Definition of Heresy
Heresy (in Greek, αἱρέσεις, transliterated haíresis, often translated as faction or sect) is divergence from orthodoxy ("right teaching"), i.e.,those doctrines held by the Church to be revealed by God. As the original meaning of the word implies deliberate deviation, people should be considered heretics only if they knowingly and willfully contradict God's revealed truth. Biblical references to such divergence are 1 Corinthians 11:19 and 2 Peter 2:1.
Schism (in Greek,σχίσμα, transliterated skisma, translated as division or sect or tear) is division or a split in the Church that occurs sometimes due to heresy but other times due to difference in opinion over church practice. Paul uses the word in 1 Corinthians 11:18. An early instance of schism in the Church is mentioned in 1 John 2:19: "They went out from us . . .that it might become plain that they all are not of us." Among these schismatics who left the Church were false prophets--proto-Gnostics--who did not believe that Jesus had come in the flesh (1 John 4:1-2).
Gnosticism, Gnostics & Gnostic Writings
opens new windowGnosticism (opens new windowabout): denial of the goodness of the physical creation and denial of the Incarnation
- Simon Magus, 1st c. (opens new windowabout)
- Meander, disciple of Simon Magus
- Cerinthus (about), late 1st century
- Basilides (opens new windowabout), early 2nd century
- Saturninus (opens new windowabout), early 2nd century
- Marcion (opens new windowabout), d. c. 160, and Marcionites
- Old Testament God is evil
- excommunicated in 144
- Valentinus (about), d. c. 160, and opens new windowValentinians
- Theodotus, disciple of Valentinus
- Encratites (opens new windowabout)
- is said to be founded by Tatian (opens new windowabout), 110-172
- Forbade eating of meat, drinking of wine, and marriage
- Heracleon (opens new windowabout)
- first commentary on The Gospel According to John
- Ptolemaeus
- Letter to Flora (opens new windowabout)
- opens new windowPistisSophia
- opens new windowApocryphon of John
- Jung Codex. 13 codices of opens new windowNag Hammadi (opens new windowabout)
- Prayer of the Apostle Paul
- Apocrypohon of James
- Gospel of Truth
- Epistle to Rheginos
- Tripartite Treatise
- Gospel of Thomas
- Apocryphon of John
- Writings attributed to Adam, Philip, Mary Magdalene, Paul, and Peter
opens new windowPriscillianism
Manichaeism (opens new windowabout)
- Mani, 215-277 (opens new windowabout)
- mix of Gnosticism and Zorastrianism
- dualistic view of the world
- Augustine attracted to M. before converting to Christianity
Later forms of Gnosticism
- Paulicians, 9th c. (opens new windowabout)
- Bogomils (opens new windowabout)
- Cathars, 11th c. (opens new windowabout)
- Albigensians, 13th c. (opens new windowabout)
Other Controversies
opens new windowQuartodecimanism: controversy over Easter date (opens new windowOED definition)
- The date for the Jewish passover--Nisan14--was originally used by the Church for Easter.
- Later the Church preferred to celebrate Sunday as commemorative of the Resurrection.
- Quartodecimans (opens new windowabout) persisted in celebrating Easter on Passover.
- For a time, disagreement over the method of determining the date caused controversy in the Church.
Early Theological Divergence
- opens new windowDocetism: denial of the physical reality of Christ's body and, consequently, his full humanity (opens new windowabout)
- denies that Jesus died on the Cross
- Sometimes associated with Gnosticism, especially Basilides and Valentinius
- opposed by Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus, Serapion of Antioch, and Tertullian
- later associated with Catharism and the opens new windowAlbigenses
- Ebionism (opens new windowabout): early Jewish Christian sect that that required both Jews and Gentiles to follow the Mosaic law to be saved
- acknowledged Jesus as Messiah but not as divine Son of God
- rejected Pauline teaching
- related groups
- opens new windowMandaeans
- opens new windowElkasaites (opens new windowabout)
- Elxai
- adoptionistic understanding of Christ
- used washings, or rebaptism, as means of obtaining forgiveness of sins
- Monarchianism (opens new windowabout): overemphasis on unity (monarchia, rule) to the point of denial of distinction among the divine persons of the Trinity
- Dynamic monarchianism (adoptionism)
- Theodotus of Byzantium, excommunicated by Victor
- Paul of Samosata, condemned at Council of Antioch in 268
- Modalistic monarchiansm (about): God differentiated as "modes of being" (modi) rather than as persons
- Patripassianism (opens new windowabout): the Father suffered on the Cross as the Son
- Noetus of Smyrna condemned by Romec. 200
- Sabellianism" modalism"(opens new windowabout):
- triune Persons deemed only temporary, historical manifestations. not reflective of God's eternal ontological reality
- Sabellius excommunicated by Callistus
- Praxeus
- Patripassianism (opens new windowabout): the Father suffered on the Cross as the Son
- Dynamic monarchianism (adoptionism)
- opens new windowArianism (opens new windowabout); denial of the divinity of Christ, alleging that Christ was the first created being
- Arius (opens new windowabout)
- opens new windowEunomianism
- Eunomius, c.335-394, Bishop of Cyzicus
- opens new windowEudoxius
- condemned at Nicaea in 325
- Semi-Ariansm (Eusebianism)
- Eusebius of Nicomedia (opens new windowabout)
- Basil of Ancyra (opens new windowabout)
- Gregory of Laodicea
- Macedonianism "Pneumatomachism" (opens new windowabout): considered the Holy Spirit a created being
- Macedonius
- opens new windowSubordinationism: umbrella term for any theology that presents the Son or the Spirit as somehow inferior to the Father
- Origen: sometimes accused of advocatings.
- Nestorianism (opens new windowabout): denial of the hypostatic union
- "radical dyophisitism," according to S. Burgess in The Holy Spirit: Eastern Christian Traditions (1989, 231).
- Nestorius (opens new windowabout)
- refused to call Mary Theotokos (God-bearer) preferring Christotokos (Christ-bearer), thereby suggesting that Mary bore only Christ's human nature, not his divine nature
- presented his case in opens new windowSecond Epistle to Cyril of Alexandria
- Book of Heraclides of Damascus
- condemned by Council of Ephesus, 431
- opens new windowMonophysites: in overreaction to Nestorianism, claimed that the humanity and divinity of Christ were fused into a single nature
- Apollinarianism (opens new windowabout)
- Apolllinaris, bishop of Laodicea, c. 315-c.390
- Eutychianism (opens new windowabout)
- Eutyches
- held to Jesus' nature being a hybrid of the human and divine, a "third something"
- "Robber Council" (Ephesus, 449)
- Monothelitism (opens new windowabout)
- held that the Son has only one will
- claimed that since Christ was a unity, his divine and human natures were intrinsically bound together and therefore constituted one will and one action
- Apollinarianism (opens new windowabout)
- opens new windowHomoousian controversy
- Homoousians: held that the Son was homoousios ("of the same substance" or essence) as the Father
- Homoiousians: held that the Son was homoiousios ("of similar substance") to the Father
- Anomoeans: held that the Son was anomoios ("unlike") the Father
- Homoeans: held that the Son was homoios ("like") the Father
- Non-Chalcedonianism
- Severus of Antioch (opens new windowabout), c. 465-538
- Julian of Halicarnassus (opens new windowabout)
- Miaphysitism: opens new windownot necessarily heretical
- held to Christ having a single nature in which humanity and divinity were equally present
- held to this day by the Oriental Orthodox churches of Syriac (Antioch), Egypt (Coptic), Ethiopia and Eritean Tawahedo, Armenian, and Malankara (Indian, Jacobite)
- opens new windowPelagianism
- opens new windowPelagius denied need for grace to obtain salvation
- Also Julian of Eclanum and Caelestius
- Augustine reacted to P. with Augustinianism
- Condemned by Council of Ephesus, 431 (opens new windowabout)
- opens new windowSemi-Pelagianism: held that people can seek God before receiving grace
- John Cassian
- Vincent of Lerins
- Caesarius of Arles (opens new windowabout)
- proponent of Semi-Augustinianism
- adopted as orthodoxy at Council of Orange, 529
- proponent of Semi-Augustinianism
- opens new windowPelagius denied need for grace to obtain salvation
- opens new windowMessalianism (opens new windowabout)
- condemned at Ephesus in 431
- Iconoclasm (opens new windowabout): held that it was sinful to draw pictures or sculpt images of Christ and the saints
Schismatic Sects
- opens new windowMontanism: perhaps more accurately seen as a schismatic cult than a heresy
- Montanus (opens new windowabout)
- declared himself the mouthpiece of the Paraclete
- prophesied the descent of Heavenly Jerusalem on Phrygia
- rejected authority of the Church
- saw no possibility for forgiveness should one sin after baptism
- Montanist prophetesses
- Priscilla (Prisca)
- Maximilla
- condemned c. 190
- Tertullian converted to M. c. 207.
- decline begins c. 400 but pockets persist until c. 800
- Alogoi ("deniers of the Word"), 2nd c., Asia Minor
- overreaction to Montanism
- denied the authenticity of the fourth gospel, the Johannine epistles, and the book of Revelation
- Montanus (opens new windowabout)
- opens new windowDonatism:
- schismatic group that rejected a Carthaginian bishop because he had 'handed over" the Scriptures under duress
- Donatists consecrated their own bishop, thereby, in effect, establishing a separate church.
- condemned by Council of Arles in 314. opens new window
- Meletians (opens new windowabout)
- Novatianism (opens new windowabout)
- Novatian, d. c. 257, condemned a schismatic, not a heretic
- denied any means of readmittance to the Church to those who apostatized during Deician persecution
Selected Related Books
Heretics for Armchair Theologians by
In this unique Armchair volume, noted church historians Justo and Catherine Gonzalez introduce readers to important early church figures whose teachings were denounced by the church as heresies. Instructional for what they taught and for revealing what the church wished to safeguard and uphold, these "heretics," including Marcion, Arius, Nestorius, and Pelagius, are engagingly presented in their contexts through a clear and accessible text that is highlighted by the humorous illustrations of Ron Hill. Heretics for Armchair Theologians is an enjoyable way to learn about the church's early life and beliefs. Written by experts but designed for the novice, the Armchair series provides accurate, concise, and witty overviews of some of the most profound moments and theologians in Christian history. These books are essential supplements for first-time encounters with primary texts, lucid refreshers for scholars and clergy, and enjoyable reads for the theologically curious.
Call Number: BT1319 .G66 2008
Heresy, heretical truth or orthodox error? : a study of early Christian heresies by Call Number: BT1313 .O57 1985
A Companion to Second-Century Christian 'Heretics' by
The book illumin ates "the other side" of early Christianity by examining thinkers and movements that were embraced by many second-century religious seekers as legitimate forms of Christianity, but which are now largely forgotten, or are known only from the characteristics attributed to them in the writings of their main adversaries. The collection deals with the following teachers and movements: Basilides, Sethianism, Valentinus' school, Marcion, Tatian, Bardaisan, Montanists, Cerinthus, Ebionites, Nazarenes, Jewish-Christianity of the Pseudo-Clementines, and Elchasites. Where appropriate, the authors have included an overview of the life and significant publications of the "heretics," along with a description of their theologies and movements. Therefore, this volume can serve as a handbook of the second-century "heretics" and their "heresies." Since all the chapters have been written by specia lists who wrestle daily with their research themes, the contributions also offer new perspectives and insights stimulating further discussion on this fascinating--but often neglected--side of early Christianity.
Call Number: Ebook CentralPublication Date: 2005
A Study in Anti-Gnostic Polemics by
Gnostic beliefs presented themselves as a major challenge to Irenaeus of Lyons ( Against Heresies , ca. A.D. 180), Hippolytus of Rome (the presumed author of the Elenchos Against All Heresies , post-A.D. 222), and Epiphanius of Salamis ( Panarion , A.D. 374-77). What was at stake for them were life-and-death issues; the nature of Christianity and the question of truth. While recent manuscript finds shed new light on gnostic thought, the writings of the heresiologists are still indispensableâfor knowledge of gnostic teaching but also of "what certain influential authors in the emergence of catholic Christianity considered ... the pivotal point on which Christianity would stand or fall." The writings of these three heresiologists, observes Vallée, offer "excellent illustrations of what heresiology was in three successive centuries" and how it developed. Their influence on the style of Christian polemics was decisive and lasting. Valllée analyzes the arguments of each of the three heresiologists in order to discern the central concerns of each.
Call Number: BT1390 .V34Publication Date: 1982
Heresy and Criticism: the search for authenticity in early Christian literature by
"Robert Grant draws upon his fifty years of experience dealing with the correlation of early Christianity and classical culture to demonstrate that Christian "heretics" were the first to apply literary cfiticism to Christian books. He shows that the heretics' methods were the same as those of pagan contemporaries, and that literary criticism derived from the Hellenistic schools. Literary criticism was later used by famous orthodox leaders, and, as time passed, orthodox critics increasingly found that these methods could serve them well. Grant supports his argument by focusing on such principal figures as Origen, Dionysius of Alexandria, Eusebius, and Jerome."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Call Number: BS500 .G73 1993
Against the Heresies by
This work, which establishes Irenaeus as the most important of the theologians of the second century, is a detailed and effective refutation of Gnosticism, and a major source of information on the various Gnostic sects and doctrines. This volume contains Book One.
Call Number: BR60 .A35 no.55, 64, 65 V.1-3 ReferencePublication Date: 1991
Arianism and Other Heresies by Call Number: Past MastersPublication Date: 2014The Works of St. Augustine, I/18
Beyond Gnosticism: myth, lifestyle, and society in the school of Valentinus by
Valentinus was a popular, influential, and controversial early Christian teacher. His school flourished in the second and third centuries C.E. Yet because his followers ascribed the creation of the visible world not to a supreme God but to an inferior and ignorant Creator-God, they were from early on accused of heresy, and rumors were spread of their immorality and sorcery. Beyond Gnosticism suggests that scholars approach Valentinians as an early Christian group rather than as a representative of ancient "Gnosticism"-a term notoriously difficult to define. The study shows that Valentinian myths of origin are filled with references to lifestyle (such as the control of emotions), the Christian community, and society, providing students with ethical instruction and new insights into their position in the world. While scholars have mapped the religio-historical and philosophical backgrounds of Valentinian myth, they have yet to address the significance of these mythmaking practices or emphasize the practical consequences of Valentinians' theological views. In this groundbreaking study, Ismo Dunderberg provides a comprehensive portrait of a group hounded by other Christians after Christianity gained a privileged position in the Roman Empire. Valentinians displayed a keen interest in mythmaking and the interpretation of myths, spinning complex tales about the origin of humans and the world. As this book argues, however, Valentinian Christians did not teach "myth for myth's sake." Rather, myth and practice were closely intertwined. After a brief introduction to the members of the school of Valentinus and the texts they left behind, Dunderberg focuses on Valentinus's interpretation of the biblical creation myth, in which the theologian affirmed humankind's original immortality as a present, not lost quality and placed a special emphasis on the "frank speech" afforded to Adam by the supreme God. Much like ancient philosophers, Valentinus believed that the divine Spirit sustained the entire cosmic chain and saw evil as originating from conspicuous "matter." Dunderberg then turns to other instances of Valentinian mythmaking dominated by ethical concerns. For example, the analysis and therapy of emotions occupy a prominent place in different versions of the myth of Wisdom's fall, proving that Valentinians, like other educated early Christians, saw Christ as the healer of emotions. Dunderberg also discusses the Tripartite Tractate, the most extensive account to date of Valentinian theology, and shows how Valentinians used cosmic myth to symbolize the persecution of the church in the Roman Empire and to create a separate Christian identity in opposition to the Greeks and the Jews.
Call Number: Ebook CentralPublication Date: 2008
Catholicity and Heresy in the Early Church by
While it has often been recognised that the development of Christian orthodoxy was stimulated by the speculations of those who are now called heretics, it is still widely assumed that their contribution was merely catalytic, that they called forth the exposition of what the main church already believed but had not yet been required to formulate. This book maintains that scholars have underrated the constructive role of these "heretical" speculations in the evolution of dogma, showing that salient elements in the doctrines of the fall, the Trinity and the union of God and man in Christ derive from teachings that were initially rejected by the main church. Mark Edwards also reveals how authors who epitomised orthodoxy in their own day sometimes favoured teachings which were later considered heterodox, and that their doctrines underwent radical revision before they became a fixed element of orthodoxy. The first half of the volume discusses the role of Gnostic theologians in the formation of catholic thought; the second half will offer an unfashionable view of the controversies which gave rise to the councils of Nicaea, Ephesus and Chalcedon . Many of the theories advanced here have not been broached elsewhere, and no synthesis on this scale had been attempted by other scholars. While this book proposes a revision in the scholarly perception of early Christendom, it also demonstrates the essential unity of the tradition.
Call Number: Ebook CentralPublication Date: 2009-
Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy by
Concilium has long been a household-name for cutting-edge critical and constructive theological thinking. Past contributors include leading Catholic scholars such as Hans Küng, Gregory Baum and Edward Schillebeeckx, and the editors of the review belong to the international "who's who" in the world of contemporary theology. Published five times a year, each issue reflects a deep knowledge and scholarship presented in a highly readable style, and each issue offers a wide variety of viewpoints from leading thinkers from all over the world.
Call Number: BT50 .O77 1987
Heresies and How to Avoid Them by
What don't Christians believe? Is Jesus really divine? Is Jesus really human? Can God suffer? Can people be saved by their own efforts? The early church puzzled over these questions, ruling in some beliefs and ruling out others. Heresies and How to Avoid Them explains the principal ancient heresies and shows why contemporary Christians still need to know about them. These famous detours in Christian believing seemed plausible and attractive to many people in the past, and most can still be found in modern-day guises. By learning what it is that Christians don't believe--and why--believers today can gain a deeper, truer understanding of their faith.
Call Number: BT1315.3 .H47 2012Publication Date: 2007
