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A Treatise Against the Heretic Novatian by an Anonymous Bishop

Anonymous

A Treatise Against the Heretic Novatian by an Anonymous Bishop.

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Author: Anonymous

A Treatise Against the Heretic Novatian by an Anonymous Bishop.

That the Hope of Pardon Should Not Be Denied to the Lapsed.

And indeed the Lord had foretold that many

Section 1 ›

should

come

as

ravening

wolves

in

the

skins

of

sheep

.

Who

are

those

ravening

wolves

but

such

as

conspire

with

treacherous

intent

to

waste

the

flock

of

Christ

?

As

we

read

it

written

in

Zechariah

:

“

Lo

,

I

raise

up

a

shepherd

in

the

land

,

who

shall

not

visit

that

which

is

turned

away

,

and

will

eat

the

flesh

of

the

chosen

,

and

tear

their

claws

in

pieces

.

”

Similarly

also

in

Ezekiel

he

rebukes

shepherds

of

this

kind

,

to

wit

,

robbers

and

butchers

(

I

will

speak

as

he

had

thought

)

,

saying

,

“

O

shepherds

,

wherefore

do

ye

drink

the

milk

,

and

eat

up

the

curdled

milk

,

and

have

brought

that

which

is

strong

to

nothing

,

and

have

not

visited

the

weak

,

have

not

healed

the

halting

,

and

have

not

recalled

the

wandering

,

and

have

permitted

my

people

to

wander

among

thorns

and

briers

?

For

these

things

,

says

the

Lord

,

lo

,

I

will

come

against

the

shepherds

,

and

I

will

require

my

sheep

of

their

hands

;

and

I

will

drive

them

away

,

that

they

may

not

feed

my

sheep

;

and

my

sheep

shall

no

more

be

for

them

to

devour

,

and

I

will

seek

them

out

as

a

shepherd

his

flock

in

the

day

in

which

there

shall

be

darkness

and

cloud

.

Thus

I

will

seek

out

my

sheep

,

and

I

will

seek

them

out

in

every

place

wherever

they

are

scattered

;

and

I

will

seek

out

what

had

perished

,

and

I

will

recall

what

had

wandered

,

and

what

had

halted

I

will

heal

,

and

what

is

weak

I

will

watch

over

;

and

I

will

feed

my

sheep

with

judgment

.

”

Notes

55
Zech. xi. 16.
56
This parenthesis is unintelligible. [i.e., not shepherds, but “butchers,” in the prophet’s thought, who speaks as follows, etc.]
57
Ezek. xxxiv.