Novatian is considered by the Catholic Church to have been an antipope between 251 and 258.
15 Facts About Novatian
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Novatian was a noted theologian and writer, the first Roman theologian who used the Latin language, at a time when there was much debate about how to deal with Christians who had lapsed and wished to return, and the issue of penance.
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Novatian was shortly afterwards excommunicated: the schismatic church which he established persisted for several centuries.
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Novatian was a man of learning and had been trained in literary composition.
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Pope Cornelius, in a letter to Fabius of Antioch, states that a catechumen called Novatian was possessed by Satan for a whole season.
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The story told by Eulogius, bishop of Alexandria, that Novatian was an archdeacon of Rome consecrated a priest by the pope in order to prevent his succeeding to the papacy, is contradicted by Cornelius and is based on a later state of affairs in which Roman deacons were statesmen rather than religious ministers.
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Novatian became a leading presbyter of the Roman Church, and one of the most noted personages in the Church of the 3rd century.
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Saint Cyprian of Carthage later accused Novatian of striking his pregnant wife in the stomach and causing an abortion.
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Novatian wrote two letters during the persecution in the name of the Roman clergy to Saint Cyprian.
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Novatian disagreed with this viewpoint and believed that reconciling those who had lapsed would compromise the integrity of the Church.
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Those who supported a more rigorist position had Novatian consecrated bishop and refused to recognize Cornelius as Bishop of Rome.
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Cornelius and Novatian each sent messengers out to the churches to announce their elections and seek support.
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Saint Cyprian writes that Novatian "took over" and sent new epistles to many cities to get them to accept his election.
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However, Novatian still found supporters among Christians still in prison, such as Maximus, Urbanus and Nicostratus.
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Novatian died in 258, probably during Valerian's persecutions, in the same year as his opponent Cyprian.