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A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity

Novatian of Rome

Chapter 20

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 XX. Argument.—It is Proved from the Scriptures that Christ Was Called an Angel. But Yet It is Shown from Other Parts of Holy Scripture that He is God Also.

But if some heretic, obstinately struggling

‹ Chapter 19 Chapter 21 ›

against

the

truth

,

should

persist

in

all

these

instances

either

in

understanding

that

Christ

was

properly

an

angel

,

or

should

contend

that

He

must

be

so

understood

,

he

must

in

this

respect

also

be

subdued

by

the

force

of

truth

.

For

if

,

since

all

heavenly

things

,

earthly

things

,

and

things

under

the

earth

,

are

subjected

to

Christ

,

even

the

angels

themselves

,

with

all

other

creatures

,

as

many

as

are

subjected

to

Christ

,

are

called

gods

,

rightly

also

Christ

is

God

.

And

if

any

angel

at

all

subjected

to

Christ

can

be

called

God

,

and

this

,

if

it

be

said

,

is

also

professed

without

blasphemy

,

certainly

much

more

can

this

be

fitting

for

Christ

,

Himself

the

Son

of

God

,

for

Him

to

be

pronounced

God

.

For

if

an

angel

who

is

subjected

to

Christ

is

exalted

as

God

,

much

more

,

and

more

consistently

,

shall

Christ

,

to

whom

all

angels

are

subjected

,

be

said

to

be

God

.

For

it

is

not

suitable

to

nature

,

that

what

is

conceded

to

the

lesser

should

be

denied

to

the

greater

.

Thus

,

if

an

angel

be

inferior

to

Christ

,

and

yet

an

angel

is

called

god

,

rather

by

consequence

is

Christ

said

to

be

God

,

who

is

discovered

to

be

both

greater

and

better

,

not

than

one

,

but

than

all

angels

.

And

if

“

God

standeth

in

the

assembly

of

the

gods

,

and

in

the

midst

God

distinguisheth

between

the

gods

,

”

and

Christ

stood

at

various

times

in

the

synagogue

,

then

Christ

stood

in

the

synagogue

as

God

,

—

judging

,

to

wit

,

between

the

gods

,

to

whom

He

says

,

“

How

long

do

ye

accept

the

persons

of

men

?

”

That

is

to

say

,

consequently

,

charging

the

men

of

the

synagogue

with

not

practising

just

judgments

.

Further

,

if

they

who

are

reproved

and

blamed

seem

even

for

any

reason

to

attain

this

name

without

blasphemy

,

that

they

should

be

called

gods

,

assuredly

much

more

shall

He

be

esteemed

God

,

who

not

only

is

said

to

have

stood

as

God

in

the

synagogue

of

the

gods

,

but

moreover

is

revealed

by

the

same

authority

of

the

reading

as

distinguishing

and

judging

between

gods

.

But

even

if

they

who

“

fall

like

one

of

the

princes

”

are

still

called

gods

,

much

rather

shall

He

be

said

to

be

God

,

who

not

only

does

not

fall

like

one

of

the

princes

,

but

even

overcomes

both

the

author

and

prince

of

wickedness

himself

.

And

what

in

the

world

is

the

reason

,

that

although

they

say

that

this

name

was

given

even

to

Moses

,

since

it

is

said

,

“

I

have

made

thee

as

a

god

to

Pharaoh

,

”

it

should

be

denied

to

Christ

,

who

is

declared

to

be

ordained

not

to

Pharaoh

only

,

but

to

every

creature

,

as

both

Lord

and

God

?

And

in

the

former

case

indeed

this

name

is

given

with

reserve

,

in

the

latter

lavishly

;

in

the

former

by

measure

,

in

the

latter

above

all

kind

of

measure

:

“

For

,

”

it

is

said

,

“

the

Father

giveth

not

to

the

Son

by

measure

,

for

the

Father

loveth

the

Son

.

”

In

the

former

for

the

time

,

in

the

latter

without

reference

to

time

;

for

He

received

the

power

of

the

divine

name

,

both

above

all

things

and

for

all

time

.

But

if

he

who

has

received

the

power

of

one

man

,

in

respect

to

this

limited

power

given

him

,

still

without

hesitation

attains

that

name

of

God

,

how

much

more

shall

He

who

has

power

over

Moses

himself

as

well

be

believed

to

have

attained

the

authority

of

that

name

?

Notes

2
[Ps. xcvii. 7; John x. 36; Hippol., p. 153, supra.]
3
Ps. lxxxii. 1, 2, etc.
4
Ex. vii. 1.
5
[The full meaning of which only comes out in the Gospel and in 2 Pet. i. 4. The lie of Gen. iii. 5, is made true in Christ.]
6
John iii. 34, 35.
7
[Rev. xi. 15.]