An examination of the use by all parties at the time of the Reformation of Cyprian’s writings to claim him as part of their own particular heritage.

The authority of Cyprian's name was such that all parties at the time of the Reformation found evidence sufficient to claim him among the creators of their particular heritage. The author shows how the complexity of his ecclesiology enabled this apparent paradox, and the book offers a useful guide both to Cyprian's thought and to its influence on later writers.

Earlier chapters deal with the North African background; the place of St. Peter among the Apostles and of Rome among the Churches; the collegiality of bishops, the authority of councils and other related topics. The latter part of the book covers the way in which Cyprian's writings and reputation were used at the time of the Reformation.