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INTRODUCTION IUIHE PREEMINENCE IN ROMAN LATIN THEOLOGY , ' . r ' - of Novatian's work The Trinity (De Trinitate) may be ~/" ~/ , ,'., judged f .rom the relevant patristic writing that preceded ,-' -, .' it. There had been Minucius Felix, who wrote at Rome and in Latin his dialogue, the Octavius, but the aim and scope of this single surviving work do not establish its author as a theologian. The Roman theologian Hippolytus wrote in Greek. Greek may also have been the original language of the Muratorian Fragment, whose eighty-five surviving lines of unschooled Latin do no more than enumerate and briefly discuss the writings of the New Testament-a text highly important for biblical studies but one that cannot assure to its unknown author the title of theologian. The great Tertullian, though he spent some years at Rome, was born in Carthage and belongs to the African Latin church. In the two letters in Latin surviving from the pen of Pope Cornelius, whom Novatian opposed, we do not sense a theologian's hand or purpose. In The Trinity, in fact, Novatian stands indeed virtually unchallenged in Roman Latin theology.1 Harnack is eloquent in his evaluation of The Trinity: This first great Latin work that appeared in Rome is highly important. In regard to completeness, extent of Biblical proofs, and perhaps also its influence on succeeding times, it may in many respects be compared with Origen's First Principles .... He thereby created for the West a dogmatic vademecum, which from its copious and well-selected quotations from Scripture, must have been of extraordinary service.2 1 R. DeSimone, The Treatise of Novatian the Roman Presbyter on the Trinity: A Study of the Text and the Doctrine (Studia Ephemeridis "Augustinianum" 4; Rome 1970) 44. 2 A. Harnack, History of Dogma (tr. by N. Buchanan, Boston 1907) 2.313-15. 13 14 NOVATIAN Likewise noteworthy is the recent judgement of W.A. Jurgens: "In the development of Trinitarian Theology, ... [Novatian] was at least a hundred years ahead of his contemporaries.,,3 The Trinity was written before the year 250. The following considerations justify such a conclusion: (1) The work does not contain any reference to the Decian persecution (250-51). (2) It shows no trace of Novatian's heresy regarding the power of the keys. If Novatian had written it after his break with the church (April 251), he would have undoubtedly used it to defend his position. (3) There are two references to Sabellius and his heresy (ch. 12); therefore, it was probably written between 240 and 250. Novatian wrote The Trinity as a commentary on the Rule of Faith.4 For Novatian the Rule of Faith is "the tradition and teaching of Christ."s In the opening chapters (1-8) of his treatise, he paints a magnificent picture of the majesty and transcendence of "God the Father and almighty Lord" who is, however, immediately and directly associated with His work: "The indefatigable providence of God embraces even the least things." Against the Gnostics, Novatian insists that "God the Father is the Creator of all things" (ch. 1). Some of the Christian writers were less affinnative than Novatian regarding the spirituality (absolute immateriality) of God.6 Novatian devotes the whole of chapters 12-28 to the unrelenting der:1onstration of the divinity of Christ.7 His demonstration can be conveniently divided, in general, as follows: (1) scriptural proofs (chs. 12-13, 17-22); (2) theological proofs (chs. 14-16); (3) proofs drawn from the adversaries (chs. 23-28). Novatian rendered the Church of his time a great service by defending her doctrine against 3 W.A. Jurgens, The Faith of the Early Fathers (Collegeville, Minn., 1970) 247. 4 G. Kretschmar, Studien zur frilhchristlichen Trinitiitstheologie (Ttibingen 1956) 128; cf. M. E. Williams, art. "Rule of Faith," NCE 12.706-7. 5 De cib. Iud. 1 and 7; cf. Y. M. J. Congar, Tradition and Traditions (New York 1967) 27. , 6 M. Spanneut, Le stoi"cisme des peres de I'Eglise (Paris 1957) 289-91; M. Kreibe~ Studien zur iilteren Entwicklung der abendliindischen Trinitiitslehre bei Tertullian und Novatian (diss., Ohlau-Marburg 1932) 19-20; W. Le Saint, "Tertullian," NCE 13.1022. See, however, 1. Moingt, Theologie trinitaire de Tertullien (paris 1966) 299-338. 7 See R. DeSimone, "Christ the True God and True Man according to Novatian , 'De Trinitate, ' " Augustinianum 10 (1970) 62-67. THE TRINITY 15 the errors of Docetisnl, Adoptianism, and Modalism. Novatian's second series of positive proofs (chs. 17-22) for the divinity of...

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