.—Another Heresy, that of the Sabbatians, is originated by the Novatians. Their Synod in Sangarus. Account in Greater Detail of the Easter Festival.
arose during the
same reign among the Novatians
concerning the celebration of the festival of Easter, and from this
dispute originated another, called the Sabbatian. Sabbatius, who, with
Theoctistus and Macarius, had been ordained presbyter by Marcian, adopted the opinion of the co-presbyters, who had been convened at Pazoucoma
during the reign of Valens, and maintained that the feast of the
Passover (Easter) ought to be celebrated by Christians as by Jews. He
seceded from the Church at first for the purpose of exercising greater
austerity, for he professed to adopt a very austere mode of life. He
also declared that one motive of his secession was, that many persons
who participated in the mysteries appeared to him to be unworthy of the
honor. When, however, his design of introducing innovations was
detected, Marcian expressed his regret at having ordained him, and, it
is said, was often heard to exclaim that he would rather have laid his
hands upon thorns than upon the head of Sabbatius. Perceiving that the
people of his diocese were being rent into two factions, Marcian
summoned all the bishops of his own persuasion to Sangarus, a town of
Bithynia, near the seashore, not far from the city of Helenopolis. When
they had assembled, they summoned Sabbatius, and asked him to state the
cause of his grievance; and as he merely complained of the diversity
prevailing in regard to the feast, they suspected that he made this a
pretext to disguise his love of precedency, and made him declare upon oath that he would never accept the episcopal office. When he had taken the required oath, all were of the same opinion, and they voted to hold the church together, for the difference prevailing in the celebration of the Paschal feast ought by no means to be made an occasion for separation from communion; and they decided that each individual should be at liberty to observe the feast according to his own judgment. They enacted a canon on the subject, which they styled the “Indifferent (ἁδιάφορος) Canon.” Such were the transactions of the assembly at Sangarus. From that period Sabbatius adhered to the usage of the Jews; and unless all happened to observe the feast at the same time, he fasted, according to the custom, but in advance, and celebrated the Passover with the usual prescriptions by himself. He passed the Saturday, from the evening to the appointed time, in watching and in offering up the prescribed prayers; and on the following day he assembled with the multitude, and partook of the mysteries. This mode of observing the feast was at first unnoticed by the people but as, in process of time, it began to attract observation, and to become more generally known, he found a great many imitators, particularly in Phrygia and Galatia, to whom this celebration of the feast became a national custom. Eventually he openly seceded from communion, and became the bishop of those who had espoused his sentiments, as we shall have occasion to show in the proper place.
I am, for my own part, astonished that Sabbatius and his
followers attempted to introduce this innovation. The ancient Hebrews, as is related by Eusebius,