The lifetime of St. Cyprian is perhaps obscured by time, as his prior life as a magician and his relationship to Justina commonly overshadow his writings. Some accounts grant him the role of the bishop of Antioch, but he is note traditionally granted that role in any episcopal list. Nonetheless, he appears to have been a clergyman in Antioch during the late 3rd and early 4th century. Only two of his writings have survived to the present, or at least those which have been attributed to him. These short works grant some insight into the mind of a third century Christian, and also exhibit the veneration of otherwise minor saints, such as Thecla, who are largely forgotten to the modern church.