![[St. Pachomius Library]](title.gif)
Chapter XLIII
Novatus, His Manner of Life and His Heresy, [with
Fragments from the Writings of Cornelius Bishop of Rome].
1 After this, Novatus, a presbyter of the church at Rome,
being lifted up with arrogance against
these persons [those who had been weak in the time of
persecution], 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
[Pure Ones].
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
[paragraph 5] sees this work may know about him.
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 un-sociability 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 [mangagon].
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 [paragraph
10] and treachery. One of these bishops shortly after
came back to the church, lamenting and
confessing his transgression. And we communed with him
as with a layman, all the people present
interceding for him. And we ordained successors
of the other bishops, and sent them to the
places where they were.
11 "This avenger of the Gospel then did not know that
there should be one bishop in a catholic
church; yet he was not ignorant (for how could he be?)
that in it there were forty-six presbyters,
seven deacons, seven sub-deacons, forty-two acolyths,
fifty-two exorcists, readers,
and janitors, and over fifteen hundred widows and persons
in distress, all of whom the grace and
kindness of the Master nourish.
12 "But not even this great multitude, so necessary in the
church, nor those who, through God's
providence, were rich and full, together with the very
many, even innumerable people, could turn
him from such desperation and presumption and
recall him to the Church."
13 Again, farther on, he adds these words: "Permit us to
say further: On account of what works or
conduct had he the assurance to contend for the
episcopate? Was it that he had been brought up in
the Church from the beginning, and had endured many
conflicts in her behalf, and had passed
through many and greatdangers for religion?
Truly this is not the fact.
14 "But Satan, who entered and dwelt in him for
a long time, became the occasion of his believing.
Being delivered by the exorcists, he fell into a severe
sickness; and as he seemed about to die, he
received baptism by affusion, on the bed where he lay;
if indeed we
[paragraph
15] can say that such a one did receive it. And when
he was healed of his sickness he did not receive
the other things which it is necessary to have according
to the canon of the Church, even the being
sealed by the bishop. And as he did not receive this,
how could he receive [paragraph
16] the Holy Spirit?"
Shortly after he says again:
"In the time of persecution, through cowardice and
love of life, he denied that he was a presbyter.
For when he was requested and entreated by the
deacons to come out of the chamber in which he
had imprisoned himself and give aid to the brethren
as far as was lawful and possible for a presbyter
to assist those of the brethren who were in danger
and needed help, he paid so little respect to the
entreaties of the deacons that he went away and
departed in anger. For he said that he no longer
desired to be a presbyter, as he was an admirer
of another philosophy."
17 Passing by a few things, he adds the following:
"For this illustrious man forsook the Church of God,
in which, when he believed, he was judged
worthy of the presbyterate through the favor of the bishop
who ordained him to the presbyterial
office. This had been resisted by all the clergy and many
of the laity; because it was unlawful that
one who had been affused on his bed on account of sickness
as he had been should enter into any
clerical office; but the bishop requested that he might be
permitted to ordain this one only."
18 He adds to these yet another, the worst of all the man's
offenses, as follows:
"For when he has made the offerings, and distributed a part to each
man, as he gives it he compels
the wretched man to swear in place of the blessing. Holding
his hands in both of his own, he will not
release him until he has sworn in this manner (for I will
give his own words):
'Swear to me by the body and blood of our Lord
Jesus Christ that you will never forsake me and
turn to Cornelius.'
19 "And the unhappy man does not taste until he has
called down imprecations on himself; and
instead of saying 'Amen', as he takes the bread, he says,
'I will never return to Cornelius.'"
Farther on
he says again:
20 "But know that he has now been made bare and desolate;
as the brethren leave him every day
and return to the church. Moses also, the blessed martyr, who
lately suffered among us a glorious
and admirable martyrdom, while he was yet alive,
beholding his boldness and folly, refused to
commune with him and with the five presbyters who with
him had separated themselves from the
church."
21 At the close of his letter he gives a list of the bishops who
had come to Rome and condemned
the silliness of Novatus, with their names and the parish
over which each of them presided.
22 He mentions also those who did not come to Rome, but who
expressed by letters their
agreement with the vote of these bishops, giving their names and
the cities from which they severally
sent them. Cornelius wrote these things to Fabius,
bishop of Antioch.
Have mercy, O Lord, upon Thy servant
the translator Arthur and on Daniel.