Il termine „Sacramentum” nell`accezione cristiana. La testimonianza di san Cipriano

Abstract

In the second half of the second century, spreading throughout the Latin milieu, the Church, in particular in the Africa Proconsularis, faced a necessity to coin its own theological language. In opposition to the κοινή διάλεκτος the classical Latin did not have an appropriate terminology to render the new content being borne by the revealed religion. This process had begun with the translation of the Bible, spreading gradually along with the growth of Latin theologicalliterature, largely owed to Tertullian. His contribution in this field had also Saint Cyprian, bishop of Carthage and martyr, who was characterized by the great sense of responsibility and philological balance.One may acknowledge two directions the process advanced: to invent neologisms and to adapt classical terminology to the new meanings. The term sacramentum belongs to the latter set of christianized classical terms. In the pre-Christian Latin that term belonged to juridical-military jargon and meant a promise, soldier’s allegiance, an obligation, or an initiation confirmed by an oath. As adopted by Christians, since the second century onwards was assuming different semantics, and as an equivalent of Biblical μυστήριον, became gradually one of the key-terms of the Latin Church.The present research puts the question about the reasons that caused these two terms to identify with one another and that led to broaden the semantic field sacramentum by referring to different aspects of redemptive presence of Christ, in particular as sacramentum Christi, which is used to render the economy of salvation.In this respect the testimony of Cyprian is very important for the history of the Latin theology as it allows us to discover a better understanding of the term at the beginning of its use; the term, which passed to the later inheritance of theological tradition.