The Schism of Novatian, the Heretic

WHAT !?!

Was this the Novatian (d. 257 AD), a distinguished Presbyter (elder) in the early church at Rome, who wrote so clearly about the Paraclete ?

Yes.

That very man, Novatian, was declared a heretic by the unified Primitive Christian Church. 

Why ?

Novatian's writings are some of the clearest statements of faith in the Ante-Nicene writings. They are in line with the Christian doctrines of the Early, Pre-Nicene Church. Novatian was an excellent apologist for Christianity. It was NOT BECAUSE his doctrines were different from Early Christian doctrines that he was pronounced a heretic in the time of total Christian unity.  

So what... ? 

Novatian was a heretic for what he did:

start his own church. 

He broke away from the unified church and established his own.

They viewed him with horror for splitting the Body of CHRIST. How did he do this heinous thing ?

• He re-baptized believers.
• He sent out his own apostles from city to city.
• He did their "own" communion.
• He appointed himself bishop or overseer.
• He rejected the duly ordained bishop... ordained by 16 godly co-bishops.

Novatian who was an elder in the church at Rome was a disciplinarian. He followed the Letter of the Law in the New Covenant. Yet, his doctrines or teaching were orthodox with Early Christianity.... but his spirit was not. 

Thus, he decided ON HIS OWN that those  believers who denied CHRIST ... and who had repented... should not be allowed back into The Church... based on the Letter of the Law in the New Covenant.  

The ONE, unified Christian Church disagreed with him.

Since he was an elder, he wanted to become the Overseer and enforce his decision... but the other Overseers did not agree with Novatian. They said CHRIST had shown Peter mercy when he lapsed and denied CHRIST. The church should show mercy also if the ones who denied CHRIST were repentant.

Novatian refused to recognize their authority and created his own church, creating the schism. 

Thus, even though his DOCTRINES WERE CORRECT,   his discipline was seen as too harsh and out-of-line with the Ancient Church. Because he disagreed with the Church, he would not  submit to the ordained authority. So, he established his own... a totally un-lawful thing to do.  He and his followers were cast out.

[Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 5, Cyprian's writings, pgs. 321, 333, 380 and the Treatise Against Novatian  by an unknown bishop, pgs. 657, 658, according to summaries in David Bercot, A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs  , page 476-478, Hendrickson Publishers 1998. See Scroll Publishing at www.scrollpublishing.com]

+  +  +

Although we have seen that Paraqlita  or Paraclete was used by the ancient Pre-Nicene, Pre-Peshitta Christian writers to mean HOLY SPIRIT or Advocate and not "Redeemer+," there is a more important issue at hand for those in the publishing house of the Netzarim and those in the  Hebrew Roots camp, in general.  

That issue is
SCHISMATICS = heretics.

(more to come)