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THE TRINITY Chapter 1 IUIHE RULE OF TRUTH! requires that we believe, first . . 1 . . in God the Father and almighty Lord, the most perfect " ~~ , '\ Creator of all things. He suspended the heavens above -; ,'in their lofty height,2 made firm the earth with the heavy mass under it, poured forth the freely flowing water of the seas;3 and He arranged all these, in full abundance and orde~, with appropriate and suitable appurtenances.4 (2) In the firmament of heaven He summoned forth the light of the rising sun. He filled the candescent sphere of the moon with its monthly waxings to relieve the darkness.s He also illuminated the rays of the stars with varying flashes of twinkling light. He willed that all these things in their lawfully regulated orbits6 encircle the entire earth's surface to form days, months, years, seasons, signs, and other things useful for mankind. (3) On earth He lifted up the highest mountains to a peak, threw down the valleys into the lowlands, leveled the plains, and created the different kinds of animals for the various needs of man. (4) He also hardened the sturdy trees of the forests to serve man's needs, brought forth the fruits of the earth for food, opened the 1 The original title of the treatise is unknown. The correct title seems to have been De regula veritatis (The Rule of Tru th) or De regula fidei (The Rule oj Faith). Novatian makes it clear that his purpose in writing was "to explain briefly the Rule of Faith" (ch. 21). He never uses the word "Trinity." The Trinitarian controversies which took place between the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople probably inspired an amanuensis to alter the original title. 2 Cf. Gen. 1.6. 3 Cf. Gen. 1.9-10. 4 Cf. Gen. 1.14-18; 1 Cor. 15.41. Novatian's admiration of creation betrays Stoic influence. 5 Cf. Tertullian, Adversus Hermogenem 29; Vergil, Aeneid 6.270. 6 Cf. Theophilus of Antioch, Ad Autolycum 1.4,6; Tertullian, Adv. Marcionem 2.3. 24 NOVATIAN mouths of springs, and poured them into the flowing rivers.7 (5) After these things, lest He should have failed to provide our eyes with beautiful objects, He clothed all things with the various colors of flowers to delight all those who look upon them. (6) Although the sea was wonderful both in its extent and for its usefulness, yet in it also He fashioned many kinds of living creatures, both small and large,8 which show the intelligence of the Creator by the variety of His creation. (7) Not content with all this, lest the rushing and the flowing of the waters occupy territory not its own with loss to its human possessor, He enclosed its limits with shores, so that when the roaring waves and the foaming surge would come forth from the sea's bosom, they would return into themselves and w,ould not pass beyond the limits allowed them.9 They would obey their prescribed laws, in order that man would more readily keep God's laws, seeing that even the elements themselves obey them. (8) After all these things had been accomplished, He placed man at the head of the world--man made to the image of God, 10 endowed with intelligence, discernment, and prudence so that he could imitate God. Although the primordial elements of his body were earthly, nevertheless the substance was infused by a heavenly and divine breath. ll (9) When God gave him all these things for his service, He willed that man alone should be free. 12 Nevertheless, lest man's unrestrained freedom prove dangerous, God imposed a command in which He stated that indeed evil was not in the fruit of the tree, 13 but warned that evil would follow if, in the use of his free will, man disregarded the command laid down. 14 (10) On the one hand, man ought to be free lest the image of God serve in unbecoming manner. 7 Cf. Ps. 103(104).10. 8 Cf. Ps. 103(104).25. 9 Cf. Ps. 103(104).9. 10 Cf. Gen. 1.26-27. 11 Cf. Gen. 2.7. 12 Cf. Gen. 1.28. 13 Cf. Gen. 2.1 7; Theophilus of Antioch, Ad Autol. 2.25. 14 Cf. Plato, The Republic 10.617E: "The blame is his who chooses: God is blameless," quoted by Justin Martyr, Apology 1.44 (tr. by T. B. Falls, FC 6.81). Cf...
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