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Novatian (Novatianus; c. 200–258 CE) was a priest (Priest/Presbyter) of Rome in the mid-3rd century CE (on Novatian’s life and career, see Diercks, 1972; Papandrea, 2011; 2015). He was probably born around the turn of the century, and as far as his origin and education can be gleaned from the style of his writing, he was most likely a native Roman, raised with the standard Roman education of the time. His treatises show an influence of Stoicism, though this influence is not enough to conc…

De bono pudicitiae ( On the Benefit of Purity) is a 3rd-century CE moral treatise, generally agreed to have been written by the Roman priest and schismatic Novatian. It exists in several manuscripts, all of which are anonymous except for one that is mistakenly attributed to Cyprian of Carthage (DeSimone, 1974, 160). Novatian’s schism probably ensured that his writings could only survive anonymously or under another name. We do know that Novatian’s major work, De Trinitate, circulated under the names of Tertullian and Cyprian (Papandrea, 2011, 122). However, similariti…