Opening the library…

Search the Bible

A Treatise Against the Heretic Novatian by an Anonymous Bishop

Anonymous

Section 2

About this work

Author: Anonymous

2. Why, therefore, shouldst thou be lifted

‹ Section 1 Section 3 ›

up

with

vain

things

?

Thou

wilt

gain

loss

rather

than

profit

.

Why

,

from

the

very

fact

that

thou

art

become

poorer

,

believest

thou

thyself

rich

?

Hear

in

the

Apocalypse

the

Lord’s

voice

rebuking

thee

with

righteous

reproaches

:

“

Thou

sayest

,

”

says

He

,

“

I

am

rich

,

and

increased

with

goods

,

and

have

need

of

nothing

;

and

knowest

not

that

thou

art

wretched

,

and

miserable

,

and

blind

,

and

poor

,

and

naked

.

”

Let

him

think

for

certain

that

he

possesses

these

riches

of

poverty

,

whoever

he

may

be

,

that

,

forsaking

the

Church

of

Christ

,

with

his

darkened

reason

does

not

shrink

from

being

turned

to

those

rash

leaders

of

schisms

and

authors

of

dissension

,

whom

John

calls

antichrists

,

whom

the

Evangelist

likens

to

chaff

,

whom

the

Lord

Christ

characterizes

as

thieves

and

robbers

,

as

He

Himself

declares

in

the

Gospel

,

saying

that

“

he

who

entereth

not

by

the

door

into

the

sheep

-

fold

,

but

goeth

down

by

some

other

way

,

the

same

is

a

thief

and

a

robber

.

”

Moreover

,

in

the

same

He

also

says

,

“

All

who

have

come

are

thieves

and

robbers

.

”

Who

are

such

but

the

deserters

of

the

faith

,

and

the

transgressors

of

God’s

Church

,

who

strive

against

God’s

ordinance

;

whom

the

Holy

Spirit

rightly

rebukes

by

the

prophet

,

saying

,

“

Ye

have

taken

counsel

,

but

not

by

me

;

and

have

made

a

confederacy

,

but

not

by

my

Spirit

,

to

add

sin

to

sin

.

”

What

now

can

those

most

perverse

friends

of

Novatian

,

even

now

the

most

unhappy

few

,

reply

to

these

things

,

who

have

broken

forth

to

such

a

folly

of

madness

as

to

have

no

reverence

either

for

God

or

man

?

Among

them

,

shamelessly

,

and

without

any

law

of

ordination

,

the

episcopate

is

sought

after

;

but

among

us

in

its

own

Sees

,

and

in

those

of

the

throne

delivered

to

it

by

God

,

it

is

renounced

.

There

the

Truth

says

,

“

They

reject

me

,

that

they

may

sacrifice

to

me

;

nor

do

they

offer

the

holy

oblations

of

the

children

of

Israel

,

nor

do

they

approach

to

offer

the

holy

of

holies

,

but

they

shall

receive

their

ignominy

in

the

error

wherein

they

have

erred

.

”

Let

it

be

enough

in

a

few

words

to

have

proved

what

they

are

.

Hear

,

therefore

,

O

Novatians

,

among

whom

the

heavenly

Scriptures

are

read

rather

than

understood

;

well

,

if

they

are

not

interpolated

.

For

your

ears

are

closed

,

and

your

hearts

darkened

,

seeing

that

ye

admit

no

light

from

spiritual

and

saving

warnings

;

as

Isaiah

says

,

“

The

servants

of

God

are

blinded

.

”

And

deservedly

blinded

,

because

the

desire

of

schismatics

is

not

in

the

law

;

which

law

points

out

to

us

the

one

and

only

Church

in

that

ark

to

wit

,

which

was

fashioned

,

by

the

providence

of

God

,

under

Noah

before

the

deluge

,

in

which

—

to

answer

you

quickly

,

O

Novatian

—

we

find

that

there

were

shut

up

not

only

clean

animals

,

but

also

unclean

;

which

ark

was

saved

alone

,

with

those

who

were

in

it

,

whereas

the

other

things

which

were

not

found

therein

perished

in

the

deluge

.

From

that

ark

there

were

loosed

two

birds

,

a

raven

and

a

dove

;

and

this

raven

truly

bore

the

figure

or

type

of

impure

men

,

and

men

who

would

be

in

perpetual

darkness

through

the

world’s

broad

road

,

and

of

apostates

who

should

arise

,

feeding

on

unclean

things

,

and

not

turning

themselves

eventually

to

the

Church

;

and

as

we

read

,

we

find

that

it

was

sent

forth

,

and

returned

no

more

.

Whoever

should

be

found

to

resemble

this

bird

,

then

,

that

is

,

the

impure

spirit

,

will

no

more

be

able

to

return

to

the

Church

,

seeing

that

the

Lord

will

forbid

them

,

even

if

they

should

wish

it

,

as

He

commanded

Moses

,

saying

,

“

Everything

leprous

and

impure

,

cast

abroad

outside

the

camp

.

”

But

the

dove

sent

forth

that

returned

,

is

signified

by

the

man

who

does

not

delay

,

because

he

would

have

no

rest

for

his

feet

.

And

Noah

received

it

into

the

ark

;

and

when

it

was

sent

forth

again

on

the

seventh

day

,

received

it

,

bearing

in

its

mouth

an

olive

leaf

.

Notes

2
Rev. iii. 17.
3
John x. 1.
4
John x. 8.
5
Isa. xxx. 1.
6
Infelicissimi. This is supposed to be a play upon the name of Felicissimus, referred to in Cyprian’s letter, [xlviii. p. 325, supra].
7
[Ep. xl. p. 319, supra: et alibi.]
8
Ezek. xliv. 10–13.
9
[See p. 602, note 12, supra.]
10
Isa. xlii. 19.
11
Varium.
12
Num. v. 2.