Cyprian of Antioch, the sorcerer saint

Cyprian of Antioch (of Pisídia) is a historic polemic figure whose biography lost itself in the distance of the centuries that produce the mix between legend and reality.

Paradoxal, during his life he was a powerful sorcerer and, later, a saint christian martyr. He is famous like a Saint but much more famous like a black magician.

The mistery about this sorcerer saint begins with uncertainty with regard to his biography: where he was born, when he born, his family name etc.. Only the arduous research and comparative study can provide some reliable facts.

According the Ortodox Christian Information Center, Cyprian lived at Antioch of Pisídia but was born at Cartago, north of Africa. Cartago may be an unlikely option. 

This information seems to be another result of a confusion among the saints Cyprian, especially with St. Cyprian of Carthage, (Thascius Caecilius Cyprianus) that was born and became a bishop in this city, a Christian martyr who lived in the same period of Cyprian, the sorcerer, century three after Christ.

The key of the birth's place could be in the own name "Cyprian" that can mean someone or something from island of Cyprus, Aegean sea, inner Mediterranean.

In his occultist education, which began in early childhood, since then, encouraged by his parents, that were rich pagans. 

He traveled to many countries and kingdoms studying with the masters of the ancient schools of magic: in temple of Mitra, at Greece, at the mount Olympus in Cyprus, Egpty, India and and schools of Babylon in Mesopotamia, with priests heirs of the ancient Chaldean magi. 

by Lygia Cabus

Cyprian, Christian

At 30 years Cyprian was a famous and powerful sorcerer, well versed in various wonders of magic like astrology, necromancy, the science of filters, oracles, potions, the dominion over the elements of nature. He had the subservience of a legion of demons, protected from the devil himself of whose was a server and a partner.

However, seeing that his demonic tricks of witchcraft were unsuccessful against a Christian virgin. 

Perceiving that Devil himself was being defeated by faith in Christ, Cyprian, disappointed with Satan, converted to Christianity. Later, he died like a martyr in the name of his new faith.

Justina, was the name of the girl who faced the devil and his servant, Cyprian using only the name of Jesus and the sign of the cross. 

After the convert Cyprian and Justina became friends-brothers missionaries of the Christianism. In a time of great confusion around religious policies, both Cyprian and Justina were persecuted, arrested, convicted, martyred and killed for being Christians. Historically, a curious fate: centuries later, Cipryan could be tortured and burned alive for being a sorcerer.

Cyprian was martyred along with Justina. First they were beaten with whips wich were gifted with iron nails. The Saints, both stayed impassive. 

The executioner was angry and ordered that both were immersed in a boiler of boiling oil. Once more there was no drama or screamings. Without no more solution, the Emperor Diocleciano, chose to simply behead Cyprian and Justina.

The Book of Saint Cyprian

The sorcerer died like a saint. The saint passed to the history like a sorcerer. Cyprian repented of the practice of black magic, converted to Christianity, died wretchedly in the name of Christ but, despite all that, today, 

Saint Cipriano is famous, very famous, not for his saintity but by the book that has his name on the cover. It is a popular book on witchcraft. 

A prayer book, yes; but they are exotic prayers to satisfy desires that, often, are nothing Christian. The true is that the saint went into history as sorcerer.

The historic search indicates that the Book of Saint Cyprian was not written by Saint Cyprian. There are some reasons for support this idea. Cyprian had destroyed his notes and pagan studies in his act of conversion. He burned all them.

Considering more than 30 years of training and practice in arts or sciences occult, 

Cyprian should be considered an occultist, a scholar of magic and not just mere sorcerer versed in popular sympathies, filters of love and prosperity cause this is the material that constitutes the contents of all of The St. Cyprian Books that were published even today. However, it isn't impossible that some material has escaped of the flames.

The sorcerer Cyprian was also an scholar. He wrote and drew formulas and signs everywhere: as on walls and furniture of the houses where he lived. In addition, prior to conversion, the master sorcerer had disciples who preserved his teachings.

Even so, the authorship of the Books of St. Cyprian is doubtful. He died in 304 AD. The most important historical reference on its existence and his biography is a written confession of the repentant sorcerer. 

This document was rescued by the scholar Marques De Mirville (1802-1873). He found the parchment in the Vatican Library (Rome, Italy).

About the Grimoire whose authorship is attributed to St. Cyprian, it first appeared in a German monastery. The text would have been found by a monk named Jonas Sufurino, who translated the original Hebrew to German. However, the first printed editions appeared only a few centuries later, in 1460, in France.

Soon, the superstitious mindset of the people, the yearning for magic solutions for the problems of the life, turned the Book of Saint Cyprian in a popular literature. 

The profane prayers, printed in pamphlets were circulated throughout Western and Eastern Europe. The book were translated for English, Portuguese, Spanish.

In 1510 the canadense editor Jean Jacques Kean published a edition with the title El Libro de San Cipriano: Tesoro del Hetichero, in spanish. 

At european east countries, the Cipriano scrolls or rolls, printed in Constantinople in 1712, were used as talismans in the modern period [Modern Age]. 

These panflets contained an account of the life of the saint, popular prayers and enchantments for all occasions.

In 1849, appeared the first complete edition in Portuguese of The Book of Saint Cyprian: transcript of the manuscript written by the saint who teaches how to undo all the enchantments of the Moors in the kingdom of Portugal. 

It was in the Iberian Peninsula that the myth of the saint sorcerer remained with greater force. As the new world settlers, the Portuguese and Spaniards brought to Americas the belief in the magical powers of the Cyprian and the first copies of Grimoire or The Famous and truly Great Book of Saint Cyprian.

In the Iberian peninsula, the cultural hybridism produces the association among the saint magician early Christianity to the demonic arts of the Moors, the enchantments of the Arab alchemists, the mysteries of gypsy witches of the East.

Cyprian, like black magician, has transcended the historical condition to establishing itself definitively as a legendary figure and folk, archetypal representative of the image of any powerful wizard, master of the enchantments and magic potions. By L. Cabus – August, 2010

TEXTS CONSULTED

DAVIES, Owen. Ancient and medieval grimories. IN Grimoires: a history of magic books. Oxford University Press, 2009. Google Books.

MISSLER, Peter. Las Hondas raíces del Ciprianillo, 2ª parte: Los Grimórios. IN Culturas Populares Revista Eletrônica, 2006. [http://www.culturaspopulares.org/textos3/articulos/missler.pdf]

SUMMERS, Montague. Witchcraft and Black Magic. Courier Dover Publications, 2000. IN Google Books.

The Lives of Sts. Cyprian and Justina. IN Ortodox Christian Information Center. [http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/death/cyprian_justina.aspx]