Did Irenaeus Influence Novatian’s View of Divine Simplicity?

This article traces the influence of Irenaeus into the third century by arguing that Novatian’s argument regarding the unity of divine will, thought, and action (Novatian, De Trinitate 5-6) draws from Irenaeus (Contra Haereses 2.13 and 1.12). For Novatian, God’s works immediately follow his will, for God is all eye, all ear, and simple (Novatian, De Trinitate 6.7). This same structure is found in Irenaeus, who argues that God is simple and that God, “as soon as He thinks, also performs what He has willed,” for God is “all mind, and all thought, etc.” (Contra Haereses 1.12.2; 2.13). This article notes where, in this passage, Novatian uses the same concepts, terms, and sequence. If this view of Novatian’s dependence is correct, it would demonstrate the influence of Irenaeus on the fourth of Lewis Ayre’s four theological trajectories that influenced Nicaea.