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110 CredibilUy of the Gospel History.
4. There is still another letter, written before the end of
the same year to Cyprian. These two letters are among*'*
Cypriai\,'s. But it is not so certain that Novatus had the
chief hand in penning* this, as the former. Mr. Jackson,
however, has done well in publishing it together with the
other things ascribed to Novatus.
5. In these pieces there is not, that I remember, any thing
concerning the particular sentiment which Novatus is supposed
to have maintained after his episcopal ordination ; or
relating- to the differences between him and some other
christians : yet surely there must have been such things.
It may be argued from^ Cyprian's letters: and' Jerom
speaks of epistles of Novatus that were schismatical.
6. St. Jerom in his Catalogue, among other works of
Novatus, mentions two m ith these titles. Of Easter, Of Circumcision.
And in the Appendix to St. Jerom's works,
there are two treatises, or epistles, without the name of the
author; one entitled. Of the Celebration of Easter ; the other,
Of the true Circumcision. The former of these is now allowed
to be° St. Augustine's, and is published^' among' his letters:
as for the other, it is generally allowed to be the Avork of
some later author than Novatus, forasmuch as here is express
mention made of the Manicheans and Arians: nor is there'
any good reason to take it for a work of St. Jerom : it must
therefore be looked upon as the composition of some anonymous
writer : whose time is uncertain. I shall take notice
of a few things observable in it.
1. Here are many quotations of the books of the Old and
New Testament, or references to them.
2. The author several times quotes the first'' chapter of
St. Matthew's gospel.
Augusto exeunte, clems Romanus scribit ad Cyprianum.—Sunt autem hae
cleri Romani literae praeclare scripte, et Uteris ipsuis Cypriani pene aequandae:
ex qiiibus de ingenio et eloquentia Novatiani judicium teiTi potest. Hie enim
banc epistolam exaravit. Pearson, Ann. Cypr. 250. n. xvi. Conf. Pagi Crit.
230. n. xii.
•> Ap. Cypr. Ep. 30, 36. [al. 30, 31.]
* Sed enim supervenerunt postmodum aliae literce tuae,—in quibus animadverti
animum tuum Novatiani Uteris motum nutare ccepisse, &c. Cypr. ad
Ant. Ep. 55. [al. 52.] p. 101. et passim. ' simulque epistolas
Novatiani, ut, dum schismatici hominis venena cognoscimus, libentius sancti
martyris Cypriani bibamus antidotmn. Hieron. ad Paul. Concord. Ep.
10. [al. 21.] p. 17. in Ed. Bened. Ego Origenem propter eruditionem sic
interdum legendum arbitror, quomodo Tertullianum, Novatum, Arnobium,
Apollinarium ; &c. Id. ad Tranquill. Ep. 56. [al. 76.] 589. f.
8 Vid. Martian. Annotat. ap. Hieronym. T. v. p. 175.
" Augustin. Ep. hb. 2. Ep. 55. Bened. [al. 119. T. ii.]
* Vid. Censuram epistolaede vera Circumcisione, apud Hieron. T. v. p. 150.
'' Foris scriptus est, cum evangelista ait : Liber generationis Jesu Christi,