The works of Nathaniel Lardner - The Christian Researcher - Home

NovATus. A. D. 251. 107
second an account of what he had said and written in
that controversy, Avhich had its rise in Ptolemais in Egypt
and therefore probably liad not been on foot above a year or
two, or three at the most. Therefore Sabellianisni was not
known in the West before the year 255, or 25G, or 257. This
argument needs not to be enlarged upon. I should think
that any man may perceive from the history of the third
century, particularly from Avhat we have written concerning*
Novatianism, that supposing Sabellianisni to have appeared
before 250, and allowing it likewise to have been at all dif-
ferent from the common and prevailing sentiment of christians
at that time, such was the vigilance of the bishops of
the church, Dionysius would have sent an account of it to
Rome long before 257. What a noise did Novatianism
make ! how many deputies were there sent to and fro ! what
a number of letters and treatises were there written upon
that subject in the space of a very few years ! I think then
that Dionysius's account of the rise of Sabellianisni is an
invincible argument that it did not appear in Egypt before
254, or 255, or 256. Therefore this book of Novatus could
not be written before 256, or 257. It is not very unlikely
that, soon after the first intelligence of this doctrine came to
Italy from Dionysius, or from some other person, Novatus,
much disliking it, composed this treatise of the Trinity : and
possibly he was as well qualified to treat the subject as any
man in the West.
If this argument needed any farther enlargement, it might
be added, that the catholics of Pentapolis, Avho disliked some
expressions of Dionysius in his writings against Sabellius,
laid their charges against him before his namesake of Rome,
Avhose episcopate began in 259 : therefore Dionysius had but
lately written in this controversy. If his work had been
published long- ago, these offended catholics would not have
deferred their accusations till 259, or 260, nor have chosen
to bring them to Dionysius of Rome, the ancient and honoured
friend and correspondent of him of Alexandria.
Nevertheless, Mr. Jackson thinks that^ the heresy of Sabel-
lius began about 220, that is, 30 years before the schism at
Rome ; consequently Cave is mistaken no less than thirty
and seven years concerning the time of Sabellius.
Mr. Jackson w ould support his opinion by the chronicles
^ Et tandem exhinc apparet, triginta circiter esse annos inter schisma Nova-
tiani et incceptam haeresin Sabellii ; et Cavius rations temporis erravit fere
triginta et septem annos. lb. p. 18.
;