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94 CredibiliUj of the Gospel History.
from Africa to Rome, and there drew Novatiis, presbyter of
that city, into his measures ; or as they express it, separated
him from the church. Moses, who before was intimate with
Novatus, hereupon shows his dislike of him, and of five other
presbyters, of the same sentiments and measures. Moses
dies soon after. When the persecution abated, the disturbance
broke out, upon account of the election of a bishop at
Rome.
But here, in my opinion, arises a very considerable difficulty.
Moses is supposed to have died at Rome in January,
or February, 251, and before his death to have shown a
dislike of Novatus, and five other presbyters of Rome, on
account of measures they had been led into by Novatus,
presbyter of Carthage, lately arrived there. But' Tillemont
shows it to be very probable that Novatus, Cyprian's presbyter,
was yet in Africa in February, if not also in March,
the same year. And I own it seems to me most probable
that he must have been at Carthage in the month of March
how then is it possible that he should have misled those
presbyters at Rome before the death of Closes ?
I beg leave therefore to mention a thought, to be considered
and examined by the curious : it seems to me that
too much regard is paid to w hat Cyprian writes of his presbyter
Novatus, as if he had been the chief author of all the
disturbances at Rome. For the Greek writers, who appear
to be well acquainted with the Novatian sect, say nothing of
nor does Cornelius in the fragments
this African Novatus ;
of his letter to Fabian of Antioch, preserved in Eusebius,
take any notice of him. Indeed Cornelius, in a^ letter to
Cyprian, mentions this person among other legates iii the
second deputation sent by his rival from Rome to Africa;
but he does not lay any thing" particularly to his charge
and he there'' actually calls another person author of the
schism. It is apparent, from Cyprian's answer to that letter,
that' Cornelius had never sent him any account of the con-
venit, et separavit ab ecclesia Novatianum. Quare Novatianiim, antea sibi
maxime familiarem, Moyses presbyter et confessor illustns, adhuc superstes,
sed paulo ante mortem, a communione sua separavit, ut habet Cornelius epis-
tola ad Fabium Antiochensem cpiscopum, apud Eusebium. lib. vi. cap. 43.
Moyses autem paulo post moritur in carcere, hoc ipso mense exeunte. Pagi
Cnt. 251. n. xiv. ' See Tillem. Mem. Ec. Corneille, Art. 3. note iii.
K Puto Nicostratum, et Novatum, et Euaristum, et Primura, et Dionysium
illo jam pervenisse. Invigiletur ergo, &c. Com. ad Cyprian, ap. Cypr. Ep.
.50.
'
[al. 48.]
Nam de Novato nihil inde ad nos fuerat nuntiandum, cum magis per nos
vobLs debcat Novatus ostendi, rerura novarum semper cupidus, &c. Cyprian
Ep. 52. [al. 49.] p. 96.
'' Euaristum vero auctorem schismtitLs fukse, &c. lb.
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