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A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity

Novatian of Rome

Chapter 24

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 XXIV. Argument.—That These Have Therefore Erred, by Thinking that There Was No Difference Between the Son of God and the Son of Man; Because They Have Ill Understood the Scripture.

But the material of that heretical error

‹ Chapter 23 Chapter 25 ›

has

arisen

,

as

I

judge

,

from

this

,

that

they

think

that

there

is

no

distinction

between

the

Son

of

God

and

the

Son

of

man

;

because

if

a

distinction

were

made

,

Jesus

Christ

would

easily

be

proved

to

be

both

man

and

God

.

For

they

will

have

it

that

the

self

-

same

that

is

man

,

the

Son

of

man

,

appears

also

as

the

Son

of

God

;

that

man

and

flesh

and

that

same

frail

substance

may

be

said

to

be

also

the

Son

of

God

Himself

.

Whence

,

since

no

distinction

is

discerned

between

the

Son

of

man

and

the

Son

of

God

,

but

the

Son

of

man

Himself

is

asserted

to

be

the

Son

of

God

,

the

same

Christ

and

the

Son

of

God

is

asserted

to

be

man

only

;

by

which

they

strive

to

exclude

,

“

The

Word

was

made

flesh

,

and

dwelt

among

us

.

”

“

And

ye

shall

call

His

name

Emmanuel

;

which

is

,

interpreted

,

God

with

us

.

”

For

they

propose

and

put

forward

what

is

told

in

the

Gospel

of

Luke

,

whence

they

strive

to

maintain

not

what

is

the

truth

,

but

only

what

they

want

it

to

be

:

“

The

Holy

Spirit

shall

come

upon

thee

,

and

the

power

of

the

Highest

shall

overshadow

thee

;

therefore

also

the

Holy

Thing

which

is

born

of

thee

shall

be

called

the

Son

of

God

.

”

If

,

then

,

say

they

,

the

angel

of

God

says

to

Mary

,

“

that

Holy

Thing

which

is

born

of

thee

,

”

the

substance

of

flesh

and

body

is

of

Mary

;

but

he

has

set

forth

that

this

substance

,

that

is

,

that

Holy

Thing

which

is

born

of

her

,

is

the

Son

of

God

.

Man

,

say

they

,

himself

,

and

that

bodily

flesh

;

that

which

is

called

holy

,

itself

is

the

Son

of

God

.

That

also

when

the

Scripture

says

that

“

Holy

Thing

,

”

we

should

understand

thereby

Christ

the

man

,

the

Son

of

man

;

and

when

it

places

before

us

the

Son

of

God

,

we

ought

to

perceive

,

not

man

,

but

God

.

And

yet

the

divine

Scripture

easily

convicts

and

discloses

the

frauds

and

artifices

of

the

heretics

.

For

if

it

were

thus

only

,

“

The

Spirit

shall

come

upon

thee

,

and

the

power

of

the

Highest

shall

overshadow

thee

;

therefore

that

Holy

Thing

which

is

born

of

thee

shall

be

called

the

Son

of

God

,

”

perchance

we

should

have

had

to

strive

against

them

in

another

sort

,

and

to

have

sought

for

other

arguments

,

and

to

have

taken

up

other

weapons

,

with

which

to

overcome

both

their

snares

and

their

wiles

;

but

since

the

Scripture

itself

,

abounding

in

heavenly

fulness

,

divests

itself

of

the

calumnies

of

these

heretics

,

we

easily

depend

upon

that

that

is

written

,

and

overcome

those

errors

without

any

hesitation

.

For

it

said

,

not

as

we

have

already

stated

,

“

Therefore

the

Holy

Thing

which

shall

be

born

of

thee

;

”

but

added

the

conjunction

,

for

it

says

,

“

Therefore

also

that

Holy

Thing

which

shall

be

born

of

thee

,

”

so

as

to

make

it

plain

that

that

Holy

Thing

which

is

born

of

her

—

that

is

,

that

substance

of

flesh

and

body

—

is

not

the

Son

of

God

primarily

,

but

consequently

,

and

in

the

secondary

place

;

but

primarily

,

that

the

Son

of

God

is

the

Word

of

God

,

incarnate

by

that

Spirit

of

whom

the

angel

says

,

“

The

Spirit

shall

come

upon

thee

,

and

the

power

of

the

Highest

shall

overshadow

thee

.

”

For

He

is

the

legitimate

Son

of

God

who

is

of

God

Himself

;

and

He

,

while

He

assumes

that

Holy

Thing

,

and

links

to

Himself

the

Son

of

man

,

and

draws

Him

and

transfers

Him

to

Himself

,

by

His

connection

and

mingling

of

association

becomes

responsible

for

and

makes

Him

the

Son

of

God

,

which

by

nature

He

was

not

,

so

that

the

original

cause

of

that

name

Son

of

God

is

in

the

Spirit

of

the

Lord

,

who

descended

and

came

,

and

that

there

is

only

the

continuance

of

the

name

in

the

case

of

the

Son

of

man

;

and

by

consequence

He

reasonably

became

the

Son

of

God

,

although

originally

He

is

not

the

Son

of

God

.

And

therefore

the

angel

,

seeing

that

arrangement

,

and

providing

for

that

order

of

the

mystery

,

did

not

confuse

every

thing

in

such

a

way

as

to

leave

no

trace

of

a

distinction

,

but

established

the

distinction

by

saying

,

“

Therefore

also

that

Holy

Thing

which

shall

be

born

of

thee

shall

be

called

the

Son

of

God

;

”

lest

,

had

he

not

arranged

that

distribution

with

his

balances

,

but

had

left

the

matter

all

mixed

up

in

confusion

,

it

had

really

afforded

occasion

to

heretics

to

declare

that

the

Son

of

man

,

in

that

He

is

man

,

is

the

same

as

the

Son

of

God

and

man

.

But

now

,

explaining

severally

the

ordinance

and

the

reason

of

so

great

a

mystery

,

he

evidently

set

forth

in

saying

,

“

And

that

Holy

Thing

which

shall

be

born

of

thee

shall

be

called

the

Son

of

God

;

”

the

proof

that

the

Son

of

God

descended

,

and

that

He

,

in

taking

up

into

Himself

the

Son

of

man

,

consequently

made

Him

the

Son

of

God

,

because

the

Son

of

God

associated

and

joined

Him

to

Himself

.

So

that

,

while

the

Son

of

man

cleaves

in

His

nativity

to

the

Son

of

God

,

by

that

very

mingling

He

holds

that

as

pledged

and

derived

which

of

His

own

nature

He

could

not

possess

.

And

thus

by

the

word

of

the

angel

the

distinction

is

made

,

against

the

desire

of

the

heretics

,

between

the

Son

of

God

and

man

;

yet

with

their

association

,

by

pressing

them

to

understand

that

Christ

the

Son

of

man

is

man

,

and

also

to

receive

the

Son

of

God

and

man

the

Son

of

God

;

that

is

,

the

Word

of

God

as

it

is

written

as

God

;

and

thus

to

acknowledge

that

Christ

Jesus

the

Lord

,

connected

on

both

sides

,

so

to

speak

,

is

on

both

sides

woven

in

and

grown

together

,

and

associated

in

the

same

agreement

of

both

substances

,

by

the

binding

to

one

another

of

a

mutual

alliance

—

man

and

God

by

the

truth

of

the

Scripture

which

declares

this

very

thing

.

Notes

2
John i. 14.
3
Matt. i. 23.
4
Luke i. 35.
5
“The miraculous generation is here represented as the natural, but by no means as the only cause for which He who had no human father was to receive the name of God’s Son.”—Oosterzee, in loco, on Luke.—Tr.
6
Principalitas.
7
The edition of Pamelius reads: ut sequela nominis in Filio Dei et hominis sit. The words Dei et were expelled by Welchman, whom we have followed.