Novatia'nus
according to Philostorgius, whose statement, however, has not been generally received with confidence, was a native of Phrygia. From the accounts given of his baptism, which his enemies alleged was irregularly administered in consequence of his having been prevented by sickness from receiving imposition of hands, it would appear that in early life he was a gentile; but the assertion found in many modern works that he was devoted to the stoic philosophy is not supported by the testimony of any ancient writer.
There can be no doubt that he became a presbyter of the church at Rome, that he insisted upon the rigorous and perpetual exclusion of the Lapsi, the weak brethren who had fallen away from the faith under the terrors of persecution, and that upon the election of Cornelius [CORNELIUS], who advocated more charitable opinions, to the Roman see in June, A. D. 251, about sixteen months after the martyrdom of Fabianus, he disowned the authority of the new pontiff, was himself consecrated bishop by a rival party, was condemned by the council held in the autumn of the same year, and after a vain struggle to maintain his position was obliged to give way, and became the founder of a new sect, who from him derived the name of Novatians. We are told, moreover, that he was a man of unsociable, treacherous, and wolf-like disposition, that his ordination was performed by three simple illiterate prelates from an obscure corner of Italy, whom he gained to his purpose by a most disreputable artifice, that these poor men quickly perceived, confessed, and lamented their error, and that those persons who had at first espoused his cause quickly returned to their duty, leaving the schismatic almost alone. We must observe that these adverse representations proceed from his bitter enemy Cornelius, being contained in a long letter from that pope to Fabius, of Antioch, preserved in Eusebius, that they bear evident marks of personal rancour, and that they are contradicted by the circumstance that Novatianus was commissioned in 250 by the Roman clergy to write a letter in their name to Cyprian which is still extant, by the respect and popularity which he unquestionably enjoyed after his assumption of the episcopal dignity, even among those who did not recognise his authority, and by the fact that a numerous and devoted band of followers espousing his cause formed a separate communion, which spread over the whole Christian world, and flourished for more than two hundred years.
The career of Novatianus, after the termination of his struggle with Cornelius, is unknown; but we are told by Socrates
H. E. 4.28) that he suffered death under Valerian; and from Pacianus, who flourished in the middle of the fourth century, we learn that the Novatians boasted that their founder was a martyr.
The original and distinguishing tenet of these heretics was, as we have indicated above, that no one who after baptism had, through dread of persecution or from any other cause, fallen away from the faith, could, however sincere his contrition, again be received into the bosom of the church, or entertain sure hope of salvation.
It would appear that subsequently this rigorous exclusion was extended to all who had been guilty of any of the greater or mortal sins; and, if we can trust the expression of St. Ambrose (
De Poen. 3.3), Novatianus himself altogether rejected the efficacy of repentance, and denied that forgiveness could be granted to any sin, whether small or great.
There can be no doubt that communion was refused to all great offenders, but we feel inclined to believe that Socrates (
H. E. 4.28) represents these opinions, as first promulgated, more fairly when he states, that Novatianus merely would not admit that the church had power to forgive and grant participation in her mysteries to great offenders, while at the same time he exhorted them to repentance, and referred their case directly to the decision of God--views which were likely to be extremely obnoxious to the orthodox priesthood, and might very readily be exaggerated and perverted by the intolerance of his own followers, who, full of spiritual pride, arrogated to themselves the title of
Καθαροί, or
Puritans, an epithet caught up and echoed in scorn by their antagonists.
It is necessary to remark that the individual who first proclaimed such doctrines was not Novatianus, but an African presbyter under Cyprian, named Novatus, who took a most active share in the disorders which followed the elevation of Cornelius. Hence, very naturally, much confusion has arisen between
Novatus and
Novatianus; and Lardner, with less than his usual accuracy, persists in considering them as one and the same, although the words of Jerome are perfectly explicit, distinguishing most clearly between "Novatianus Romanae urbis presbyter" and " Novatus Cypriani presbyter." Indeed, the tenth chapter of his Catalogue becomes quite unintelligible if we confound them.
Works
Jerome informs us that Novatianus composed treatises
and many others ; together with a large volume
De Trinitate, exhibiting in a compressed form the opinions of Tertullian on this mystery. Of all these the following only are now known to exist:
Ascribed by some to Tertullian, by others to Cyprian, and inserted in many editions of their works.
That it cannot belong to Tertullian is sufficiently proved by the style and by the mention made of the Sabellians, who did not exist in his time, while Jerome expressly declares that the volume
De Trinitate was not the production of Cyprian, but of Novatianus.
The piece before us, however, does not altogether answer his description, since it cannot be regarded as a mere transcript of the opinions of Tertullian, but is an independent exposition of the orthodox doctrine very distinctly embodied in pure language and animated style.
This work was written at the request of the Roman laity at a. period when the author had, apparently, withdrawn from the fury of the Decian persecution (A. D. 249-257), probably towards the close of A. D. 250. If composed under these circumstances, as maintained by Jackson, it refutes in a most satisfactory manner the charges brought by Cornelius in reference to the conduct of Novatianus at this epoch.
The author denies that the Mosaic ordinances, with regard to meats, are binding upon Christians, but strongly recommends moderation and strict abstinence from flesh offered to idols.
Two letters, of which the first is certainly genuine, written A. D. 250, in the name of the Roman clergy to Cyprian, when a vacancy occurred in the papal see in consequence of the martyrdom of Fabianus, on the 13th of February, A. D. 250.
Editions
The two best editions of the collected works of Novatianus are those of Welchman (8vo. Oxon. 1724), and of
Jackson (8vo. Lond. 1728). The latter is in every respect superior, presenting us with an excellent text, very useful prolegomena, notes and indices.
The tracts De Trinitate and De Cibis Judaicis will be found in almost all editions of Tertullian from the Parisian impression of 1545 downwards.
Further Information
Hieronym.
de Viris Ill. 10; Philostorg.
H. E. 8.15; Euseb.
H.E. 6.43; Pacian.
Ep. 3; Ambros.
de Poen. 3.3; Cyprian.
Ep. 44, 45, 49, 50, 55, 68; Socrat.
H. E. 4.28, 5.22, and notes of Valesius; Sozomen.
H. E. 6.24; Lardner,
Credibility of Gospel History, c. xlvii; Schonemann,
Bibliotheca Patrum Lat. vol. 1.5; Bähr,
Geschicht. des Röm. Litterat. Suppl. Band. 2te Abtheil. §§ 23, 24; with regard to Novatus, see Cyprian.
Ep. 52.
[
W.R]
