The works of Nathaniel Lardner - The Christian Researcher - Home

NovATus. A. D. 251. 109
How detestable his schism was I cannot say, though I do
not justify his conduct: for, whatever pretensions he might
have to the chair of Rome, on account of his eminent learning",
or uncommon services, or the expectations given him,
possibly by a large number of the clergy and people of that
church ; yet, when another was chosen, as'' Cyprian observes,
it might be his duty to acquiesce. Nor is it unlikely that
as good books as this of Novatus upon the Trinity have been
written by men who have had false apprehensions of the
divine goodness and mercy in some respects. Finally, I
wonder why Mr. Jackson should make a question of Novatus
writing-, at any time, a book upon the catholic principles
about the Trinity, when there appear not any traces of a
difference upon this point between him and his followers,
and the catholics of that time. It is not unlikely that Novatus
was from the beginning-, and always contiiuied to be,
as orthodox in that, and most other matters, as christians
generally were in that age.
Upon the whole, I believe there are very few but must be
of opinion that this treatise, the principal remaining" work of
Mr. Jackson's author, was not written till somewhile after
his detestable schism, as Mr. Jackson calls it.
I cannot forbear observing here, though it is not necessary,
that several of the ancient writers concernino" heresies confirm
the more common opinion of the time of Sabellianism, par-
ticularly Epiphanius and Augustine : their order is this
Noetians, Valesians, Novatians, Angelics, Apostolics, Sabellians.
They supposed therefore that Novatianism sprang" up
in the space of time between Noetus and Sabellius.
From what has been said, the conclusion is very evident
that the earliest probable date of this work is that assigned
by Cave, which is the year 257, several years after the author's
episcopal ordination.
3. Beside these two treatises, which we suppose to be the
same that are mentioned by Jerom, there is extant a letter
of the Roman clerg"y to Cyprian, written during the vacancy
of the see after the death of Fabian, in August, 250. It is
allowed that'' Novatus drew up this epistle, and*" it is much
commended,
* Factus est autem Cornelius episcopus de Dei et Christi ejus judicio, de
clericonun pene omnium testimonio, de plebis quBe tum affuit suffragio,—cum
nemo ante se factus esset, cum Fabiani locus vacaret.—Quisquis jam episcopus
fieri voluerit, foris fiat necesse est ; nee habeat ecclesiasticam ordina
tionem qui ecclesiae non tenet unitatem ; quisquis ille fuerit, multum de se licet
jactans, et sibi plurimiun vindicans. Cypr. Ep. 55. [al. 52.] p. 104.
*" Additum est etiam, Novatiano tunc scribente, et, quod scrip.serat, sua voce
recitante, &c. Cypr. ad Antonian. Ep. 55. [al. 52.] p. 102.