Novatian and the Novatianists in Early Christian Writings
Early Christian writers usually describe Novatian and the Novatianists as schismatic and wrong about restoring the lapsed. Cyprian, Dionysius of Alexandria, and the anonymous treatise against Novatian attack his refusal of mercy and his break from church unity. Novatian is also named as an author in his own works, but those cards are mostly background unless they speak directly to his teaching. The strongest evidence is about his split from the Church and his strict view of repentance.
143 early-church witnesses · 258 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about novatian and the Novatianists?
Early Christian writers mostly treat Novatian as a schismatic and heretic, often linking him and his followers with division in the Church and a hard refusal to restore the lapsed. Cyprian, the anonymous treatise against Novatian, and Dionysius of Alexandria all describe him as outside the Church, an enemy, or one who tears the Church apart. At the same time, the main issue in these texts is not his personal life but his teaching on repentance, mercy, communion, and church order.
Novatian is also preserved as an author in his own works, so the name appears both in hostile polemic and in his own writings. The overall picture is broad and early, but the evidence is mixed in form because some cards are about his opponents, some about his office or works, and some are only background references. Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Cyprian and other early writers call Novatian a schismatic, enemy, or heretic.
- The main dispute was over repentance and whether the lapsed could be restored.
- Some cards are only background notes about Novatian’s writings and office, not direct teaching on the Novatianists.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did early Christians consider Novatian and the Novatianists schismatic?
Multiple early writers describe Novatian as separated from the Church, an enemy of the Church, or the leader of a faction. These sources frame the Novatianists as a break from catholic unity rather than a normal local disagreement.
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Novatian, On the Jewish Meats Background
Novatian, a Roman presbyter, had withdrawn during the Decian persecution. While he was in retirement, various letters from his brothers urged him to write. He had already written two earlier letters against the Jews, on circumcision and the Sabbath. Now he writes this present one about the Jewish foods.
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Victorinus, On the Creation of the World Background
Chapter 1. Argument.— Novatian, a Roman Presbyter, During His Retirement at the Time of the Decian Persecution, Being Urged by Various Letters from His Brethren, Had Written Two Earlier Epistles Against the Jews on the Subjects of Circumcision and the Sabbath, and Now Writes the Present One on the Jewish Meats
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Novatian, On the Jewish Meats Background
Chapter 1. Argument.— Novatian, a Roman Presbyter, During His Retirement at the Time of the Decian Persecution, Being Urged by Various Letters from His Brethren, Had Written Two Earlier Epistles Against the Jews on the Subjects of Circumcision and the Sabbath, and Now Writes the Present One on the Jewish Meats
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Novatian, On the Jewish Meats Background
Amen.A letter written to Cyprian by Novatian the Roman presbyter, in the name of the Roman clergy, will be found translated (Epistle 30) at p. 308, this volume.
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Cyprian, Epistles Background
Cornelius to Cyprian, Concerning the Faction of Novatian with His Party.
More related quotations from this section 1 shown
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Victorinus, On the Creation of the World Background
Amen.A letter written to Cyprian by Novatian the Roman presbyter, in the name of the Roman clergy, will be found translated (Epistle 30) at p. 308, this volume.
Did Novatian deny repentance and restoration to the lapsed?
The supplied sources repeatedly accuse Novatian of denying mercy, repentance, and peace to the lapsed. Several writers answer him by appealing to Scripture passages about repentance, mercy, and restoration after sin.
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Cyprian, Epistles Direct teaching
Nor does what you described in your letters disturb us, dearest brother: that the Novatians re-baptize those whom they lure away from us. It does not matter to us at all what the enemies of the Church do, as long as we ourselves keep respect for our authority and for the firmness of reason and truth. For Novatian, like apes, which are not men and yet imitate human actions, wants to claim for himself the authority and truth of the Catholic Church, though he himself is not in the Church. No, more than that, up to now he has come forward as a rebel and enemy against the Church. For although he knows that there is one baptism, he claims this one for himself, so that he may say that the Church is with him and make us heretics. But we, who hold to the head and root of the one Church, know and confidently trust that nothing is lawful there outside the Church, and that the one baptism is among us, where he himself also was formerly baptized, when he still held to both the wisdom and truth of divine unity. But if Novatian thinks that those who have been baptized in the Church must be re-baptized outside the Church, he ought to begin with himself, so that he might first be re-baptized with a
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Dionysius of Alexandria, Epistles and Epistolary Fragments Direct teaching
For we rightly repulse Novatian, who has rent the Church, and has drawn away some of the brethren to impiety and blasphemies;
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Cyprian, Epistles Direct teaching
although Novatian himself, whom he follows, has formerly been excommunicated, and judged an enemy to the Church;
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Anonymous, Treatise Against the Heretic Novatian Direct teaching
Let not the abrupt madness of that perfidious heretic move or disturb us however, beloved brethren, who, although he is placed in such great guilt of dissension and schism, and is separated from the Church, with sacrilegious temerity does not shrink from hurling back his charges upon us: for although he is now by himself made unclean, defiled with the filth of sacrilege, he contends that we are so.
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Anonymous, Treatise Against the Heretic Novatian Direct teaching
14. O impious and wicked as you are, you heretic Novatian!
What Bible passages did early Christians use against Novatian?
The Bible cards in this set focus on church order, avoiding divisive teachers, and repentance after sin. They support the way early writers argued against Novatian’s rigorism, but they do not mention him by name.
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Anonymous, Treatise Against the Heretic Novatian Direct teaching
...s, for a long time, enduring their punishment, look, another enemy appeared against me: the heretic Novatian, the enemy even of his own father's love. As is shown in the Gospel, he not only passed by the wounded man lying on the road, as the priest and the Levite did, but by a clever and new kind of cruelty he would rather kill the wounded man by taking away the hope of salvation, by denying the mercy of his Father, and by rejecting the repentance of his brother. How astonishing, how bitter, how harsh, how twisted many things are! But a person more easily sees the speck in another's eye than the beam in his own. Nevertheless, beloved brothers, let the sudden madness of that faithless heretic neither move nor trouble us. Although he stands in such great guilt for dissension and schism, and is separated from the Church, with sacrilegious boldness he still does not hesitate to throw his accusations back on us. For although he has now made himself unclean and is defiled with the filth of sacrilege, he argues that we are the ones who are unclean. And although it is written that dogs should remain outside, and the apostle has taught that these same dogs must be avoided, as we read whe
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Anonymous, Treatise Against the Heretic Novatian Direct teaching
And now, if you can, blush, Novatian. Stop deceiving the unwary with your impious arguments. Stop frightening them with the subtlety of a single point. We read and adore the Lord's heavenly judgment, and we do not pass over it, where He says that He will deny the one who denies Him. But does this mean the penitent? And why should I take such pains, for so long, to prove individual cases of mercies? For the mercy of God was not denied even to the Ninevites, though they were foreigners and set apart from the law of the Lord, when they begged for it because of the destruction announced against their city. Nor was it denied even to Pharaoh himself, though he resisted with sacrilegious boldness, when in former times he was struck with plagues from heaven and turned to Moses and his brother and said, "Pray to the Lord for me, for I have sinned," Exodus 9:28. At once God's anger was held back from him. And yet you, Novatian, judge and declare that the lapsed have no hope of peace and mercy. Nor do you incline your ear to the apostle's rebuke when he says, "Who are you, who judges another man's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Yes, he shall stand. God is able to establish him
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Anonymous, Treatise Against the Heretic Novatian Direct teaching
14. O Novatian, impious and wicked heretic! After so many great crimes that you had known were willingly committed in the Church in earlier times, and before you yourself became an apostate in the household of God, you had certainly taught that these sins could be erased from memory if good conduct followed, according to the faith of Scripture, which says, “But if the wicked turns from all his sins that he has committed, and does what is righteous, he shall live in eternal life and shall not die in his wickedness.” Ezekiel 18:21 For the sins he has committed shall be erased from memory by the good deeds that follow. Now think again whether the wounds of the lapsed who have fallen, laid bare by the devil, ought to be healed. They have been struck down by the force of the flood that the serpent sent out of his mouth after the woman. Revelation 12:15 But what shall I say? says the apostle. “Do I praise you? In this I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse.” 1 Corinthians 11:17 “For where there are rivalries and divisions among you, are you not carnal, and walking according to man?” 1 Corinthians 3:3 Nor indeed should we wonder why this Novati
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Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness
...alvation, you still want to please people, and so you become an even greater stumbling-block to the lapsed. For they themselves know, who committed it, that this is a very great sin, one that persecution forced them to commit. Since our Lord and Judge has said, "Whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies Me, him I will also deny," Matthew 10:32-33. And again He has said, "All sins will be forgiven to the sons of men, and blasphemies; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not have forgiveness, but is guilty of eternal sin," Mark 3:28-29. Also the blessed apostle has said, "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and of the table of demons," 1 Corinthians 10:21. He who keeps these words from our brothers deceives those miserable people, so that those who, by truly repenting, might satisfy God, both as Father and as merciful, by their prayers and works, are misled more deeply to their destruction; and those who might have raised themselves up fall more deeply. For although, in lesser sins, sinners may do penance for a set time, and accordi
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Anonymous, Treatise Against the Heretic Novatian Direct teaching
And yet you, O Novatian, judge and declare that the lapsed have no hope of peace and mercy, nor incline your ear to the rebuke of the apostle, when he says, Who are you, who judges another man's servant?
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Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness
... bishop the honor of his priesthood and his dignity, have already begun to be in communion with the lapsed, to offer on their behalf, and to give them the Eucharist, when it was proper that they should receive these things in due order. For in lesser sins, which are not committed against God, repentance may be completed in a set period of time, and confession may be made after an examination of the life of the one doing repentance. And no one can come to communion unless the hands of the bishop and clergy are first laid on him. How much more, then, should all matters like these be handled with caution and moderation, according to the discipline of the Lord, in these most serious and extreme sins! Indeed, our presbyters and deacons should have given you this warning, so that they might care for the sheep entrusted to them, and by divine authority instruct them in the way of obtaining salvation through prayer. I am aware of both the peacefulness and the fear of our people. They would have been careful in making satisfaction and in pleading against God's anger, unless some of the presbyters, by trying to please them, had deceived them.
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Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness
and while the penitence is not yet performed, confession is not yet made, the hands Of the bishop and clergy are not yet laid upon them, the eucharist is given to them;
More related quotations from this section 4 shown
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Anonymous, Treatise Against the Heretic Novatian Direct teaching
lo, there appeared opposed to me another enemy, and the adversary of his own paternal affection — the heretic Novatian— who not only, as it is signified in the Gospel, passed by the prostrate wounded man, as did the priest or the Levite, but by an ingenious and novel cruelty rather would slay the wounded man, by taking away the hope of salvation, by denying the mercy of his Father, by rejecting the repentance of his brother.
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Peter of Alexandria, Canonical Epistle Supporting witness
...r voluntary flight, or their slackness in teaching and strengthening the brothers. But if they have lapsed through their own arrogance and conceit—for such is the nature of rashly venturing to expose themselves to torture, and then not being able to endure it, so that a triumph has been gained over them—they can no longer carry out their sacred office. Therefore let them rather take care to perfect their confession by humility, and cease from the vainglory of seeking the sacred ministry. Communion with the faithful is sufficient for them. It is granted for two reasons, with diligent caution and just judgment. For if we say that we will not hold them to be communicants, we shall both afflict them with grief, giving our judgment as if they should depart this life with violence; and we shall also cause others, who may have lapsed and wish to return to what is right, to be negligent and remiss in this matter. For they would have as a pretext that they will not be admitted to communicate with the faithful, even though after their fall they should confess the faith. If they are not converted, they will undergo more shame and ignominy than others, like the man who laid the foundation a
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Peter of Alexandria, Canonical Epistle Supporting witness
but here those who by reason of their torment have lapsed, with a worthy penitence, confess the Lord before the tyrants, wherefore they are reckoned not to have fallen.
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness
so do we also permit such as these to enter only to hear, until they show the fruit of repentance, that by hearing the word they may not utterly and irrecoverably perish.
Common Questions
Who was Novatian in early Christian writing?
He is usually described as a Roman presbyter who became a schismatic leader and was later treated as outside the Church.
What did early Christians say Novatian taught about the lapsed?
They said he denied mercy and rejected repentance for the lapsed, while his opponents defended restoration and forgiveness.
Did early Christians see the Novatianists as part of the Church?
No. Several writers describe them as a split group or as people outside the Church.
Source Index for Novatian and the Novatianists
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 258 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 143
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
Bible Passages 80 shown of 115
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.
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The Novatianists
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