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A Treatise Against the Heretic Novatian by an Anonymous Bishop

Anonymous

Section 3

About this work

Author: Anonymous

3. And I, beloved brethren,—as

‹ Section 2 Section 4 ›

I

not

heedlessly

meditate

these

things

,

and

not

in

harmony

with

human

wisdom

,

but

as

it

is

permitted

to

our

minds

by

the

condescension

of

the

heavenly

Lord

,

needfully

and

pertinently

to

conceive

,

—

say

that

dove

signifies

to

us

of

itself

a

double

type

.

Formerly

,

that

is

,

from

the

beginning

of

the

divine

administration

,

it

suggests

its

own

figure

,

the

first

indeed

and

chief

—

that

is

,

the

figure

of

the

Spirit

.

And

by

its

mouth

the

sacrament

of

baptism

which

is

provided

for

the

salvation

of

the

human

race

,

and

that

by

the

heavenly

plan

it

is

celebrated

in

the

Church

only

.

Moreover

,

three

times

sent

forth

from

the

ark

,

flying

about

through

the

air

over

the

water

,

it

already

signified

the

sacraments

of

our

Church

.

Whence

also

the

Lord

Christ

charges

upon

Peter

,

and

moreover

also

upon

the

rest

of

His

disciples

,

“

Go

ye

and

preach

the

Gospel

to

the

nations

,

baptizing

them

in

the

name

of

the

Father

,

and

of

the

Son

,

and

of

the

Holy

Ghost

.

”

That

is

,

that

same

Trinity

which

operated

figuratively

in

Noah’s

days

through

the

dove

,

now

operates

in

the

Church

spiritually

through

the

disciples

.

Notes

13
This passage is altogether corrupt and unintelligible: some force is necessary even to give it an appearance of meaning.
14
Matt. xxviii. 19. [For the next sentence see Acts ii. 33.]