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104 Credibility of the Gospel History.
quality. Possibly the loss of eye-sight discouraged his
accepting^ any offices civil or ecclesiastical. However, he
made a good improvement of his leisure : he stored his mind
with useful knowledge, and was communicative in conversation
as he had opportunity.
I do not here reckon Socrates and Sozomen among the
great men that have done honour to this sect; because,
though they sometimes speak favourable of them, and therefore
by some have been taken for Novatians, there is*^ good
reason to think they were catholics.
However, from the several instances that have been mentioned,
it may be inferred, that this people had among- them
not a few men of polite learning and fine accomplishments.
Though there Avere Novatians in some places at the latter
end of the sixth century, or afterwards, as we have seen, yet
it is probable that they declined after the middle of the fifth
century, if not sooner.
Socrates, having given an account of the ordination of
Cyril, Avho succeeded Theophilus at Alexandria in 412, says;
' From' that time the bishoprick of Alexandria exceeded
' the bounds of the priesthood, and exercised a kind of
' princely authority and government ; for Cyril immediately
' shut up the churches of the Novatians, and took away all
' their sacred vessels and ornaments : and as for their bishop
' Theopemptus, he deprived him of all he had.'
The same ecclesiastical historian, having mentioned the
names of several bishops of Rome, as Damasus, Siricius,
Anastasius, adds :
' After= Anastasius succeeded Innocent,
' who was the first that persecuted the Novatians at Rome,
' taking away from them many churches.' This pope Innocent''
was ordained in 401, and died in 417.
Afterwards Socrates writes to this purpose :
' After' Inno-
* cent, Zosimus governed the church of Rome for the space
' of two years : and after him Boniface presided in that
* church three years, who was succeeded by Celestinus.
' This*^ Celestinus also [as Innocent had begun to do] de-
* Vid. Vales, de Vita et Scriptis Socrafis atque Sozomeni ; et Basaag. Ann.
439. num. v. etTillem. Les Novafiens, Art. vii. Tom. iii. P. iii. p. 110.
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