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A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity

Novatian of Rome

Chapter 23

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 XXIII. Argument.—And This is So Manifest, that Some Heretics Have Thought Him to Be God the Father, Others that He Was Only God Without the Flesh.

In this place I may be permitted

‹ Chapter 22 Chapter 24 ›

also

to

collect

arguments

from

the

side

of

other

heretics

.

It

is

a

substantial

kind

of

proof

which

is

gathered

even

from

an

adversary

,

so

as

to

prove

the

truth

even

from

the

very

enemies

of

truth

.

For

it

is

so

far

manifest

that

He

is

declared

in

the

Scriptures

to

be

God

,

that

many

heretics

,

moved

by

the

magnitude

and

truth

of

this

divinity

,

exaggerating

His

honours

above

measure

,

have

dared

to

announce

or

to

think

Him

not

the

Son

,

but

God

the

Father

Himself

.

And

this

,

although

it

is

contrary

to

the

truth

of

the

Scriptures

,

is

still

a

great

and

excellent

argument

for

the

divinity

of

Christ

,

who

is

so

far

God

,

except

as

Son

of

God

,

born

of

God

,

that

very

many

heretics

—

as

we

have

said

—

have

so

accepted

Him

as

God

,

as

to

think

that

He

must

be

pronounced

not

the

Son

,

but

the

Father

.

Therefore

let

it

be

considered

whether

He

is

God

or

not

,

since

His

authority

has

so

affected

some

,

that

,

as

we

have

already

said

above

,

they

have

thought

Him

God

the

Father

Himself

,

and

have

confessed

the

divinity

in

Christ

with

such

impetuosity

and

effusion

—

compelled

to

it

by

the

manifest

divinity

in

Christ

—

that

they

thought

that

He

whom

they

read

of

as

the

Son

,

because

they

perceived

Him

to

be

God

,

must

be

the

Father

.

Moreover

,

other

heretics

have

so

far

embraced

the

manifest

divinity

of

Christ

,

as

to

say

that

He

was

without

flesh

,

and

to

withdraw

from

Him

the

whole

humanity

which

He

took

upon

Him

,

lest

,

by

associating

with

Him

a

human

nativity

,

as

they

conceived

it

,

they

should

diminish

in

Him

the

power

of

the

divine

name

.

This

,

however

,

we

do

not

approve

;

but

we

quote

it

as

an

argument

to

prove

that

Christ

is

God

,

to

this

extent

,

that

some

,

taking

away

the

manhood

,

have

thought

Him

God

only

,

and

some

have

thought

Him

God

the

Father

Himself

;

when

reason

and

the

proportion

of

the

heavenly

Scriptures

show

Christ

to

be

God

,

but

as

the

Son

of

God

;

and

the

Son

of

man

,

having

been

taken

up

,

moreover

by

God

,

that

He

must

be

believed

to

be

man

also

.

Because

if

He

came

to

man

,

that

He

might

be

Mediator

of

God

and

men

,

it

behoved

Him

to

be

with

man

,

and

the

Word

to

be

made

flesh

,

that

in

His

own

self

He

might

link

together

the

agreement

of

earthly

things

with

heavenly

things

,

by

associating

in

Himself

pledges

of

both

natures

,

and

uniting

God

to

man

and

man

to

God

;

so

that

reasonably

the

Son

of

God

might

be

made

by

the

assumption

of

flesh

the

Son

of

man

,

and

the

Son

of

man

by

the

reception

of

the

Word

of

God

the

Son

of

God

.

This

most

profound

and

recondite

mystery

,

destined

before

the

worlds

for

the

salvation

of

the

human

race

,

is

found

to

be

fulfilled

in

the

Lord

Jesus

Christ

,

both

God

and

man

,

that

the

human

race

might

be

placed

within

the

reach

of

the

enjoyment

of

eternal

salvation

.

Notes

2
[The Noetians, Hippol., p. 148, supra.]
3
[Irenæus, vol. i. p. 527.]