A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity.

 A Treatise of Novatian Concerning the Trinity.

 The Rule of truth requires that we should first of all things believe on God the Father and Lord Omnipotent that is, the absolutely perfect Founder o

 And over all these things He Himself, containing all things, having nothing vacant beyond Himself, has left room for no superior God, such as some peo

 Him, then, we acknowledge and know to be God, the Creator of all things—Lord on account of His power, Parent on account of His discipline—Him, I say,

 Him alone the Lord rightly declares good, of whose goodness the whole world is witness which world He would not have ordained if He had not been good

 Moreover, if we read of His wrath, and consider certain descriptions of His indignation, and learn that hatred is asserted of Him, yet we are not to u

 And although the heavenly Scripture often turns the divine appearance into a human form,—as when it says, “The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous

 But when the Lord says that God is a Spirit, I think that Christ spoke thus of the Father, as wishing that something still more should be understood t

 This God, then, setting aside the fables and figments of heretics, the Church knows and worships, to whom the universal and entire nature of things as

 The same rule of truth teaches us to believe, after the Father, also on the Son of God, Christ Jesus, the Lord our God, but the Son of God—of that God

 But of this I remind you , that Christ was not to be expected in the Gospel in any other wise than as He was promised before by the Creator, in the Sc

 Chapter XI.—And Indeed that Christ Was Not Only Man, But God Also That Even as He Was the Son of Man, So Also He Was the Son of God.

 Why, then, should we hesitate to say what Scripture does not shrink from declaring? Why shall the truth of faith hesitate in that wherein the authorit

 And thus also John, describing the nativity of Christ, says: “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the o

 And yet the heretic still shrinks from urging that Christ is God, whom he perceives to be proved God by so many words as well as facts. If Christ is o

 If Christ is only man, how is it that He says, “Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true:  because I know whence I came, and whither I go

 If Christ was only man, how is it that He Himself says, “And every one that believeth in me shall not die for evermore?” And yet he who believes in ma

 What if Moses pursues this same rule of truth, and delivers to us in the beginning of his sacred writings, this principle by which we may learn that a

 Behold, the same Moses tells us in another place that “God was seen of Abraham.” And yet the same Moses hears from God, that “no man can see God and l

 What if in another place also we read in like manner that God was described as an angel? For when, to his wives Leah and Rachel, Jacob complained of t

 But if some heretic, obstinately struggling against the truth, should persist in all these instances either in understanding that Christ was properly

 And indeed I could set forth the treatment of this subject by all heavenly Scriptures, and set in motion, so to speak, a perfect forest of texts conce

 But why, although we appear to hasten to another branch of the argument, should we pass over that passage in the apostle: “Who, although He was in the

 In this place I may be permitted also to collect arguments from the side of other heretics. It is a substantial kind of proof which is gathered even f

 But the material of that heretical error has arisen, as I judge, from this, that they think that there is no distinction between the Son of God and th

 Therefore, say they, if Christ is not man only, but God also—and Scripture tells us that He died for us, and was raised again—then Scripture teaches u

 But from this occasion of Christ being proved from the sacred authority of the divine writings not man only, but God also, other heretics, breaking fo

 But since they frequently urge upon us the passage where it is said, “I and the Father are one,” in this also we shall overcome them with equal facili

 Hereto also I will add that view wherein the heretic, while he rejoices as if at the loss of some power of seeing special truth and light, acknowledge

 Moreover, the order of reason, and the authority of the faith in the disposition of the words and in the Scriptures of the Lord, admonish us after the

 And now, indeed, concerning the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, let it be sufficient to have briefly said thus much, and to have laid down t

 Thus God the Father, the Founder and Creator of all things, who only knows no beginning, invisible, infinite, immortal, eternal, is one God to whose

Chapter XIII.  Argument.—That the Same Truth is Proved from the Sacred Writings of the New Covenant.

And thus also John, describing the nativity of Christ, says: “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”80    John i. 13. [For Sabellius, see p. 128, supra.] For, moreover, “His name is called the Word of God,”81    Rev. xix. 13. and not without reason. “My heart has emitted a good word;”82    Ps. xlv. 1. which word He subsequently calls by the name of the King inferentially, “I will tell my works to the King.”83    Ps. xlv. 1. For “by Him were made all the works, and without Him was nothing made.”84    John i. 3.  “Whether,” says the apostle, “they be thrones or dominations, or powers, or mights, visible things and invisible, all things subsist by Him.”85    Col. i. 16. Moreover, this is that word which came unto His own, and His own received Him not. For the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not.”86    John i. 10, 11.  Moreover, this Word “was in the beginning with God, and God was the Word.”87    John i. 1. Who then can doubt, when in the last clause it is said, “The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,” that Christ, whose is the nativity, and because He was made flesh, is man; and because He is the Word of God, who can shrink from declaring without hesitation that He is God, especially when he considers the evangelical Scripture, that it has associated both of these substantial natures into one concord of the nativity of Christ? For He it is who “as a bridegroom goeth forth from his bride-chamber; He exulted as a giant to run his way. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and His return unto the ends of it.”88    Ps. xix. 6, 7. Because, even to the highest, “not any one hath ascended into heaven save He who came down from heaven, the Son of man who is in heaven.”89    John iii. 13. Repeating this same thing, He says: “Father, glorify me with that glory wherewith I was with Thee before the world was.”90    John xvii. 5. [Note this exposition.] And if this Word came down from heaven as a bridegroom to the flesh, that by the assumption of flesh He might ascend thither as the Son of man, whence the Son of God had descended as the Word, reasonably, while by the mutual connection both flesh wears the Word of God, and the Son of God assumes the frailty of the flesh; when the flesh being espoused ascending thither, whence without the flesh it had descended, it at length receives that glory which in being shown to have had before the foundation of the world, it is most manifestly proved to be God. And, nevertheless, while the world itself is said to have been founded after Him, it is found to have been created by Him; by that very divinity in Him whereby the world was made, both His glory and His authority are proved.  Moreover, if, whereas it is the property of none but God to know the secrets of the heart, Christ beholds the secrets of the heart; and if, whereas it belongs to none but God to remit sins, the same Christ remits sins; and if, whereas it is the portion of no man to come from heaven, He descended by coming from heaven; and if, whereas this word can be true of no man, “I and the Father are one,”91    John x. 30. Christ alone declared this word out of the consciousness of His divinity; and if, finally, the Apostle Thomas, instructed in all the proofs and conditions of Christ’s divinity, says in reply to Christ, “My Lord and my God;”92    John xx. 28. and if, besides, the Apostle Paul says, “Whose are the fathers, and of whom Christ came according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed for evermore,”93    Rom. ix. 5. writing in his epistles; and if the same apostle declares that he was ordained “an apostle not by men, nor of man, but by Jesus Christ;”94    Gal. i. 1 and 12 and if the same contends that he learned the Gospel not from men or by man, but received it from Jesus Christ, reasonably Christ is God. Therefore, in this respect, one of two things must needs be established. For since it is evident that all things were made by Christ, He is either before all things, since all things were by Him, and so He is justly God; or because He is man He is subsequent to all things, and justly nothing was made by Him. But we cannot say that nothing was made by Him, when we observe it written that all things were made by Him. He is not therefore subsequent to all things; that is, He is not man only, who is subsequent to all things, but God also, since God is prior to all things. For He is before all things, because all things are by Him, while if He were only man, nothing would be by Him; or if all things were by Him, He would not be man only, because if He were only man, all things would not be by Him; nay, nothing would be by Him. What, then, do they reply? That nothing is by Him, so that He is man only? How then are all things by Him?  Therefore He is not man only, but God also, since all things are by Him; so that we reasonably ought to understand that Christ is not man only, who is subsequent to all things, but God also, since by Him all things were made. For how can you say that He is man only, when you see Him also in the flesh, unless because when both aspects are considered, both truths are rightly believed?

CAPUT XIII. Eamdem veritatem evinci e sacris Novi Foederis Litteris.

Ac sic et Joannes nativitatem Christi describens (Joan. I, 14), Verbum, inquit, caro factum est, et habitavit in nobis, et vidimus claritatem ejus, claritatem 0907Btamquam unigeniti a Patre,plenum gratia et veritate. Nam et vocatur nomen ejus Verbum Dei (Apoc. XIX, 13): nec immerito. Eructavit, inquit, cor meum verbum bonum (Psal. XLIV, 2); quod Verbum Regis nomine consequenter appellat inferendo, Dico ego opera mea Regi. Per ipsum enim omnia facta sunt opera, et sine ipso factum est nihil (Joan. I, 3). Sive enim, inquit Apostolus, Throni, sive Dominationes, sive Virtutes, sive Potestates, visibilia et invisibilia, omnia per ipsum constant (Coloss. I, 16). Verbum autem hoc illud est, quod in sua venit, et sui eum non receperunt. Mundus enim per ipsum factus est, et mundus eum non cognovit (Joan. I, 10, 11). Verbum autem hoc erat in principio apud Deum, et Deus erat Verbum (Joan. I, 1). Quis igitur dubitet, cum in extrema 0907C parte dicitur, Verbum caro factum est, et habitavit in nobis, Christum cujus est nativitas, et quia caro factus est, esse hominem, et quia Verbum Dei, Deum incunctanter edicere esse; praesertim cum animadvertat Scripturam evangelicam, utramque istam substantiam in unam nativitatis Christi foederasse concordiam? Hic est enim qui sicut sponsus egreditur de thalamo suo; exsultavit ut gigas ad currendam viam; a summo coelo egressio ejus et usque ad summum regressio ejus (Psal. XVIII, 6, 7). Quoniam usque ad summum, nec quisquam in coelum ascendit, nisi qui de coelo descendit, Filius hominis qui est in coelis (Joan. III, 13). Repetens hoc ipsum dicit: Pater, clarifica me eo honore quo fui apud te antequam mundus esset (Joan. XVII, 5). Ac si de coelo descendit Verbum hoc, tamquam 0907D sponsus ad carnem, ut per carnis assumptionem Filius hominis illuc posset ascendere, unde Dei Filius Verbum descenderat, merito, dum per connexionem mutuam et caro Verbum Dei gerit, et Filius Dei fragilitatem carnis assumit; cum sponsa carne conscendens illuc, unde sine carne descenderat, recipit jam claritatem 0908A illam, quam dum ante mundi institutionem habuisse ostenditur, Deus manifestissime comprobatur. Et nihilominus, dum mundus ipse post illum institutus refertur, per ipsum creatus esse reperitur; quo ipso divinitatis in ipso, per quem factus est mundus, et claritas et auctoritas comprobetur. Quod si, cum (III Reg. VIII, 39) nullius sit nisi Dei, cordis nosse secreta (Matth. IX, 4; Apoc. II, 23), Christus secreta conspicit cordis: quod si, cum (Isa. XLIII, 25) nullius sit nisi Dei, peccata dimittere; idem (Marc. II, 5) Christus peccata dimittit: quod si, cum nullius sit hominis de coelo venire; de coelo veniendo descendit: quod si, cum nullius hominis haec vox esse possit, Ego et Pater unum sumus (Joan. X, 30); hanc vocem de conscientia divinitatis Christus solus 0908B edicit: quod si postremo, omnibus divinitatis Christi probationibus et rebus instructus apostolus Thomas, respondens Christo, Dominus meus et Deus meus (Joan. XX, 28) dicit: quod si et apostolus Paulus, quorum, inquit, patres et ex quibus Christus secundum carnem, qui est super omnia Deus benedictus in saecula (Rom. IX, 5), in suis litteris scribit: quod si idem se Apostolum non ab hominibus, aut per hominem, sed per Jesum Christum (Gal. I, 1, 12) constitutum esse depromit: quod si idem, Evangelium non se ab hominibus didicisse aut per hominem, sed per Jesum Christum accepisse contendit: merito Deus est Christus. Itaque hoc in loco ex duobus alterum constare debebit. Cum enim manifestum sit omnia esse facta per Christum; aut ante omnia est, quoniam 0908C omnia per ipsum, et merito et Deus est: aut quia homo est, post omnia est, et merito per ipsum nihil factum est. Sed nihil per ipsum factum esse non possumus dicere, cum animadvertamus omnia per ipsum facta esse scriptum: non ergo post omnia est, id est non homo tantum est, qui post omnia est: sed et Deus; quoniam Deus ante omnia est. Ante omnia est enim, quia per ipsum omnia; ne si homo tantum, nihil per ipsum; aut si omnia per ipsum, non homo tantum: quoniam si homo tantum; non omnia per ipsum, immo nihil per ipsum. Quid ergo respondent? nihil per ipsum, ut homo sit tantum? Quomodo ergo omnia per ipsum? Ergo non homo tantummodo est, sed et Deus; siquidem omnia sunt per ipsum: ut merito intelligere debeamus 0908D , nec hominem esse Christum tantummodo, qui est post omnia; sed et Deum, cum per ipsum facta sint omnia. Quomodo enim aut hominem tantummodo dicas, cum illum etiam in carne conspicias; nisi quoniam si utrumque animadvertitur, utrumque merito credatur?