same time, through his letters, he was stirring up the East and the entire universe. The count, full of anger at this revelation, had the two accused chained and gave the or der t Damas City where the actor Cornelius resides. o the prefects to have them conducted under strong escort to Damascus. When they had arrived, the count questioned them: "Are you not that doctor of the Christians who once gathered, under the power of the gods, numerous worshippers, but who today deceive men by the sign of a Crucified one, flatter their ears with a new doctrine, and teach them to prefer to the immortal gods a man hanging on a cross?"

— "And you yourself," replied Cyprian, "tell me how you dare to exalt yourself thus in the pomp of a vain pride, and give yourself over to this diabolical madness? Formerly I was, as you are today, chained by the enemy and blinded by the wisdom of the gentiles; I caused a great number of souls to perish; to a great number I taught the infamies of vice; but Christ saved me through the holiness of a virgin. A lawyer, named Agladius, of the family of Claudius, loved her passionately, and would have liked to marry her. His efforts having been useless, he had come to ask me for a magical preparation that could triumph over her resistance. I, trusting in the secrets of my books, evoked a demon, and sent him toward her; but the virgin knew how to render him powerless by the sign of Christ. I tried again up to three times; and the third time I sent her the prince of demons, Satan. Always with the same sign, the virgin triumphed. Then I wanted to know what was the virtue of this sign; I adjured Satan, and Satan revealed everything to me. Immediately, touched by repentance, I went to find the bishop, the one who preceded me in this city; I brought him my books of magic; and in the presence of the leaders of the city, I tore them with my own hands and threw them into the fire. I conjure you therefore to renounce, as I have done, the vain follies of the idols, and to come with me into the house of the Lord. It is there that the true God is glorified in truth and piety: it is there that you will learn to know the invincible power of Christ."

The count, boiling with anger and to stifle the cries of a guilty conscience, ordered the martyr to be suspended and had him torn with iron claws. As for the virgin, he had her whipped with hard straps by two executioners who took turns. During this torture, Justina sang these words: "Glory to you, O God! who, despite my unworthiness, have chosen me according to your good pleasure, and have admitted me to the honor of suffering these tortures for the glory of your name."

In the end, the strength of the executioners was exhausted, and the Saint kept repeating her hymn to the Lord. The prefect had to order the cruel torture to be suspended. For his part, Cyprian, while they were tearing him in the most barbarous manner, did not even think of complaining. The count said to him: "Why so much folly and lack of foresight regarding your fate?" The blessed Cyprian replied: "It is you who have shown lack of foresight and folly, by becoming an apostate, a defector from the faith of Christ; for as for me, the divine Shepherd knows me today, and I am in a hurry to arrive in the palace of the heavens, in order to enjoy the eternal goods that your tortures will have made me merit."

At these words, the tyrant, having become more furious, cried out: "If torments make you merit the kingdom of heaven, I want to add others even more cruel." However, when he saw the martyr on the point of expiring under the tortures, he had him thrown into prison. As for the virgin, she was entrusted to Terentius, who was to keep her in his house. This house, when the Blessed one entered it, was entirely illuminated by the grace of Christ. After a few days, the count again had the Saints presented to him, and he said to Cyprian: "I wanted to advise you not to persist in dying for a dead man, whose prestiges and magic you are undergoing." The blessed Cyprian replied: "Such a death gives eternal life to those who have desired it."

Then the count, after a moment of deliberation, had a great fire lit under a vast cauldron, which he had filled with pitch, wax, and grease; then he ordered the holy martyrs to be thrown into it.

The fire respected the blessed Cyprian; as for the virgin, at the moment she approached to enter it, the enemy of all good, Satan, inspired some fear in her. Then the blessed Cyprian said to her: "Come with me, tender lamb of Christ; is it not you who opened to me the gates of heaven and manifested the glory of the Lord, you who conquered the demons and brought to naught their prince, Satan, by the virtue of the sign of the cross?"

At these words the Saint, making the sign of the cross upon herself, leaped into the cauldron. But soon, in the midst of the ardor of the flames, both felt like a sweet dew that refreshed their limbs and gave them new vigor. Then Cyprian, beginning a canticle of thanksgiving, cried out: "Glory to God in the highest of heavens, and peace on earth to men of good will! For since Satan was cast down from his throne, peace has filled the world. Christ having come to earth has chained the demon, and by the all-powerful virtue of the cross, he has mercifully delivered the world. That is why I give you thanks, O God, Lord of mercy, for having deigned to make me endure these torments for the glory of your name, and I beseech you to receive these two victims that we offer you, as a holocaust of sweet odor."

The count cried out, upon hearing this prayer: "I wish today to convince you of imposture and to make known to all the vain frauds of your magic." At the same time a certain Athanasius, who, formerly a priest of the idols, had become the assessor and friend of the count, said to him: "Let your power order me to stand in the midst of the fires of the cauldron; I wish in the name of the gods to triumph over the alleged power of Christ." The count immediately permitted by a sign to Athanasius, who approached the cauldron, saying: "Hercules, your name is great among the gods; Aesculapius, you are called their father, and it is you who give health to men."

But he was barely a few steps from the flame when the fire enveloped him, his belly burst, his entrails spilled onto the ground, and his bones were in a moment devoured; while the blessed Cyprian remained with the virgin in the midst of the flames, without suffering the slightest harm, and glorified the Lord.

At this sight, the count cried out: "It is then invincible, the power of Christ! But what afflicts me deeply is that he has caused a priest of the gods to die, the only friend I had here below." He therefore had one of his relatives named Terentius come, and said to him: "What must I do with these evildoers?" Terentius replied to him: "Beware of undertaking anything against the Saints, and do not try to resist the truth; for the God of the Christians is invincible; but send them to the emperor, with a report of all that has happened."

The count did, in fact, make the report; it was conceived in these terms: "To the powerful emperor who rules over the world, to Diocletian, greeting. According to the law of your empire, I have had Cyprian, the doctor of the Chr Dioclétien Roman emperor under whom the martyrdom is said to have taken place. istians, arrested, and at the same time a virgin named Justina, as you will learn from the acts that I send you. They have refused to obey, despite the frightening tortures to which I have subjected them; that is why I have had to send them back before your majesty."

The emperor looked through the acts of the holy martyrs, and was astonished that they could have resisted such torments. Having then taken counsel, he pronounced the sentence: "Cyprian," it was said therein, "the doctor of the inhabitants of Antioch, and with him the virgin Justina, have followed the senseless sect of the Christians and despised life; to our gods they have preferred their Christ; that is why I order that they have their heads severed by the sword."

They were led to the banks of the river that flows through the cit y of Nico Nicomédie City of origin of Saint Nicarete. media. There, they obtained from the executioner a few moments to pray and commend to God all the churches and all the faithful. Then, the blessed Cyprian, having made the sign of the cross, placed the blessed virgin to his right; for he deemed it fitting that she should be executed first. When she had fallen under the sword, the blessed Cyprian cried out: "Glory to you, O Christ!" At that moment, Theoctistus happened to pass by the place of execution; he caught sight of Cyprian and embraced him with tenderness. The assessor Phuleanus, witness to this touching scene, flew into a great rage; he had Theoctistus arrested and had his head cut off, at the same time as that of the blessed Cyprian. By his order, the bodies of the martyrs were thrown into the refuse dump, to the north of the city. They remained thus exposed to the beasts for several days; finally, after si x da Rome Birthplace of Maximian. ys, some faithful from Rome, sailors by profession, having learned that Cyprian had died in the faith of their Church, managed to deceive all the guards and carried off the bodies of the martyrs, along with the signs that were to confirm their authenticity. They then hastened to return to their boats and set sail for Rome, happy to possess this rich treasure. Upon their arrival, they deposited it at the feet of Rufina, a Roman virgin, whose family was linked to the most illustrious names. Rufina had these holy relics placed in an honorable place, where all those who visited them received healing for their infirmities and blessed the Lord. They were later transferred to the chu rch of Saint John La Saint-Jean de Latran The place where the relics were finally deposited. teran, which was called the Basilica of Constantine, and honorably deposited near the baptistery. This triple martyrdom took place under the consulship of Diocletian, in the famous city of Nicomedia.

Saint Cyprian and Saint Justina are depicted holding a book and a lily. Cyprian is also represented placed within a magic circle, surrounded by demons he summoned to seduce the Saint, who is protected by an angel. — Justina is represented seated, reading and holding a branch of flowers. This is the moment when she is exposed to the seductions of the magician Cyprian, whom she managed to convert. In the sky, an angel protects the Saint who holds a lily, symbol of virginity. — Saint Cyprian and Saint Justina are sometimes represented beheaded.

We have borrowed from the Bollandists these acts, so famous in ecclesiastical antiquity, so popular in the Middle Ages, and so worthy of being saved from oblivion. The translation is due to the Benedictines.