Novatus, his Manner of Life and his Heresy.
1. this, Novatus, a presbyter of the church at Rome, being lifted up with arrogance against these persons, as if there was no longer for them a hope of salvation, not even if they should do all things pertaining to a genuine and pure conversion, became leader of the heresy of those who, in the pride of their imagination, call themselves Cathari.
2. There upon a very large synod
assembled at Rome, of bishops in
number sixty, and a great many more presbyters and deacons; while the
pastors of the remaining provinces deliberated in their places
privately concerning what ought to be done. A decree was confirmed by
all, that Novatus and those who joined with him, and those who adopted
his brother-hating and inhuman opinion, should be considered by the
church as strangers; but that they should heal such of the brethren as
had fallen into misfortune, and should
minister to them with the medicines of repentance.
3. There have reached us
epistles of Cornelius, bishop of Rome, to
Fabius, of the church at Antioch, which show what was done at the synod
at Rome, and what seemed best to all those in Italy and Africa and the
regions thereabout. Also other
epistles, written in the Latin language, of Cyprian and
those with him in Africa, which show that
they agreed as to the necessity of succoring those who had been
tempted, and of cutting off from the Catholic Church the leader of the
heresy and all that joined with him.
4. Another epistle of Cornelius, concerning the resolutions of the synod, is attached to these; and yet others, on the conduct of Novatus, from which it is proper for us to make selections, that any one who sees this work may know about him.
5. Cornelius informs Fabius what
sort of a man Novatus was, in the following words:
“But that you may know
that a long time ago this remarkable man desired the episcopate, but
kept this ambitious desire to himself and concealed it,—using as
a cloak for his rebellion those confessors who had adhered to him from
the beginning,—I desire to speak.
6. Maximus, one of our presbyters, and Urbanus, who twice gained the highest honor by confession, with Sidonius, and Celerinus, a man who by the grace of God most heroically endured all kinds of torture, and by the strength of his faith overcame the weakness of the flesh, and mightily conquered the adversary,—these men found him out and detected his craft and duplicity, his perjuries and falsehoods, his unsociability and cruel friendship. And they returned to the holy church and proclaimed in the presence of many, both bishops and presbyters and a large number of the laity, all his craft and wickedness, which for a long time he had concealed. And this they did with lamentations and repentance, because through the persuasions of the crafty and malicious beast they had left the church for the time.” A little farther on he says:
7. “How remarkable, beloved brother, the change and transformation which we have seen take place in him in a short time. For this most illustrious man, who bound himself with terrible oaths in nowise to seek the bishopric, suddenly appears a bishop as if thrown among us by some machine.
8. For this dogmatist, this
defender of the doctrine of the Church, attempting to grasp and seize the episcopate, which had not been given him from above, chose two of his companions who had given up their own salvation. And he sent them to a small and insignificant corner of Italy, that there by some counterfeit argument he might deceive three bishops, who were rustic and very simple men. And they asserted positively and strongly that it was necessary that they should come quickly to Rome, in order that all the dissension which had arisen there might be appeased through their mediation, jointly with other bishops.
9. When they had come, being, as
we have stated, very simple in the craft and artifice of the wicked, they were shut up with certain selected men like himself. And by the tenth hour, when they had become drunk and sick, he compelled them by force to confer on him the episcopate through a counterfeit and vain imposition of hands. Because it had not come to him, he avenged himself by craft and treachery.