Who Were They?
The Novatians
1 John 2:18-23
18Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have
heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there
many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last
time. 19They went out from us, but they were not of
us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt
have continued with us: but they went out, that they
might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
20But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and
ye know all things. 21I have not written unto you
because ye know not the truth, but because ye know
it, and that no lie is of the truth. 22Who is a liar but
he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is
antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
23Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not
the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son
hath the Father also.
[JFR]
We continue to examine some of the groups that
were in existence during the period of the
Reformation. I again utilize Pastor K. David
Oldfield’s work on the Reformation.
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[Oldfield]
It might be said that last…subject – the churches of
the Montanists – were a REACTION to the growing
false doctrines and unbiblical practices in some areas
of Christendom. While that is not altogether untrue,
it must be emphasized that the Montanists
considered their churches to be true to the New
Testament example. They were simply carrying
on in the doctrines and authority of the churches
established
by
Christ
and
His
apostles.
While certainly protesting the Alexandrian heresies
and the Roman ecclesiastical system, they were not
protestant churches, but the true original churches. I
concluded [the] last…lesson with a quote from
a Protestant historian named Möller and another
from
the Baptist
W.A.
Jarrel. Möller
wrote “Montanism was…. not a new form of
Christianity; nor were the Montanists a new sect. On
the contrary, Montanism was simply a reaction of the
old, the primitive church, against the obvious
tendency of the day, to strike a bargain with the
world and arrange herself comfortably in it.” Then
Jarrel followed that with, “That the Montanist
churches were Baptist churches is the only legitimate
conclusion from their comparison with the facts…..”
In
time, the
name “Montanism” spread from
Phrygia in Turkey in every direction – south into
Egypt and across northern Africa, towards the east,
and northwest into Italy and other parts of
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Europe. That success was not because of the arise
of new churches necessarily, but because the older,
sound churches, which opposed Rome and
Alexandria were being given the “Montanist” label.
It was not a name chosen by themselves, despite the
fact that they eventually accepted it. It was a name
given to them by those who hated Montanus –
his doctrines and his practices. Not only did the name “Montanism” extend throughout the Roman
Empire and beyond, but it also extended for a couple
of hundred years.
And during that time came a man named Novatian.
In about the year 250, a hundred years after
Montanus, there was a man in Rome who
was converted to
Christ
while on
his
death
bed. Novatian had been a well-known and
distinguished Pagan philosopher. History tells us
that he became very, very sick, but it hasn’t told us
what his disease was. Like Hezekiah, he turned to
the Lord while in this dying state, and Christ slowly
healed him. Apparently, there was no instantaneous
miracle in his case, but once he began to seek the
blessing of Christ Jesus, his condition improved. And
with that he became more and more interested in the
Lord, in the Bible and in the doctrines of Christianity.
That he was truly converted is attested by
what writings of his which have endured –
accurately reflecting the Word of God. After he left
his sick-bed, and as he began to mature in the Lord,
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he picked up the mantle of Montanus and began
preaching faith in the Christ and purity of life.
Now, here is an anomaly for which I have no
absolute explanation – In his naivete, while trusting
Christ to save him but still near the point of death,
Novatian asked for baptism. Armitage says that his
was the first recorded departure from immersion in
baptism. His was the first known case of “clinic
baptism” – the “baptism” of someone who was
believed to be dying. Considering baptism to be
extremely important, whether or not he thought it
contributed to salvation, the dying man talked
someone into helping him. While stretched out on
his bed, buckets of water were brought in and water
was poured all around him, inclosing his body,
before even more was poured all over him until he
was thoroughly drenched. It was as near to
immersion as possible under the circumstances
without actually being true immersion.
How do we explain or justify this? From my Baptist
standpoint, justification is impossible – it was not
immersion and therefore not baptism. But it might
be that
all
this
is a
lie created
by
Novatian’s enemies in order to destroy his
credibility. Another explanation might be that as he
matured and
recovered,
that
he
was later
scripturally immersed. We do have in his writings
some clearly worded statements about the nature of
baptism. True baptism – scriptural baptism – is the
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dipping in water of a believer under the authority of
one of Christ’s churches. Certainly, in Rome at that
time, there was no such thing as sprinkling, and
there was no baptism of infants. A century later,
Boniface, the bishop of the church in Rome was
asking Augustine about infant baptism, as though it
was a novelty.
Robinson’s “Researches” describes the conditions
of
Christianity in
Italy
in
the
third
century. “Christians, within the space of a very few
years, were caressed by one emperor, and
persecuted by another. In seasons of prosperity,
many rushed into the church for base purposes. In
times of adversity, they denied the faith and ran back
to idolatry again. When the squall was over, away
they came again to the church, with all their vices, to
deprave others by their example. The bishops, fond
of proselytes, encouraged all this, and transferred
the attention of Christians from the old confederacy
for virtue, to vain shows at Easter, and a thousand
other Jewish ceremonies, adulterated, too, with
paganism.”
Novatian was one of several elders in the church at
Rome before
the
formation
of
Roman
Catholicism. When, Fabian, the bishop of the
church died, the names of two men were set forward
to replace him – Novatian and a man named
Cornelius. Cornelius was
of
the
party
that encouraged the church to accept without
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question the returning shallow, secular professing
Christians, while Novatian demanded that they
be rejected
outright. Cornelius,
who
became
an implacable enemy of Novation, was elected to
become pastor of the church. And when in power,
he took steps to excommunicate his theological
opponent.
When other godly members of the church in
Rome saw that Novatian was no longer welcome,
they associated with him, and a new congregation
was formed. Cornelius accused Novatian of forming
a new church out of jealousy and spite, but that was
not the case. Soon as other believers saw what
happened in Rome, and they too took their stand for
truth – for the old doctrines and ancient practices.
There
were churches
across
Italy
and
elsewhere which expelled members with their pagan
doctrines, thus purifying their congregations. And
there were others who left churches which had sunk
too far into sinful practices, making purification
impossible. Robinson says
– “Great
numbers
followed (Novatian’s) example, and all over the
empire Puritan churches were constituted, and
flourished through the succeeding two hundred
years. Afterward, when penal laws obligated them to
lurk in corners and worship God in private, they
were distinguished by a variety of names and a
succession of them continued til the Reformation.”
The Novatian churches.
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Jarrel says, “so we discover that Novatian had
nothing more to do with the organization of the
Novatian churches throughout the empire than the
force of example. And, as in all such cases, no doubt,
when the line of separation was drawn, some
churches sided with the popular party, while others
were numbered with those called Novatian.” He
says, the Novatian period extended from about the
middle of the third century to the middle of the fifth.
I don’t think that I can emphasize enough the
great success – the immediate success – of the
churches to which the name “Novatian” was
applied. They were quickly springing up all over the
Roman Empire from Israel to Spain; from France to
Africa. And these sheer numbers remind us that this
was not some new movement spurred on by the
appeal of a charismatic leader with a television
ministry and a million Facebook friends. The
success of these churches was due to the fact
that these were the original churches. The example
in one city was followed in an adjacent town and then
in a third. This was a call, not to reform, but to a
return to the way things had been for more than two
hundred years. And the return was not a huge step
backward, but a relatively small one. Grandparents,
if not moms and dads in their youth, had been in
churches like the Novatians and Montanists, and
many of those people had been persecuted for
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it. Novatianism was just a return to original
Christian roots.
The Lutheran, August Neander, a hundred fifty
years ago, characterized the Novatian controversy in
this way: The Novatian churches refused to readmit
former members who had apostatized into paganism
and idolatry. While acknowledging that God might
forgive them personally, they refused to restore them
to
church
fellowship. Orchard described
the Novatian invitation to prospective members this
way – “If you wish to join any of our churches, you
may be admitted among us by baptism; but observe,
that if you fall away into idolatry or vice, we shall
separate you from our communion, and on no
account can you be readmitted among us. We shall
never attempt to injure you, in your person, property
or character; we do not presume to judge the
sincerely of your repentance, or your future state;
but you can never be readmitted to the fellowship of
our churches without giving up the securest guardian
we have for the purity of our communion.”
Neander concluded his thoughts with – “As the
mark of purity and holiness is one of the essential
marks of a true church, every church which,
neglecting the right use of church discipline suffers
those who have violated their baptismal vow by great
sins to remain in the mist of her, or to receive them
into her again, ceases thereby to be a true church,
and loses all the rights and advantages of such a
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church. The Novatianists, therefore, as they claimed
to be the only unstained pure church, called
themselves ‘oi katharoi’ – ‘the pure.’” “Cathari” is
one of the titles of later Christian people. The
Protestant, Schaff-Herzog
Encyclopedia in
its
article about Novatian says – “It is unquestionable
that the Novatians retained many of the most
valuable remnants of the old traditions, and their
idea of the church was as a communion of the saints
corresponds exactly to the idea prevalent in the first
days of christendom.” And another Protestant
Encyclopedia affirms that the Novatians have “just
claims to be regarded as the pure, uncorrupted and
apostolic Church of Christ.” After recording that
quote, Jarrel then added, “This unites the Baptist
history to the apostolic churches of Jesus Christ in
the first century.” And Orchard wrote – “The
churches thus formed upon a plan of strict
communion and rigid discipline, obtained the
reproach of Puritans; they were the oldest body of
Christian churches of which we have any account;
and a succession of them, we shall prove, has
continued to the present day. Novatian’s example
had a powerful influence, and Puritan churches rose
in different parts in quick succession. So early as 254
these dissenters are complained of as having infected
France with their doctrine, which will aid us in the
Albigensean churches, where the same severity of
discipline
is
traced
and
reprobated.” And Cramp added – “We may safely
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infer that they abstained from compliance with the
innovations, and that the Novatian churches were
what are now called Baptist churches, adhering to
the apostolic and primitive practice.” It needs to be
understood that while some churches refused to
receive any traditors, others were willing to accept
some of them – but it was upon their re-
baptism. They were anabaptists.
We have no record of what became of Novatian. It
is suggested that he was martyred, but of that we
have no proof. But we do have proof that
the churches to which his name was applied were for
the most part true churches of Christ and they
persisted to exist until the days of Waldenses and
Albigenses. Fifteen hundred years ago, many of the
people of God were called “Novatians.”
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