De trinitate

work by Novatian

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

June 25, 2026

Quick Summary

De Trinitate is an important work by Novatian, an early Christian theologian and the second antipope. Written in Latin, it defends the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity against contemporary heresies. The Trinity is a central Christian belief stating that God is one being in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Novatian's work, considered his most significant, summarizes and upholds this complex theological concept.123

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

5 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Novatian
Novatian’s apologetic De Trinitate (“On the Trinity”), considered to be his most important work, summarizes and defends the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity against contemporary heresies. In De cibis Judaicis (“Concerning Jewish Foods”) he points out that dietary laws and other practical prohibitions of the Old Testament…
Read More
Novatian’s apologetic De Trinitate (“On the Trinity”), considered to be his most important work, summarizes and defends the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity against contemporary heresies. In De cibis Judaicis (“Concerning Jewish Foods”) he points out that dietary laws and other practical prohibitions of the Old Testament…
Read More

patristic literature
Late 2nd to early 4th century
His doctrinally influential De trinitate (“Concerning the Trinity”) is basically apologetic: against gnostics it defends the oneness and creative role of Almighty God, against Marcion it argues that Christ is the Son of God the Creator, against Docetism (the heresy claiming that Jesus only seemed the Christ) that…
Read More
His doctrinally influential De trinitate (“Concerning the Trinity”) is basically apologetic: against gnostics it defends the oneness and creative role of Almighty God, against Marcion it argues that Christ is the Son of God the Creator, against Docetism (the heresy claiming that Jesus only seemed the Christ) that…
Read More