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A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity

Novatian of Rome

Chapter 8

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 VIII. Argument.—It is This God, Therefore, that the Church Has Known and Adores; And to Him the Testimony of Things as Well Visible as Invisible is Given Both at All Times and in All Forms, by the Nature Which His Providence Rules and Governs.

This God, then, setting aside

‹ Chapter 7 Chapter 9 ›

the

fables

and

figments

of

heretics

,

the

Church

knows

and

worships

,

to

whom

the

universal

and

entire

nature

of

things

as

well

visible

as

invisible

gives

witness

;

whom

angels

adore

,

stars

wonder

at

,

seas

bless

,

lands

revere

,

and

all

things

under

the

earth

look

up

to

;

whom

the

whole

mind

of

man

is

conscious

of

,

even

if

it

does

not

express

itself

;

at

whose

command

all

things

are

set

in

motion

,

springs

gush

forth

,

rivers

flow

,

waves

arise

,

all

creatures

bring

forth

their

young

,

winds

are

compelled

to

blow

,

showers

descend

,

seas

are

stirred

up

,

all

things

everywhere

diffuse

their

fruitfulness

.

Who

ordained

,

peculiar

to

the

protoplasts

of

eternal

life

,

a

certain

beautiful

paradise

in

the

east

;

He

planted

the

tree

of

life

,

and

similarly

placed

near

it

another

tree

of

the

knowledge

of

good

and

evil

,

gave

a

command

,

and

decreed

a

judgment

against

sin

;

He

preserved

the

most

righteous

Nöe

from

the

perils

of

the

deluge

,

for

the

merit

of

His

innocence

and

faith

;

He

translated

Enoch

:

He

elected

Abraham

into

the

society

of

his

friendship

;

He

protected

Isaac

:

He

increased

Jacob

;

He

gave

Moses

for

a

leader

unto

the

people

;

He

delivered

the

groaning

children

of

Israel

from

the

yoke

of

slavery

;

He

wrote

the

law

;

He

brought

the

offspring

of

our

fathers

into

the

land

of

promise

;

He

instructed

the

prophets

by

His

Spirit

,

and

by

all

of

them

He

promised

His

Son

Christ

;

and

at

the

time

at

which

He

had

covenanted

that

He

would

give

Him

,

He

sent

Him

,

and

through

Him

He

desired

to

come

into

our

knowledge

,

and

shed

forth

upon

us

the

liberal

stores

of

His

mercy

,

by

conferring

His

abundant

Spirit

on

the

poor

and

abject

.

And

,

because

He

of

His

own

free

-

will

is

both

liberal

and

kind

,

lest

the

whole

of

this

globe

,

being

turned

away

from

the

streams

of

His

grace

,

should

wither

,

He

willed

the

apostles

,

as

founders

of

our

family

,

to

be

sent

by

His

Son

into

the

whole

world

,

that

the

condition

of

the

human

race

might

be

conscious

of

its

Founder

;

and

,

if

it

should

choose

to

follow

Him

,

might

have

One

whom

even

in

its

supplications

it

might

now

call

Father

instead

of

God

.

And

His

providence

has

had

or

has

its

course

among

men

,

not

only

individually

,

but

also

among

cities

themselves

,

and

states

whose

destructions

have

been

announced

by

the

words

of

prophets

;

yea

,

even

through

the

whole

world

itself

;

whose

end

,

whose

miseries

,

and

wastings

,

and

sufferings

on

account

of

unbelief

He

has

allotted

.

And

lest

moreover

any

one

should

think

that

such

an

indefatigable

providence

of

God

does

not

reach

to

even

the

very

least

things

,

“

One

of

two

sparrows

,

”

says

the

Lord

,

“

shall

not

fall

without

the

will

of

the

Father

;

but

even

the

very

hairs

of

your

head

are

all

numbered

.

”

And

His

care

and

providence

did

not

permit

even

the

clothes

of

the

Israelites

to

be

worn

out

,

nor

even

the

vilest

shoes

on

their

feet

to

be

wasted

;

nor

,

moreover

,

finally

,

the

very

garments

of

the

captive

young

men

to

be

burnt

.

And

this

is

not

without

reason

;

for

if

He

embraces

all

things

,

and

contains

all

things

,

—

and

all

things

,

and

the

whole

,

consist

of

individuals

,

—

His

care

will

consequently

extend

even

to

every

individual

thing

,

since

His

providence

reaches

to

the

whole

,

whatever

it

is

.

Hence

it

is

that

He

also

sitteth

above

the

Cherubim

;

that

is

,

He

presides

over

the

variety

of

His

works

,

the

living

creatures

which

hold

the

control

over

the

rest

being

subjected

to

His

throne

:

a

crystal

covering

being

thrown

over

all

things

;

that

is

,

the

heaven

covering

all

things

,

which

at

the

command

of

God

had

been

consolidated

into

a

firmament

from

the

fluent

material

of

the

waters

,

that

the

strong

hardness

that

divides

the

midst

of

the

waters

that

covered

the

earth

before

,

might

sustain

as

if

on

its

back

the

weight

of

the

superincumbent

water

,

its

strength

being

established

by

the

frost

.

And

,

moreover

,

wheels

lie

below

—

that

is

to

say

,

the

seasons

—

whereby

all

the

members

of

the

world

are

always

being

rolled

onwards

;

such

feet

being

added

by

which

those

things

do

not

stand

still

for

ever

,

but

pass

onward

.

And

,

moreover

,

throughout

all

their

limbs

they

are

studded

with

eyes

;

for

the

works

of

God

must

be

contemplated

with

an

ever

watchful

inspection

:

in

the

heart

of

which

things

,

a

fire

of

embers

is

in

the

midst

,

either

because

this

world

of

ours

is

hastening

to

the

fiery

day

of

judgment

;

or

because

all

the

works

of

God

are

fiery

,

and

are

not

darksome

,

but

flourish

.

Or

,

moreover

,

lest

,

because

those

things

had

arisen

from

earthly

beginnings

,

they

should

naturally

be

inactive

,

from

the

rigidity

of

their

origin

,

the

hot

nature

of

an

interior

spirit

was

added

to

all

things

;

and

that

this

nature

concreted

with

the

cold

bodies

might

minister

for

the

purpose

of

life

equal

measures

for

all

.

This

,

therefore

,

according

to

David

,

is

God’s

chariot

.

“

For

the

chariot

of

God

,

”

says

he

,

“

is

multiplied

ten

thousand

times

;

”

that

is

,

it

is

innumerable

,

infinite

,

immense

.

For

,

under

the

yoke

of

the

natural

law

given

to

all

things

,

some

things

are

restrained

,

as

if

withheld

by

reins

;

others

,

as

if

stimulated

,

are

urged

on

with

relaxed

reins

.

For

the

world

,

which

is

that

chariot

of

God

with

all

things

,

both

the

angels

themselves

and

the

stars

guide

;

and

their

movements

,

although

various

,

yet

bound

by

certain

laws

,

we

watch

them

guiding

by

the

bounds

of

a

time

prescribed

to

themselves

;

so

that

rightly

we

also

are

now

disposed

to

exclaim

with

the

apostle

,

as

he

admires

both

the

Architect

and

His

works

:

“

Oh

the

depth

of

the

riches

of

the

wisdom

and

knowledge

of

God

!

how

inscrutable

are

His

judgments

,

and

His

ways

past

finding

out

!

”

And

the

rest

.

Notes

1
[Madame de Staël has beautifully remarked on the benefit conferred upon humanity by Him who authorized us to say,“ Our Father.” “Scientific” atheism gives nothing instead.]
2
Matt. x. 29, 30.
3
[Ezek. i. 10 and Rev. iv. 7.]
4
[The science of the third century had overruled the Pythagorean system, and philosophers bound the Church and the human mind in the chains of false science for ages. The revival of true science was due to Copernicus, a Christian priest, and to Galileo, and other Christians. Let this be noted.]
5
“Vigent,” or otherwise “lucent.”
6
“Ministraret” seems to be preferable to “monstraret.”
7
[Our author’s genius actually suggests a theory, in this chapter, concerning the zoa, or “living creatures,” which anticipates all that is truly demonstrated by the “evolutionists,” and which harmonizes the variety of animated natures. Rev. v. 13, 14.]
8
Ps. lxviii. 18.
9
[The universe is here intended, as in Milton, “this pendent world.” Parad. Lost, book ii. 1052.]
10
Rom. xi. 33. “Note also the rest of the text” is our author’s additional comment.