“In igne probatur aurum”. Il tema della tentazione del giusto nell’opera di Cipriano di Cartagine

This study intends to delineate the importance of the theme of the temptation of a just man in the thought of Cyprian of Carthage. Beginning with an analysis of the most meaningful biblical exempla pointed out by Cyprian, human iustitia is defined as the daily martyrdom of submitting to divine commandments and the practice of charity. The trial undergone by a just man is the required verification of having achieved the status of iustitia, a definitive opportunity for glorification, and a sign of God’s predilection, to which the just man submits with devotion and patientia, strong in his faith and sure of his reward in heaven. In Cyprian’s thought, moreover, it is possible to identify an expansion of the concept of temptation which overlays the Christian image of saeculum, a time dominated by evil and caducity. With the same faith and obedience relied on in facing his trials, the just man passes through the temporal dimension of the saeculum, rejecting its values and ties, certain that his righteousness will assure him of victory in the end.