Novatian

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Novatian (Latin Novatianus ; * around 200, † around 258) was a theologian and 251 to 258 Roman counter-bishop . The late antique movement of the Novatians, who called themselves katharoi ( the pure ), is named after him.

Life

After Bishop Fabianus died in January 250, Novatian was first called to be the church's spokesman. Everything indicated that he would become the next bishop of Rome ; but in March 251 the clergy elected Cornelius to succeed Fabianus. Novatian was then ordained bishop by three southern Italian bishops and took up the fight against Cornelius. Persecution of Christians in February 251 led to the apostasy of several followers, from which a violent dispute broke out between Novatian and Cornelius. Novatian accused Cornelius of having bribed officials in the persecutions under Emperor Decius and thus received a certificate that he had sacrificed to the Roman gods in accordance with the emperor's decree; therefore Cornelius has no right to be a bishop. Novatian represented here in accordance with the Roman presbyters of the opinion that Lapsi , the penance would do, was indeed to meet with rigor, the resumption in the community but should not in principle be denied. Cornelius , Bishop of Rome, established himself with the concept of exhomologesis , the confession of sins in early penance.

Novatian used the Latin language in his writings as one of the first Roman theologians after Tertullian . Two of his nine known treatises have survived: On the Trinity and On Jewish Food . Two letters by Novatian (Cyp. Ep. 30 and 36) are preserved in Cyprian's letter collection .

At a synod in autumn 251, Novatian was excommunicated by Cornelius and 60 bishops. A few months after his excommunication, the persecution of Christians began again and Novatian left Rome. In the reign of Emperor Valerian (253-259) he probably died a martyr .

Novatians

The followers of Novatian named themselves "Cathari" (from gr. Katharos, pure), or "katharoi" the pure, because its members at the time of the systematic persecution of Christians under Emperor Decius had refused 250 and 251 victims of the Roman gods to offer.

Because the Novatians did not assign the power of forgiveness to the church but only to God, they could not assert themselves in Rome. The Novatians were commonly referred to as heretics in the church tradition .

The so-called “ Novatian schism ” lasted until the union with the imperial church that arose under Constantine during the Council of Nicaea in 325. In parts of Spain the religious community lasted until the 5th century.

Fonts

  • MS-B-193 - Cyprianus. Novatianus. Henricus Arnoldi. Mechthild from Hackeborn. (Ps .-) Augustine. Henricus de Langenstein (theological collective manuscript). Kreuzherrenkonvent, Marienfrede [around 1490 - 1495; around 1480-1490; 1489; around 1475] digitized

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Joachim Schäfer: Article "Cornelius". In: Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints, accessed on April 2, 2015
  2. ^ Ralf-Thomas Klein:  Novatian. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 6, Bautz, Herzberg 1993, ISBN 3-88309-044-1 , Sp. 1047-1049.
  3. Exhomologesis . In: Glossary of terms "Church history University of Duisburg-Essen", accessed on April 27, 2015.
  4. Nicholas Weber: Art. "Cathari". In: The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908 in: The Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent, 2012
  5. ^ Daniela Müller : Heretic and Church: Observations from two millennia. Lit-Verlag 2014. p. 161.
  6. Lothar Baier: The great heresy, persecution and extermination of the Cathars by church and science . Wagenbach, 3rd edition 2009, p. 10