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NovATus. A. D. 251. 89
say" Pacian, aiul'^ Socrates, and the' authorof the Questions
out of the Old and New Testament, and'' St. Ambrose, that
the Novatians did not allow the church a right to pardon
mortal sins, or greater sins, committed after baptism. And
St. Ambrose will have it that' Novatus was more rigid than
his followers, refusing pardon to sins, small as well as great.
Theodoret therefore says, that among the Novatians repentance
is not to be mentioned: and Cyprian in" very strong
terms calls Novatus not only a deserter of the church, but an
enemy ofmercy, a murderer of repentance, a teacher of pride,
a corrupter of truth, and a destroyer of charity.
This then was the heresy of Novatus ; the principle by
which he and his people were distinguished from other
christians : for Avhich they arrogated to themselves, (as"
"^ Eusebius, andP Augustine, and'* Ambrose, and other writers
intimate,) or received from their adversaries, by way of derision,
the denomination of pure, or puritans.
Nor does it appear that Novatus went into any other error
of moment; for Cyprian is not unwilling to allow that^ he
agreed with catholic christians upon the doctrine of the
Trinity. Sozomen, the ecclesiastical historian, says this* Avas
the only innovation made by the founder of the Novatian
sect, not to receive penitents to communion : and he adds,
that** they celebrated Easter at the same time with the Ro-
8 Tractatiis omiiis Novatianorum, quem ad me confertis undique propositionibus
destinasti, Symproniane frater, hoc continet: quod post Laptisinum
poenitere non liceat : quod mortale peccatum ecclesia donare non possit ; inio
quod ipsa pereat recipiendo peccantes. Pacian. Ep. 3. init.
*" Ev KaicFapiK} ttjq KaTnraSoKiag thq [lera to ^aTTTiafia r'ifiapTrjKOTaQ i%-
(uQsai rrjQ Koivcoviag, wg oi 'Navanavot. Socrat. L. v. c. 22. p. 288. B.
' Novatianus, majora, inquit, crimina nominatim remitti prohibentur, id
estj-idololatria et fornicatio post lavacrum. Qu. cii. August. T. iii.
^ Sed aiunt se, exceptis gravioribus criminibus, relaxare veniam levioiibus.
Non hoc quidem auctor vestri erroris Novatianus, qui nemini pcenitentiam dandam
putavit. Ambr. de Pcenit. 1. iii. c. 3. p. 393. B.
' Ita nee Novatianus probatur, qui veniam interchisit omnibus. Ambros.
ib. vid. et not. ''. " Kai TraJTtXwg tov Tt]Q [liTavoiag tujv oikuwv
ffv\\oytii)v i^opi^Hffi \oyov. Theod. H. F. 1. iii. cap. 5.
" —deserter ecclesiae, misericordiae hostis, interfector poenitentias, doctor
juperbiae, veritatis corruptor, perditor caritatis. Cypr. ad Com. Ep. 60. [al.
57.] p. 142. " Ka0ap«e tavrng a7ro(pr]vavTwv. 1. vi. cap. 43. init.
P Cathari, qui seipsos isto nomine quasi propter munditiara superbissime
atque odiosissime nominant. Augustine. Haer. 38.
'* Ut sunt doctores Novatianorum, qui mundos se appellant. Ambr. ib. 1.
1. cap. 1. p. 390. Eulog. ap. Phot. Cod. 280. p. 1620. v. 50.
' Quod vero eumdem quem et nos Deiuii Patrem, eumdem Filium, eumdem
Spiritum Sanctum, nosse dicuntur, nee hoc adjuvare tales potest. Ep. 69. [al.
76.] p. 183. ' tiavarog fitvyaft, 6g «pxJjyoc EytvtTo rrjg wptatwg,
rag fterctfieXufityHg £7ri Toig aj.iapTi]fia(nv ug Koivioviav 8 TrpotruTo, koi TetTO
[tovov sKctiyoTOfiei. Sozom. 1. vi. cap. 24. p. 670. A. " Ibid.