Novatian

Novatian (also Novatianus) was a 3rd‑century Roman priest and early Christian writer who became a leading figure in a rigorist movement within the Church. He is best known for his opposition to the lenient treatment of Christians who had renounced the faith under persecution, and for his role in the formation of the so‑called Novatianist schism in Rome.

After the Decian persecution of 250, a controversy arose over whether lapsi—the Christians who had surrendered under pressure—should be readmitted to communion. Novatian argued that the Church should not reconcile those who lapsed and should require a severe, public penance. In opposition to Pope Cornelius, he and his adherents claimed the Rome see and ordained a rival bishop, effectively creating a separate ecclesial community commonly labeled the Novatianist Church. The schism drew support from parts of North Africa and elsewhere and persisted for several decades.

Novatian and his party composed treatises setting forth their rigorist discipline and their view of the church as a pure, unblemished society. Much of what is known about his writings comes to us through later writers who quote or summarize his arguments, as the original texts survive only in fragments.

The Novatianist movement gradually declined, with Roman-centered and North African communities rejoining the mainstream Church by the mid‑ to late 3rd century. In ecclesiastical history, Novatian is cited as an early example of debates over church discipline, pastoral forgiveness, and the boundaries of ecclesial authority in the face of persecution.