Novatianism

The Novatianists were early Yahosheans that followed a priest called Novatius  who later became an Anti-Pope.

Novatius  was a theologian/priest and anti-pope around 251 to 258 Ad.  He was born around 200AD in Italy.  As a prolific writer, he was the first Roman theologian who used Latin language.  He played active role during the much heated debate on how to handle  Yahosheans who were lapsed and desiring to return to the assembly as well as the matter of Penance.

History And Purpose

Novatius  contested the seat of the Pope with Pope Cornelius, a position he lost but invited three bishops to crown him as Pope to demonstrate his unacceptable to his defeat by Pope Cornelius which he termed as frivolent.

As the second known Anti-Pope, he established his own Christian sect and appointed bishops to administer his created stations.

The Novatian sect persisted for several centuries even after his translation or martyrdom.  For adopting the position of self –made Pope, he was excommunicated from the main body of Christianity and his assembly was tagged as schismatic station or assembly.

Novatian was known for his opposition against papacy of Pope Cornelius and maintained his faith as a rigorist against lapsed Christianity during Emperor Decius Persecution.

The lapsed Christianity at that era were converts who denied their faith and performed the formalities of a ritual sacrifice to the pagan gods under the pressure of the persecution from Emperor Decius.  For this belief, Novatians were tagged as heretics.

To the Novatians, all Christians who could not maintain their confession of faith under the persecution will not be received in to communion with the assembly. The movement also held that second marriages were unlawful.

Those who followed Novatian identified themselves as priests and they go as far as rebaptizing their own converts.

In absence of these few differences, Novotianism practiced all doctrines of the early Christendom with inclusion of Monastrism  up to fourth century Ad.

Novatians suffered martydom under Emperor Valerian (253-260). Other subsequent factions of the Christendom that held the doctrine of the Lapsed members traced their belief from Novatianism.

At the  time of Novatian, the assembly of Yahoshea Meshiyach were partially in place with some mixed doctrines from the traditionists or pagans. The Novatianism  was highly against idolatory which he termed as a unforgivable sin.  The movement held that the assembly could admit to penitence for life but only Yahweh could give forgiveness to such sin.

The issue of Lapsi or Lapsed converts has been a subject to handle by the assembly before the time of Novatian.  For instance,  Tertullian in his days criticized Pope Callixtus for introduction of pardon for adultery.  Laws were already in places and at various times to punish determined sinners with excommincation ending at the hour of death or even refusing them communion in the hour of death.

Conclusion

Novatianism was one of the early schism that supported the adulteration of the doctrines of Yahoshea Meshiyach with Roman traditions. For example in his popular works called – De Trinitate (On The Trinity) Novatus defended Orthodox doctrine of the Trinity against contemporary heresies. In his book, De Cibis Judaicis (concerning Jewish foods), he pointed that practical prohibitions in the Old Testament were meant to be understood spiritually than practiced  literally. By this work, he disagreed with many doctrines of Hebrews which were bedrock of Yahoshea's ministry.  As an Italian, he did not agree with the practices of scriptural doctrines that have their root from Old Testament scriptures which he termed as Hebrew cultures and traditions.

During the era of Novatius, the Assembly of Yahoshea Meshiyach was about giving way for Church of Jesus Christ due to occupation of schisms, gnostics and persecutions.

For example, the Emperor Decius’s persecution of Yahosheans was fierce to the extend that the Pope Fabian was martyred and such proved impossible to elect his successor.  During that period, the churches were governed by several priests.  The post of Pope remain vacant for a duration of one year before the death of Emperor Decius.  This development helped to relax the persecution and the assembly began an arrangement to elect a new Pope.

It was during that period that Pope Cornelius was chosen as Pope which Novatianus rejected his appointment and such prompted him to invite three Bishops from Italy to ordain him as a Counter-Pope. Novatianism was never way of Yahoshea Meshiyach, therefore all modern movements that trace  rigorist  their position to it must have a rethink.