Cyprian of Carthage → Januarius

From Cyprian, Liberalis, Caldonius, Junius, Primus, Caecilius, Polycarp, Nicomedes, Felix, Marrutius, Successus, Lucianus, Honoratus, Fortunatus, Victor, Donatus, Lucius, Herculanus, Pomponius, Demetrius, Quintus, Saturninus, Januarius, Marcus, another Saturninus, another Donatus, Rogatianus, Sedatus, Tertullus, Hortensianus, yet another Saturninus, and Sattius — to our brothers Januarius, Saturninus, Maximus, Victor, another Victor, Cassius, Proculus, Modianus, Cittinus, Gargilius, Eutycianus, another Gargilius, another Saturninus, Nemesianus, Nampulus, Antonianus, Rogatianus, and Honoratus, greetings.

When we gathered in council, dearest brothers, we read your letter asking about those who appear to have been baptized by heretics and schismatics — whether, when they come to the Catholic Church (which is one), they ought to be baptized again. On this matter, though you yourselves already hold the truth and certainty of the Catholic position, you have asked our opinion out of mutual love. We do not put forward anything new. We simply join with you in equal agreement, in a position long since established by our predecessors and observed by us.

Our judgment — and we hold it as certain — is this: no one can be validly baptized outside the Church, since there is one baptism appointed in the holy Church alone. The Lord says through the prophet: "They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn out for themselves broken cisterns that can hold no water" [Jeremiah 2:13]. And again: "Keep away from strange water, and do not drink from a foreign fountain."

The water must first be cleansed and sanctified by the priest, so that it may wash away the sins of the one being baptized. For the Lord says through Ezekiel: "Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean" [Ezekiel 36:25]. How can water that is unclean and has not been sanctified cleanse or sanctify anyone? How can one who is himself defiled — cast out of the Church and condemned — grant the remission of sins to another? How can one who has lost the Holy Spirit confer the Holy Spirit?

This is our position: those who come to the Church from heresy are not re-baptized but baptized — because they received nothing valid where there was nothing to receive.

Farewell, dearest brothers.

[Context: The baptismal controversy was one of the fiercest disputes of the 3rd century. The African church under Cyprian held that baptism performed by heretics was invalid and that converts from heretical groups needed to be baptized anew upon entering the Catholic Church. Rome, under Bishop Stephen, took the opposite view — that any baptism performed with the correct formula was valid regardless of who performed it. This disagreement nearly split the two churches and was not fully resolved until the Council of Arles (314 AD) sided with Rome.]