History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene Christianity. A. D. 100-325

Note.—Among the pseudo-Cyprianic writings is a homily against dice-playing and all

games of chance (Adversus Aleatores, in Hartel’s ed. III. 92–103), which has been recently vindicated

for Bishop Victor of Rome (190–202), an African by birth and an exclusive high churchman. It is

written in the tone of a papal encyclical and in rustic Latin. See Harnack: 

Der pseudo-

cyprian

. Tractat De

Aleatoribus,

 Leipzig 1888. Ph. Schaff: The Oldest Papal Encyclical, in The Independent, N. York, Feb.

28, 1889.

§ 200. Novatian.

Comp. §58, p. 196 sq. and §183, p. 773.

(I.) Novatiani, Presbyteri Romani, Opera quae exstant omnia. Ed. by Gagnaeus (Par. 1545, in the

works of Tertullian); Gelenius (Bas. 1550 and 1562); Pamelius (Par. 1598); Gallandi (Tom

III.); Edw. Welchman (Oxf. 1724); J. Jackson (Lond. 1728, the best ed.); Migne (in "Patrol.

Lat." Tom. III. col. 861–970). Migne’s ed. includes the dissertation of Lumper and the

Commentary of Gallandi.

English translation by R. E. Wallis in Clark’s "Ante-Nicene Library," vol. II. (1869), p. 297–395;

Comp. vol. I. 85 sqq.

(II.) Euseb.: H. E. VI. 43, 44, 45. Hieron.: De Vir. ill. 66 and 70; Ep. 36 ad Damas.; Apol. adv. Ruf.

II. 19. Socrates: H. E. IV. 28. The Epistles Of Cyprian and Cornelius referring to the schism of

Novatian (Cypr. Ep. 44, 45, 49, 52, 55, 59, 60, 68, 69, 73). Epiphanius: Haer. 59; Socrates: H.

E IV. 28. Theodor.: Haer. Fab. III. 5. Photius Biblioth. 182, 208, 280.

(III.) Walch: 

Ketzerhistorie

 II. 185–288. Schoenemann: Biblioth. Hist. Lit. Patr. Latinorum, I. 135–142.

Lumper: Dissert. de Vita, Scriptis, et doctrina Nov., in Migne’s ed. III. 861–884. Neander, I.

237–248, and 687 (Am ed.) Caspari: 

Quellen zur Gesch. des Taufsymbols

, III. 428–430, 437–439. Jos.

Langen (Old Cath.): 

Gesch. der röm. Kirche

 (Bonn 1881), p. 289–314. Harnack; Novatian in Herzog2

X. (1882), p. 652–670. Also the works on Cyprian, especially Fechtrup. See Lit. § 199. On

Novatian’s doctrine of the trinity and the person of Christ see Dorner’s 

Entwicklungsgesch. der L. v. d.

Pers

. 

Christi

 (1851), I. 601–604. (

Dem

Tertullian

nahe stehend, von ihm abhängig, aber auch ihn verflachend ist

Novatian.")

Novatian, the second Roman anti-Pope (Hippolytus being probably the first), orthodox in

doctrine, but schismatic in discipline, and in both respects closely resembling Hippolytus and

Tertullian, flourished in the middle of the third century and became the founder of a sect called

after his name.

1558

559

 He was a man of unblemished, though austere character, considerable biblical

and philosophical learning, speculative talent, and eloquence.

1559

560

 He is moreover, next to Victor

and Minucius Felix, the first Roman divine who used the Latin Language, and used it with skill.

We may infer that at his time the Latin had become or was fast becoming the ruling language of

the Roman church, especially in correspondence with North Africa and the West; yet both Novatian

and his rival Cornelius addressed the Eastern bishops in Greek. The epitaphs of five Roman bishops

1558

Novatiani, in the East also 

Καθαροί, which is equivalent to Puritans.

1559

Jerome calls him and Tertullian eloquentissimi viri (Ad Dam. Ep. 36). Eusebius speaks unfavorably of him on account of

bis severe discipline, which seemed to deny mercy to poor sinners.

528

Philip Schaff

History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene

Christianity. A.D. 100-325.

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of the third century, Urbanus, Anteros, Fabianus, Lucius, and Eutychianus (between 223 and 283),

in the cemetery of Callistus are Greek, but the epitaph of Cornelius (251–253) who probably

belonged to the noble Roman family of that name, is Latin ("Cornelius Martyr E. R. X.")

1560

561

At, that time the Roman congregation numbered forty presbyters, seven deacons, seven

sub-deacons, forty-two acolytes, besides exorcists, readers and janitors, and an "innumerable

multitude of the people," which may have amounted perhaps to about 50,000 members.

1561

562

We know nothing of the time and place of the birth and death of Novatian. He was probably

an Italian. The later account of his Phrygian origin deserves no credit, and may have arisen from

the fact that he had many followers in Phrygia, where they united with the Montanists. He was

converted in adult age, and received only clinical baptism by sprinkling on the sick bed without

subsequent episcopal confirmation, but was nevertheless ordained to the priesthood and rose to the

highest rank in the Roman clergy. He conducted the official correspondence of the Roman see

during the vacancy from the martyrdom of Fabian, January 21, 250, till the election of Cornelius,

March, 251. In his letter to Cyprian, written in the name of "the presbyters and deacons abiding at

Rome,"

1562

563

 he refers the question of the restoration of the lapsed to a future council, but shows

his own preference for a strict discipline, as most necessary in peace and in persecution, and as

"the rudder of safety in the tempest."

1563

564

He may have aspired to the papal chair to which he seemed to have the best claim. But after

the Decian persecution had ceased his rival Cornelius, unknown before, was elected by a majority

of the clergy and favored the lenient discipline towards the Fallen which his predecessors Callistus

and Zephyrinus had exercised, and against which Hippolytus had so strongly protested twenty or

thirty years before. Novatian was elected anti-Pope by a minority and consecrated by three Italian

1560

On the subject of the official language of the Roman Church, see especially the learned and conclusive investigations of

Caspari,l.c. III. 430 sqq., and the inscriptions in De Rossi, Rom. sotter. I. 277 sqq., 293, and II. 76 sqq. Also Harnack: D.

Pseudo-Cyprian. Tractat D Aleatoribus, 1888. Cornelius was not buried officially by the Roman Church, but by private members

of the same.

1561

See the letter of Cornelius to Fabius, preserved by Euseb. VI. 33.

1562

Ep. XXX. of Cyprian (Oxf. and Hartel’s edd.). English version in "Ante-Nic. Libr., " Cyprian’s works, I. 85-92. That this

letter was written by Novatian, appears from Cyprian’s Ep. LV. (ad Antonianum) cap. 4, where Cyprian quotes a passage from

the same, and then adds "Additum est etiam Novatiano tunc scribente," etc.

1563

Ch. 2. Comp. also ch. 3, where he says: "Far be it from the Roman Church to slacken her vigor with so profane a facility,

and to loosen the nerves of her severity by overthrowing the majesty of faith; so that when the wrecks of your ruined brethren

are not only lying, but are falling around, remedies of a too hasty kind, and certainly not likely to avail, should be afforded for

Communion; and by a false mercy, new wounds should be impressed on the old wounds of their transgression; so that even

repentance should be snatched from there wretched beings, to their greater overthrow." And in ch. 7: "Whosoever shall deny

me before men, him will I also deny before my Father and before his angels. For God, as He is merciful, so He exacts obedience

to his precepts, and indeed carefully exacts it; and as be invites to the banquet, so the man that hath not a wedding garment be

binds hands and feet, and casts him out beyond the assembly of the saints. He has prepared heaven but he has also prepared hell.

He has prepared places of refreshment, but he has also prepared eternal punishment. He has prepared the light that none can

approach unto, but he has also prepared the vast and eternal gloom of perpetual night." At the close be favors an exception in

case of impending death of the penitent lapsed, to whom cautious help should be administered, "that neither ungodly men should

praise our smooth facility, nor truly penitent men accuse our severity as cruel." This letter relieves Novatian of the reproach of

being chiefly influenced in his schism by personal motives, as Pope Cornelius (Euseb. VI. 43), and Roman historians maintain

(also Harnack, in Herzog X. 661).

529

Philip Schaff

History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene

Christianity. A.D. 100-325.

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