evangelicam adque apostolicam traditionem" (ep.
74. 10). This refers to the New Testament, which Cyprian emphatically
insisted on making the standard for the Church. It must be taken as the
guide, "si in aliquo in ecclesia nutaverit et vacillaverit veritas;" by
it, moreover, all false customs are to be corrected. In the controversy
about heretical baptism, the alteration of Church practice in Carthage
and Africa, which was the point in question--for whilst in Asia
heretical baptism had for a very long time been declared invalid (see
ep. 75. 19) this had only been the case in Carthage for a few years--was
justified by Cyprian through an appeal to _veritas_ in contrast to
_consuetudo sine veritate_. See epp. 71. 2, 3: 73. 13, 23: 74. 2 sq.: 9
(the formula originates with Tertullian; see de virg. vel. 1-3). The
_veritas_, however, is to be learned from the Gospel and words of the
Apostles: "Lex evangelii," "praecepta dominica," and synonymous
expressions are very frequent in Cyprian, more frequent than reference
to the _regula_ or to the symbol. In fact there was still no Church
dogmatic, there being only principles of Christian faith and life,
which, however, were taken from the Holy Scriptures and the _regula_.]

[Footnote 178: Cyprian no longer makes any distinction between Churches
founded by Apostles, and those which arose later (that is, between their
bishops).]

[Footnote 179: The statement that the Church is "super Petrum fundata"
is very frequently made by Cyprian (we find it already in Tertullian, de
monog.); see de habitu virg. 10; Epp. 59. 7: 66. 8: 71. 3: 74. 11: 73.
7. But on the strength of Matth. XVI. he went still farther; see ep. 43.
5: "deus unus est et Christus unus et una ecclesia et cathedra una super
Petrum domini voce fundata;" ep. 48. 3 (ad Cornel.): "communicatio tua,
id est catholicae ecclesiae unitas pariter et caritas;" de unit. 4:
"superunum aedificat ecclesiam, et quamvis apostolis omnibus post
resurrectionem suam parem potestatem tribuat, tamen ut unitatem
manifestaret, unitatis eiusdem originem ab uno incipientem sua
auctoritate disposuit;" ep. 70. 3: "una ecclesia a Christo domino nostro
super Petrum origine unitatis et ratione fundata" ("with regard to the
origin and constitution of the unity" is the translation of this last
passage in the "Stimmen aus Maria Laach," 1877, part 8, p. 355; but
"ratio" cannot mean that); ep. 73. 7; "Petro primum dominus, super quem
aedificavit ecclesiam et