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A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity

Novatian of Rome

Chapter 25

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 XXV. Argument.—And that It Does Not Follow Thence, that Because Christ Died It Must Also Be Received that God Died; For Scripture Sets Forth that Not Only Was Christ God, But Man Also.

Therefore, say they, if Christ

‹ Chapter 24 Chapter 26 ›

is

not

man

only

,

but

God

also

—

and

Scripture

tells

us

that

He

died

for

us

,

and

was

raised

again

—

then

Scripture

teaches

us

to

believe

that

God

died

;

or

if

God

does

not

die

,

and

Christ

is

said

to

have

died

,

then

Christ

will

not

be

God

,

because

God

cannot

be

admitted

to

have

died

.

If

they

ever

could

understand

or

had

understood

what

they

read

,

they

would

never

speak

after

such

a

perilous

fashion

.

But

the

folly

of

error

is

always

hasty

in

its

descent

,

and

it

is

no

new

thing

if

those

who

have

forsaken

the

lawful

faith

descend

even

to

perilous

results

.

For

if

Scripture

were

to

set

forth

that

Christ

is

God

only

,

and

that

there

was

no

association

of

human

weakness

mingled

in

His

nature

,

this

intricate

argument

of

theirs

might

reasonably

avail

something

.

If

Christ

is

God

,

and

Christ

died

,

then

God

died

.

But

when

Scripture

determines

,

as

we

have

frequently

shown

,

that

He

is

not

only

God

,

but

man

also

,

it

follows

that

what

is

immortal

may

be

held

to

have

remained

uncorrupted

.

For

who

cannot

understand

that

the

divinity

is

impassible

,

although

the

human

weakness

is

liable

to

suffering

?

When

,

therefore

,

Christ

is

understood

to

be

mingled

and

associated

as

well

of

that

which

God

is

,

as

of

that

which

man

is

—

for

“

the

Word

was

made

flesh

,

and

dwelt

in

us

”

—

who

cannot

easily

apprehend

of

himself

,

without

any

teacher

and

interpreter

,

that

it

was

not

that

in

Christ

that

died

which

is

God

,

but

that

in

Him

died

which

is

man

?

For

what

if

the

divinity

in

Christ

does

not

die

,

but

the

substance

of

the

flesh

only

is

destroyed

,

when

in

other

men

also

,

who

are

not

flesh

only

,

but

flesh

and

soul

,

the

flesh

indeed

alone

suffers

the

inroads

of

wasting

and

death

,

while

the

soul

is

seen

to

be

uncorrupted

,

and

beyond

the

laws

of

destruction

and

death

?

For

this

also

our

Lord

Himself

said

,

exhorting

us

to

martyrdom

and

to

contempt

of

all

human

power

:

“

Fear

not

those

who

slay

the

body

,

but

cannot

kill

the

soul

.

”

But

if

the

immortal

soul

cannot

be

killed

or

slain

in

any

other

,

although

the

body

and

flesh

by

itself

can

be

slain

,

how

much

rather

assuredly

could

not

the

Word

of

God

and

God

in

Christ

be

put

to

death

at

all

,

although

the

flesh

alone

and

the

body

was

slain

!

For

if

in

any

man

whatever

,

the

soul

has

this

excellence

of

immortality

that

it

cannot

be

slain

,

much

more

has

the

nobility

of

the

Word

of

God

this

power

of

not

being

slain

.

For

if

the

power

of

men

fails

to

slay

the

sacred

power

of

God

,

and

if

the

cruelty

of

man

fails

to

destroy

the

soul

,

much

more

ought

it

to

fail

to

slay

the

Word

of

God

.

For

as

the

soul

itself

,

which

was

made

by

the

Word

of

God

,

is

not

killed

by

men

,

certainly

much

rather

will

it

be

believed

that

the

Word

of

God

cannot

be

destroyed

.

And

if

the

sanguinary

cruelty

of

men

cannot

do

more

against

men

than

only

to

slay

the

body

,

how

much

more

certainly

it

will

not

have

power

against

Christ

beyond

in

the

same

way

slaying

the

body

!

So

that

,

while

from

these

considerations

it

is

gathered

that

nothing

but

the

human

nature

in

Christ

was

put

to

death

,

it

appears

that

the

Word

in

Him

was

not

drawn

down

into

mortality

.

For

if

Abraham

,

and

Isaac

,

and

Jacob

,

who

,

it

is

admitted

,

were

only

men

,

are

manifested

to

be

alive

—

for

all

they

,

says

He

,

“

live

unto

God

;

”

and

death

in

them

does

not

destroy

the

soul

,

although

it

dissolves

the

bodies

themselves

:

for

it

could

exercise

its

power

on

the

bodies

,

it

did

not

avail

to

exercise

it

on

the

souls

:

for

the

one

in

them

was

mortal

,

and

therefore

died

;

the

other

in

them

was

immortal

,

and

therefore

is

understood

not

to

have

been

extinguished

:

for

which

reason

they

are

affirmed

and

said

to

live

unto

God

,

—

much

rather

death

in

Christ

could

have

power

against

the

material

of

His

body

alone

,

while

against

the

divinity

of

the

Word

it

could

not

bring

itself

to

bear

.

For

the

power

of

death

is

broken

when

the

authority

of

immortality

intervenes

.

Notes

2
Matt. x. 28.
3
[Luke xx. 38. A solemn admonition is found in the parallel Scripture, Matt. xxii. 29, which teaches us how much we ought to find beneath the surface of Holy Writ.]