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A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity

Novatian of Rome

Chapter 19

About this work

A Latin exposition of the rule of faith treating God the Father, Christ’s divinity and humanity, and the Holy Spirit while arguing against several rival theological positions.

Author: Novatian of Rome
Traditional attribution: Tertullian or Cyprian (in earlier transmission)
Date: c. AD 240–250
Origin: Rome
Genre: Theological Treatise

Chapter XIX. Argument.—That God Also Appeared to Jacob as an Angel; Namely, the Son of God.

What if in another place also we

‹ Chapter 18 Chapter 20 ›

read

in

like

manner

that

God

was

described

as

an

angel

?

For

when

,

to

his

wives

Leah

and

Rachel

,

Jacob

complained

of

the

injustice

of

their

father

,

and

when

he

told

them

that

he

desired

now

to

go

and

return

into

his

own

land

,

he

moreover

interposed

the

authority

of

his

dream

;

and

at

this

time

he

says

that

the

angel

of

God

had

said

to

him

in

a

dream

,

“

Jacob

,

Jacob

.

And

I

said

,

”

says

he

,

“

What

is

it

?

Lift

up

thine

eyes

,

said

He

,

and

see

,

the

he

-

goats

and

the

rams

leaping

upon

the

sheep

,

and

the

she

-

goats

are

black

and

white

,

and

many

-

coloured

,

and

grizzled

,

and

speckled

:

for

I

have

seen

all

that

Laban

hath

done

to

thee

.

I

am

God

,

who

appeared

to

thee

in

the

place

of

God

,

where

thou

anointedst

for

me

there

the

standing

stone

,

and

there

vowedst

a

vow

unto

me

:

now

therefore

arise

,

and

go

forth

from

this

land

,

and

go

unto

the

land

of

thy

nativity

,

and

I

will

be

with

thee

.

”

If

the

Angel

of

God

speaks

thus

to

Jacob

,

and

the

Angel

himself

mentions

and

says

,

“

I

am

God

,

who

appeared

unto

thee

in

the

house

of

God

,

”

we

see

without

any

hesitation

that

this

is

declared

to

be

not

only

an

angel

,

but

God

also

;

because

He

speaks

of

the

vow

directed

to

Himself

by

Jacob

in

the

place

of

God

,

and

He

does

not

say

,

in

my

place

.

It

is

then

the

place

of

God

,

and

He

also

is

God

.

Moreover

,

it

is

written

simply

in

the

place

of

God

,

for

it

is

not

said

in

the

place

of

the

angel

and

God

,

but

only

of

God

;

and

He

who

promises

those

things

is

manifested

to

be

both

God

and

Angel

,

so

that

reasonably

there

must

be

a

distinction

between

Him

who

is

called

God

only

,

and

Him

who

is

declared

to

be

not

God

simply

,

but

Angel

also

.

Whence

if

so

great

an

authority

cannot

here

be

regarded

as

belonging

to

any

other

angel

,

that

He

should

also

avow

Himself

to

be

God

,

and

should

bear

witness

that

a

vow

was

made

to

Him

,

except

to

Christ

alone

,

to

whom

not

as

angel

only

,

but

as

to

God

,

a

vow

can

be

vowed

;

it

is

manifest

that

it

is

not

to

be

received

as

the

Father

,

but

as

the

Son

,

God

and

Angel

.

Moreover

,

if

this

is

Christ

,

as

it

is

,

he

is

in

terrible

risk

who

says

that

Christ

is

either

man

or

angel

alone

,

withholding

from

Him

the

power

of

the

divine

name

,

—

an

authority

which

He

has

constantly

received

on

the

faith

of

the

heavenly

Scriptures

,

which

continually

say

that

He

is

both

Angel

and

God

.

To

all

these

things

,

moreover

,

is

added

this

,

that

in

like

manner

as

the

divine

Scripture

has

frequently

declared

Him

both

Angel

and

God

,

so

the

same

divine

Scripture

declares

Him

also

both

man

and

God

,

expressing

thereby

what

He

should

be

,

and

depicting

even

then

in

figure

what

He

was

to

be

in

the

truth

of

His

substance

.

“

For

,

”

it

says

,

“

Jacob

remained

alone

;

and

there

wrestled

with

him

a

man

even

till

daybreak

.

And

He

saw

that

He

did

not

prevail

against

him

;

and

He

touched

the

broad

part

of

Jacob’s

thigh

while

He

was

wrestling

with

him

and

he

with

Him

,

and

said

to

him

,

Let

me

go

,

for

the

morning

has

dawned

.

And

he

said

,

I

will

not

let

Thee

go

,

except

Thou

bless

me

.

And

He

said

,

What

is

thy

name

?

And

he

said

,

Jacob

.

And

He

said

to

him

,

Thy

name

shall

no

longer

be

called

Jacob

,

but

Israel

shall

be

thy

name

;

because

thou

hast

prevailed

with

God

,

and

thou

art

powerful

with

men

.

”

And

it

adds

,

moreover

:

“

And

Jacob

called

the

name

of

that

place

the

Vision

of

God

:

for

I

have

seen

the

Lord

face

to

face

,

and

my

soul

has

been

made

safe

.

And

the

sun

arose

upon

him

.

Afterwards

he

crossed

over

the

Vision

of

God

,

but

he

halted

upon

his

thigh

.

”

A

man

,

it

says

,

wrestled

with

Jacob

.

If

this

was

a

mere

man

,

who

is

he

?

Whence

is

he

?

Wherefore

does

he

contend

and

wrestle

with

Jacob

?

What

had

intervened

?

What

had

happened

?

What

was

the

cause

of

so

great

a

dispute

as

that

,

and

so

great

a

struggle

?

Why

,

moreover

,

is

Jacob

,

who

is

found

to

be

strong

enough

to

hold

the

man

with

whom

he

is

wrestling

,

and

asks

for

a

blessing

from

Him

whom

he

is

holding

,

asserted

to

have

asked

therefore

,

except

because

this

struggle

was

prefigured

as

that

which

should

be

between

Christ

and

the

sons

of

Jacob

,

which

is

said

to

be

completed

in

the

Gospel

?

For

against

this

man

Jacob’s

people

struggled

,

in

which

struggle

Jacob’s

people

was

found

to

be

the

more

powerful

,

because

against

Christ

it

gained

the

victory

of

its

iniquity

:

at

which

time

,

on

account

of

the

crime

that

it

committed

,

hesitating

and

giving

way

,

it

began

most

sorely

to

halt

in

the

walk

of

its

own

faith

and

salvation

;

and

although

it

was

found

the

stronger

,

in

respect

of

the

condemnation

of

Christ

,

it

still

needs

His

mercy

,

still

needs

His

blessing

.

But

,

moreover

,

the

man

who

wrestled

with

Jacob

says

,

“

Moreover

,

thy

name

shall

no

longer

be

called

Jacob

,

but

Israel

shall

be

thy

name

;

”

and

if

Israel

is

the

man

who

sees

God

,

the

Lord

was

beautifully

showing

that

it

was

not

only

a

man

who

was

then

wrestling

with

Jacob

,

but

God

also

.

Certainly

Jacob

saw

God

,

with

whom

he

wrestled

,

although

he

was

holding

the

man

in

his

own

struggle

.

And

in

order

that

there

might

still

be

no

hesitation

,

He

Himself

laid

down

the

interpretation

by

saying

,

“

Because

thou

hast

prevailed

with

God

,

and

art

powerful

with

men

.

”

For

which

reason

the

same

Jacob

,

perceiving

already

the

force

of

the

Mystery

,

and

apprehending

the

authority

of

Him

with

whom

he

had

wrestled

,

called

the

name

of

that

place

in

which

he

had

wrestled

,

the

Vision

of

God

.

He

,

moreover

,

superadded

the

reason

for

his

interpretation

being

offered

of

the

Vision

of

God

:

“

For

I

have

seen

,

”

said

he

,

“

God

face

to

face

,

and

my

soul

has

been

saved

.

”

Moreover

,

he

saw

God

,

with

whom

he

wrestled

as

with

a

man

;

but

still

indeed

he

held

the

man

as

a

conqueror

,

though

as

an

inferior

he

asked

a

blessing

as

from

God

.

Thus

he

wrestled

with

God

and

with

man

;

and

thus

truly

was

that

struggle

prefigured

,

and

in

the

Gospel

was

fulfilled

,

between

Christ

and

the

people

of

Jacob

,

wherein

,

although

the

people

had

the

mastery

,

yet

it

proved

to

be

inferior

by

being

shown

to

be

guilty

.

Who

will

hesitate

to

acknowledge

that

Christ

,

in

whom

this

type

of

a

wrestling

was

fulfilled

,

was

not

man

only

,

but

God

also

,

since

even

that

very

type

of

a

wrestling

seems

to

have

proved

Him

man

and

God

?

And

yet

,

even

after

this

,

the

same

divine

Scripture

justly

does

not

cease

to

call

the

Angel

God

,

and

to

pronounce

God

the

Angel

.

For

when

this

very

Jacob

was

about

to

bless

Manasseh

and

Ephraim

,

the

sons

of

Joseph

,

with

his

hands

placed

across

on

the

heads

of

the

lads

,

he

said

,

“

The

God

which

fed

me

from

my

youth

even

unto

this

day

,

the

Angel

who

delivered

me

from

all

evils

,

bless

these

lads

.

”

Even

to

such

a

point

does

he

affirm

the

same

Being

to

be

an

Angel

,

whom

he

had

called

God

,

as

in

the

end

of

his

discourse

,

to

express

the

person

of

whom

he

was

speaking

as

one

,

when

he

said

“

bless

these

lads

.

”

For

if

he

had

meant

the

one

to

be

understood

as

God

,

and

the

other

as

an

angel

,

he

would

have

comprised

the

two

persons

in

the

plural

number

;

but

now

he

defined

the

singular

number

of

one

person

in

the

blessing

,

whence

he

meant

it

to

be

understood

that

the

same

person

is

God

and

Angel

.

But

yet

He

cannot

be

received

as

God

the

Father

;

but

as

God

and

Angel

,

as

Christ

He

can

be

received

.

And

Him

,

as

the

author

of

this

blessing

,

Jacob

also

signified

by

placing

his

hands

crossed

upon

the

lads

,

as

if

their

father

was

Christ

,

and

showing

,

from

thus

placing

his

hands

,

the

figure

and

future

form

of

the

passion

.

Let

no

one

,

therefore

,

who

does

not

shrink

from

speaking

of

Christ

as

an

Angel

,

thus

shrink

from

pronouncing

Him

God

also

,

when

he

perceives

that

He

Himself

was

invoked

in

the

blessing

of

these

lads

,

by

the

sacrament

of

the

passion

,

intimated

in

the

type

of

the

crossed

hands

,

as

both

God

and

Angel

.

Notes

2
Gen. xxxi. 11–13.
3
[Eccles. v. 6. A striking text when compared with the “Angel of the Covenant” (Angelus Testamenti, Vulgate), Mal. iii. 1.]
4
Gen. xxxii. 24–27. [Vol. iv. 390, this series.]
5
Gen. xxxii. 30, 31.
6
Gen. xlviii. 14, 15.
7
Benedicat.
8
[A very beautiful patristic idea of the dim vision of the cross to which the Fathers were admitted, but which they understood not, even when they predicted it. 1 Pet. x. 11.]