⛪ A Christian sect 🚫 No forgiveness

Novatianism

1 9.9

A third-century Christian group that did not allow people back if they sinned after baptism

noun
/noʊˈveɪʃənɪzəm/

Literature

: novatianismo

Scholars study Novatianism to understand debates about forgiveness in the early church.

Examples

Many Christians opposed Novatianism because of its strict stance on lapsed believers.
Novatianism arose as a response to the belief that those who had sinned after baptism should not be readmitted to the Novatianism.
The council condemned Novatianism as a heresy in early church history.
The church faced challenges from Novatianism in the 3rd century.
Many theologians studied Novatianism to understand its implications.
The doctrine of Novatianism emphasized strict discipline, refusing to forgive those who had fallen away from their faith.
In the 3rd century, Novatianism made waves as a sect that maintained a rigorous stance on moral purity within Christianity.

Antonyms

forgiveness

321 2.2

An act of letting go of anger toward someone after they hurt you

reconciliation

112 5.3

A return to friendly relations after a disagreement

Surface Forms

Novatianism singular

Novatianisms plural

Morphology

Novatianism = Novatian (semi-transparent) = Novatian + ism

The suffix '-ism' transparently signals a doctrine or sect, but the specific content requires knowledge of the proper name 'Novatian', which most learners will not have.

Etymology

Novatianism comes from the name of a 3rd-century priest, Novatian, who refused to readmit Christians who had seriously sinned after baptism. The name comes from the Latin root nov- meaning 'new', like in novel, and it names the strict Christian group that followed his view.