Novatian's Works

This episode presents two of the writings of Novatian. He was a presbyter in Rome who lived from A.D. 210 to 280. After the Decian persecution ended in 251, and many who sacrificed to the Roman gods sought to return to the Church, Novatian refused to accept the election of Cornelius as bishop in Rome because, among other things, Conelius was willing to restore these Lapsed believers to communion. He and his followers thus created a schism in the Church and claimed the name Puritan for their new party, refusing to accept those who had denied Christ under persecution.

The first of these works is a short epistle written by Novatian to his followers during the Decian persecution, placing it before the schism. It briefly deals with the question of how one ought to understand the Old Testament Law and what sort of food was right to eat.

The second work, On the Trinity, may have been written in 257, but also does not address the schism or the Lapsed. Rather, it was written to combat heresy and demonstrate from Scripture that Christ was both God and Man. In particular, it appears that Novatian was combating two heresies: the idea that Jesus and the Father were the same person and that Jesus was only human. Novatian’s argument, relying heavily on the Bible, ends up with a formulation that resembles the Nicene Creed.

Aside from being an example of the discussions and debates surrounding the nature of Christ that were common in the Early Church period, this work also serves to remind us today that common doctrine and the authority of Scripture are not enough to guarantee ecclesiastical unity. The Church has divided over moral issues, political issues, and cultural issues just as easily as doctrinal ones throughout the ages.

If you would like to read more of the writings of the Early Christian Fathers, please visit ccel.org to view the full collection.