Pseudo-Cyprian
Pseudo-Cyprian is the conventional designation for the anonymous authors of Latin works falsely attributed to Cyprian of Carthage. These works do not have a common transmission history. Most are not forgeries, but were texts mistakenly attributed to Cyprian from an early date in their transmission. In many cases the works were taken to be authentic until modern times.
The Pseudo-Cyprianic corpus can be divided into four groups. The first group is a set of treatises that was copied from an early date alongside authentic letters and became part of larger letter collections, acquiring Cyprianic attribution along the way. These include:
- De laude martyrii, mentioned in a stichometry of a Cyprianic manuscript from 365
- De rebaptismate
- De aleatoribus
- De duobus montibus Sina et Sion
- De centesima, sexagesima, tricesima
- Ad Vigilium episcopum de Judaica incredulitate
- De bono pudicitiae, now ascribed to Novatian
- De spectaculis, now ascribed to Novatian
- Adversus Judaeos, also mentioned in the stichometry of 365
- Ad Novatianum
- Ad plebem Carthaginis, actually a Donatist forgery
- Exhortatio de paenitentia
- Carmen ad quendam senatorem
- Carmen ad Flavium Felicem de resurrectione mortuorum
- Hymnus de pascha or De cruce Domini
- De pascha computus
- Cena Cypriani
- two prayers, called Oratio I and II
- Ad Turasium, attributed to Cyprian from the 11th century, also attributed to Jerome
- De singularitate clericorum, attributed to Cyprian in the 12th century
- Expositio symboli, actually written by Rufinus of Aquileia, mistakenly attributed to Cyprian from the 12th century
- De duodecim abusivis saeculi, a 7th-century work attributed to Cyprian during the Carolingian Renaissance, sometimes attributed to Augustine of Hippo
- De voluntate Dei, sermon from a single manuscript of the 8th or 9th century
- Revelatio capitis beati Johannis Baptistae, published in the first edition of Cyprian's works by Giovanni Andrea Bussi in 1471
- Ad Fortunatum de duplici martyrio, published by Desiderius Erasmus in 1530 and probably also forged by him
- several works of Arnold of Bonneval were published under Cyprian's name for better sales and sometimes taken as authentic by later editors
- Quod idola dii non sint, not generally accepted as Cyprian's
- Ad Silvanum, a letter that is generally accepted as Cyprian's