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78 Credibility of the Gospel History.
his exile, as he says he had done before upon his ordination
and confession. In another letter, written afterwards to Pope
Stephen, Cyprian' calls Lucius a martyr; but that word is
not here to be understood strictly ;
Lucius was only a confessor.
for, properly speaking,
AVe know of no writings of Lucius'' but such as are
ascribed to him without fiTound,
CHAP. XLVIL
NOVATUS, OTHERWISE CALLED NOVATIAN
I. His history. IL His and hisfollowers' peculiar opinions.
in. The time oj' his taking up his particular sentiment.
IV. History of his followers. V. His xcorks. VI. His
character. VII. His testimony to the hooks oj' the JSTew
Testament. VIII. Scriptures received by the Novatians,
hisjbllowers.
ST. JEROM'S chapter of '^ Novatus, next following that of
Dionysius of Alexandria, being short, I shall transcribe it
here entire :
' Novatus,'^ presbyter of the city of Rome, hav-
' ing endeavoured to invade the episcopal chair in opposi-
* tion to Cornelius, formed the sect of the Novatians, whom
' the Greeks call pure ; not allowing apostates to be received,
' though they repent. The first author of this rigid princi-
' pie was Novatus, Cyprian's presbyter. His works are such
' as these ; Of Easter, Of the Sabbath, Of Circumcision, Of
duces vos denuo ad suos fecerit benigna Domini et larga protectio. Cypr. Ep.
6L [al. 58.] init. ' Servandus est enim antecessorum nostrorum
beatoairn martyrum Comelii et Lucii honor gloriosus. llli enim pleni
Spiritu Dei et in glorioso martvrio constituti dandam esse lapsis pacem censue-
runt. Ep. G8. [al. 67.] p. 17'9. " Vid. Basnag. ibid. n. xiv.
^ Of Novatus.] He is now generally called Novatian : but I hope to show
at the end of this chapter, that his true name is Novatus.
** Novatianus Romanae urbis presbyter, adversus Comelium calhedram
sacerdotalem conatus invadere. Novatianorum, quod Graece dicitur KoBapwv
[al. Ko^apov] dogma constituit, nolens apostatas suscipere pcenitentes. Hujus
auctor Novatus, Cypriani presbyter, fuit. Scripsit autem de Pascha, de Sab-
bato, de Circumcisione, de Sacerdote, de Oratione, de Cibis Judaicis, de In-
stantia, de Atlalo, multaque alia, et de Trinitate grande volumen, quasi txtrojutjv
operis Tertulliani faciens; quod plerique nescientes, Cypriani existimant
Ilieron. de Vir. 111. cap. 70.