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82 Credibility of the Guspel History.
thinks this agreed on all hands. But I do not know of any
ancient writers who call Novatus a stoic, though his philosophy
and eloquence be often mentioned by" them. Tillemont
was aware of this, and says, ' that " the ancients have
* not expressly said what was the philosophy which he pro-
* fessed : but we know that it was the stoic philosophy which
' taught that rigour, and that parity of sins, m hich Cyprian
' reproaches Novatus with.' And'" Du Pin is so cautious,
as to say no more than that Novatus had been a philosopher
before he was a christian. After the same manner speaks"
Frederic Spanheim.
Novatus was presbyter of the church of Rome : that is out
of question. But Cornelius does not inform us of the name of
the bishop by M'hom he was ordained :' it is ho^A ever very
probable that it was Fabian, or one of his near predecessors.
St. Jerom says that Novatus, Cyprian's presbyter, Avas the
first author of the sect which Novatus formed. St. Cyprian,
M'ho gives a very bad character of his presbyter, confirms y
that account ; making- him the principal cause of all the disturbances
that happened at Rome : and^ Pacian, who was
well acquainted with St. Cyprian's letters, writes to the
same purpose. But the Greek writers take no notice of this :
nor is there any mention of that African Novatus in the
fragments of Cornelius's letter to Fabius, which 1 have largely
transcribed.
Cornelius says, that in the time of the persecution Novatus
refused to comfort the brethren, though desired by the deacons
; and that he even disclaimed the character of a presbyter,
and in effect renounced the christian religion ; saying
that he was for another kind of philosophy. But it may be
" Jactet se licet, et philosophiam vel eloqiientiam suam superbis vocibus praedicet.
Cypr. Ep. 55. [al. 52.] p. 1 12. Quid ad hsec IVovatiaaus ? in pemiciem
fratrum lingua sua perstrepens, et facundiae venenatae jacula contorquens
raagis durus seciilaris philosophise pravitate, quam philosophias dominicae levi-
tate pacificus, &c. Id. Ep. 60. [Pam. 57.] p. 142. Ignosco tamen, frater, si
quid et tu de tuo auctore pi-sesumis, et Novatiani philosophiani, per quam ille
naufragium religionis incurrit, cum Hesiodi auctoritate conjungis. Pacian. ad
Sympson. Ep. 2. p. 308. C. ap. B.bl. Patr. T. iv. Ita tuus iste philosophus,
sapientiam suam quseiens statuere, &c. Id. Ibid. G.
" TiUemont, Saint Comeille, Art. iv. Mem. Ec. T. iii. P. iii. p. 15.
" B.b. des Aut. Ecc. Novatien. " Novatianus, ex pliilosopho etclinico
factus Romanae ecclesise presbyter, &c. Fr. Span. Hist. Ec. Sec. iii. p. 781.
y Idem est Novatus, qui apud nos primum discordiae et schismatis incendium
seminavil;— qui in ipsa persecutione ad evcrtendas fratrum mentesalia quaedam
persecutio nostris fiiit. Plane, quoniam pro magnrtudine sua debeat Carthaginem
Roma pnccedere, illic majora et graviora commisit. Qui istic adver-
sus ecclesiam diaconum fccerat, ilhc episcopiun fecit. Cypr. Ep. 52. [al.49.]
p. 97. ^ Ep. 3. p. 310. E. F. ap. Bibl. PP. T. iv.
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