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NovATus. A. D. 251. 115
" Who being in the form of God, did not earnestly seek to
be like God ;" or, " to be equal with God." ' Philip, ii.
6—12. That Novatus understood this text after that manner,
was shown" formerly.
7. '• For w hether, says° the apostle, " they be thrones, or
dominions, or principalities, or powers, things visible and
invisible, by him all things consist," ' Col. i. 16, 17.
8. There are not in Novatus any passages taken out of the
first or second epistle to the Thessalonians.
9. ' TheP apostle Paul also : " Who only," says he, " hath
immortality, and dwelleth in the light which no man can
approach unto," ' 1 Tim. vi. 16.
10. ' AndT Christ is said to be " one Master," ' Matt, xxiii.
8, 10. ' but yet we read that the apostle Paul also is a
" master," ' or teacher, 2 Tim. i. 11.
11. ' "^ Under whom [Christ] it is now rightly said : "To
' the pure all things are pure,—
" Titus i. 15.
12. The epistle to Philemon is no where quoted, or referred
to, in the remaining works of Novatus.
13. With regard to the epistle to the Hebrews, I shall take
what may deserve any notice in this writer. He observes,
' It is^ assured of Christ, both by prophets and apostles, that
he sitteth at the right hand of the Father,' See Heb. i. 3.
But this is so often spoken of in the New Testament, in the
gospels. Acts, and epistles, that it cannot ati'ord any argument
for the epistle to the Hebrews. Again, he says, ' that*
Christ is found to be greater and better not than one angel
only, but than all the angels.' See Heb. i. 4, " Being made
so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance
obtained a more excellent name than they." But this too is
often said in the New Testament, as Eph. i. 21 ; Philip, ii.
10; Col. 16— 18 : and therefore here is no proof of a reference
to the epistle to the Hebrews. Mr. Hallet, having
allowed that St. Cyprian and our Novatus had not quoted
cap. 22. [al. 17.] p. 173, 174, 175. Hie ergo, quamvis esset in forma Dei,non
est rapinam arbitratus sequalem se Deo esse. p. 176. vid. etiam quae ibidem
sequimtur. et p. 177, 178. " See p. 38.
° Sive enim, inquit apostolus, Ihroni, sive dominationes, sive virtutes, sive
potestates, visibilia et invisibilia, omnia per ipsum constant, cap. 13. p. 94.
p Apostolus quoque Paulus : Qui solus, mquit, habet immortalitatem, &c.
cap. 30. p. 230. "i Et raagister unus Christus est dictus ; at enim
legimus, quod magister sit etiam apostolus Paulus. ib. p. 233.
" Subquo merito jam dicitur: Omnia munda mundis. De Cib. Jud. cap.
5. p. 273. * Aut cum sedere ad dextram patris et a prophetis et ab
apostolis approbatur. De Reg. Fid. cap. 26. p. 201.
' Qui non uno, sed omnibus angelis et major et melior invenitur. ib. cap.
20. [al. 25.] p. 162.
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