A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.

NOVATIAN. * 1.1

NOvatian, who had been a Philosopher before he was a Christian, was, as we have hinted already, Baptized in his Bed, being dangerously ill. He was afterwards ordained Priest of the Church of Rome, at the instance of his Bishop, who obtained this Favour for him from the Clergy and People, who would have opposed it. Cornelius accuses him for absconding in a Chamber during the Persecution, and for answering the Deacons, who desired him to go out and Baptize some Catechumens, That he would not be a Priest any longer, but that he would follow another sort of Philosophy. Being Master of a great deal of Wit, Knowledge and Eloquence, he might have been very serviceable to the Church, if his Ambition to be a Bishop, which was, in a manner, the sole occasion of the Apostacy of the first Heresiarchs, had not carried him to a Separation. After the Death of Pope Fabian, he wrote in the Name of the Clergy of Rome, a very Elegant Letter to St. Cyprian, which is the thirtieth amongst those of that Father, and he still continued in the Communion of the Church during the Va∣cancy of that See. But as soon as Cornelius was chosen in Fabius's room, pushed forward by his Envy and Jealousie, he attacked his Ordination, accused him of several Crimes, and published a Libel against him. The principal Plea he made use of, was, That Cornelius admitted those who had been guilty of Idolatry to Communion; and to make the best advantage of this Accusation, he maintained, That we never ought to suffer those Persons to participate of the Communion, who had fallen into Idolatry. So he separated from Cornelius, and from those who believed, that the Church might receive them again. The greater part of those who had suffered Couragiously for the Faith of Jesus Christ, not being able to endure that others, who had not shewn the same Constancy and Resolution, should (if I may use the Expression) stand on the same level with themselves, embraced his Party, together with some Priests. Novatus, a Priest of Afric, who had raised great Feuds against St. Cyprian at Carthage, joyned himself to Novatian, and brought with him those of his own Faction. a 1.2 It was he who gave him that per∣nicious Advice to get himself Ordained Bishop. Novatian, the better to execute this design, sent two of his own Cabal to three simple ignorant Bishops, who lived in a small Province of Italy, and prevailed with them to come to Rome, under a pretence of accommodating Affairs, and putting a stop to some Divisions. As soon as these three Bishops were come to Rome, he shut them up in a Chamber, and caused himself to be ordained Bishop of Rome by them, about Ten a Clock at Night, and this, after he had made them drunk, if we may believe Cornelius. Immediately after his Ordination he dispatched two Letters to the Bishops of the other Provinces, and sent some Deputies into Afric to get his Ordination approved: But the African Bishops rejected his Deputies, and ratified Cornelius's Ordination. The rest of the Bishops also adhered to Cornelius: And one of the three who had ordained Novatian, acknow∣ledged his Fault, and did Penance for it. The Confessors gave him up to Cornelius, who having got him condemned in a Synod of Sixty Bishops, wholly turned him out of the Church. He continued however still to teach this Doctrine, That the Church neither could nor ought to admit those to the Com∣munion who had Apostatized: And as this Severity pleased abundance of People, so he became the Head of a Heresie, which disturbed the Peace of the Church for a very long time.

Besides, this Letter which he writ before his Separation in the name of the Clergy of Rome, St. Jerome tells us, he composed the following Treatises, viz. of the Passover, the Sabbath, Circumcision, the High Priest, Prayer, Jewish Meals; of Firmness of Mind with relation to Attalus, and many more, together with a great Volume about the Trinity, which is, as it were, an abridgment of Tertullian's Work, that has been by several persons attributed to St. Cyprian; not that Tertullian made a Book expresly about the Trinity, but because he had borrowed whatever he says out of the Books of Tertullian upon the Trinity. We have none of these Works under the Name of Novatian, but 'tis extremely probable, that the Treatise of the Trinity, and that of the Jewish Meats, that are to be found in Tertullian, are the same which St. Jerome attributed to Novatian.

And indeed, as for the Book of the Trinity, Ruffinus observes, that it was not composed by St. Cyprian, under whose Name it went, but by Tertullian. St. Jerome, who saw farther into this matter than Ruf∣finus, takes notice in the Apology which he has composed against him, that it was not written by Ter∣tullian, but by Novatian. There are several Reasons which make it evidently appear, that the Book we now have, is the very same with that mentioned by St. Jerome and Ruffinus. For in the first place, it carries the same Title. Secondly, it imitates Tertullian, and uses his Arguments. Thirdly, the Style of it is polite enough, and the Terms very pure. Fourthly, we find some Passages there against the Di∣vinity of the Holy Ghost, a Fault which Ruffinus and St. Jerome observe to have been in the Book of the Trinity, which they cited, and which might have been inserted afterwards by the Macedonians. For this Author establishes very Orthodox Principles concerning the Mystery of the Trinity, which prove the Divinity of the Holy Ghost, as well as that of the Son.

It is very probable likewise, that the Treatise about Jewish Meats, attributed to Tertullian, belongs to Novatian, as well by reason of the conformity of the Style, as because the Author observes in the

beginning, that he wrote two Letters, wherein he demonstrated, that the Jews knew not what is the true Circumcision, or what is the true Sabbath. All which agrees with Novatian, who, according to * 1.3 St. Jerome, wrote two Treatises upon the same Subjects.

The Design of this Treatise is to shew, That the Animals forbidden to be eaten by the Mosaical Law, were not absolutely, and in themselves impure. To demonstrate the Truth of this Assertion, he tells us, that the Fruits of Trees were the first Nourishment of Mankind; that afterwards they eat the Flesh of Animals; that the Law came in afterwards, which made a distinction between those Crea∣tures that might be eaten, and those that were prohibited; that under this Dispensation they were called Unclean, not because they were really so in their own Nature, since they were the Creatures of God, but first, to instruct Men to avoid the Vices that were figured, and b 1.4 represented by these Ani∣mals; and in the second place, to serve as a Remedy against Intemperance; that Jesus Christ, who is the end and accomplishment of the Law, has given liberty to Men to eat of all sorts of Meats, provided they don't violate the bounds of Christian Sobriety; and from thence he takes occasion to reprove the Irregularities and Disorders of some Christians, who lived intemperately. He observes; that this is by no means fitting for those Persons who are to pray Night and Day. At last, out of the num∣ber of Meats that are permitted to be eaten, he excepts those that have been offered to Idols, from which the Primitive Christians abstained very Religiously; and he concludes all with these Words, that are an Abridgment of his whole Discourse: Having therefore shewn what is the nature of Meats; (for he had before discovered the Genius of the Mofaical Law, and explained the nature of the Evangelical Liberty)

Let us live up to the Rules of Temperance, and abstain from things Offered to Idols, giving thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ his Son, to whom be Praise, Honour and Glory forever and ever. Amen.

Some think that Novatian writ this Letter during the Persecution of Decius, before he had separated from the Church; but his way of speaking, at the beginning, makes me rather believe, that it was composed after he became Chief of the Party, in the Persecution of Gallus and Volusian. This Author has abundance of Wit, Knowledge and Eloquence; his Style is pure, clean and polite; his Expressions choice, his Thoughts natural, and his way of Reasoning just: He is full of Citations of Texts of Scrip∣ture that are always to the purpose; and besides, there is a great deal of Order and Method in those Treatises of his we now have, and he never speaks but with a world of Candor and Moderation.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Novatian.
• a 1.2

  It was he who gave him that pernicious Ad∣vice.] St. Cyprian in his 41st Epistle tells us, That Novatus had ordained a Bishop of Rome, as one Fe∣licissimus a Priest had done one at Carthage; not that he made them so himself, for he was no Bishop, but because he had made him so by his Counsels and Faction.
• * 1.3

  St. Marti∣alis.
• b 1.4

  Represented by these Animals.] As for Exam∣ple, he says, that the Prohibition of eating Swines∣flesh is to intimate to us, that we are not to lead a Carnal Life: That when we are forbidden to eat Weasils, the meaning is, we are forbidden to Steal; that by Crows Pleasures are signified, &c.