Heresy, as a blanket term, describes a practice or belief that is labeled as unorthodox. Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief especially a religion that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief Christian heresy refers to unorthodox practices and beliefs that were deemed to be heretical by one or more of the Christian churches. The term "heresy" most commonly refers to those beliefs which were declared to be anathema by the Church prior to the schism of 1054. Anathema (in Greek Ανάθεμα meaning originally something lifted up as an offering to the gods later with evolving meanings it came to mean to be formally The East-West Schism, or the Great Schism, divided medieval Christendom into Eastern (Greek and Western (Latin branches which later became known as the However, since that time, various Christian churches have also used the concept in proceedings against individuals and groups deemed to be heretical by those churches.
Historical examination of heresies focuses on a mixture of theological, spiritual, and political underpinnings to explain and describe their development. For example, accusations of heresy have been leveled against a group of believers when their beliefs challenged, or were seen to challenge, Church authority. Some heresies have also been doctrinally based, in which a teaching were deemed to be inconsistent with the fundamental tenets of orthodox dogma.
The study of heresy requires an understanding of the development of orthodoxy and the role of creeds in the definition of orthodox beliefs. A creed is a statement of Belief — usually Religious belief — or Faith often recited as part of a religious service Orthodoxy has been in the process of self-definition for centuries, defining itself in terms of its faith and changing or clarifying beliefs in opposition to people or doctrines that are perceived as incorrect. The reaction of the orthodox to heresy has also varied over the course of time; many factors, particularly the institutional, judicial, and doctrinal development of the Church, have shaped this reaction. Heresy remained an officially punishable offense in Roman Catholic nations until the late 18th century. In Spain, heretics were prosecuted and punished during the Counter-Enlightenment movement of the restoration of the monarchy there after the Napoleonic Era. "Counter-Enlightenment" is a term used to refer to a movement that arose in the late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth centuries in opposition to the eighteenth century
The use of the term heresy in the context of Christianity is less common today, with some notable exceptions: see for example Rudolf Bultmann and the character of debates over ordination of women and gay priests. Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief especially a religion that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief Rudolf Karl Bultmann ( August 20, 1884 – July 30, 1976) was a German theologian of Lutheran background who In general religious use Ordination is the process by which a person is consecrated (set apart for the administration of various religious rites Popular imagination relegates "heresy" to the Middle Ages, when the Church's power in Europe was at its height, but the case of the scholar and humanist Giordano Bruno was not the last execution for heresy. Giordano Bruno (1548 – February 17, 1600) was an Italian Philosopher best-known as an early proponent of Heliocentrism and
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Etymology
The word heresy comes from haeresis, a Latin transliteration of the Greek word meaning choosing, choice, course of action, or in an extended sense school of thought. [1] The word appears in the New Testament and was appropriated by the Catholic Church to mean a sect or belief that threatened the unity of Christian doctrine. Heresy is frequently regarded as a departure from orthodoxy. The word orthodox, from Greek orthodoxos "having the right opinion" from orthos ("right true straight" + doxa ("opinion
Emergence of creeds and Christian Orthodoxy
Urgent concerns with the uniformity of belief and practice have characterized Christianity from the outset. In the three centuries between the crucifixion and Nicaea, the religion was at times an illegal, underground movement spreading within the urban centers of the Roman Empire, a process bolstered through merchants and travel through the empire. The process of establishing orthodox Christianity was set in motion by a succession of different interpretations of the teachings of Christ being taught after the crucifixion. Crucifixion (from Latin crucifixio, noun of process crucifixio, from perfect passive participle crucifixus, fixed to a cross from Though Christ himself is noted to have spoken out against false prophets and false christs within the Gospels themselves Mark 13:22 (some will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples), Matthew 7:5-20, Matthew 24:4, Matthew 24:11 Matthew 24:24 (For false christs and false prophets will arise). In Religion, the term false prophet is a label given to a person who is viewed as illegitimately claiming Charismatic authority within a Religious group On many occasions in Paul's epistles, he defends his own apostleship, and urges Christians in various places to beware of false teachers, or of anything contrary to what was handed to them by him. The epistles of John and Jude also warn of false teachers and prophets, as does the writer of the Book of Revelation and 1 Jn. In Religion, a prophet (or prophetess) is a person who has encountered the Supernatural or the divine and serves as an intermediary The Book of Revelation, also called Revelation to John, Apocalypse of John ( pronounced, from the Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου 4:1, as did the Apostle Peter warn in 2 Pt. 2:1-3. Due to this, in the first centuries of Christianity, churches had locally begun to make a statement of faith in line with mainstream Christian doctrine a prerequisite for baptism. In Christianity, baptism ( Greek, "immersing" "performing Ablutions " is the ritual act with the use of water by which one is admitted The reason for this demand was to insure that new converts would not be followers of teachings that conflicted with widely accepted views of Christianity such as Gnosticism and other movements that later were considered heretical by church leaders. Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems These statements of faith became the framework for ecumenical creeds such as the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed. The Nicene Creed (ˈnaɪsiːn is an ecumenical Christian statement of faith accepted in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Assyrian Church of It was against these creeds that teachings were judged in order to determine orthodoxy and to establish teachings as heretical. The first ecumenical and comprehensive statement of belief, the Nicene Creed, was formulated in the First Council of Nicaea in 325. The Nicene Creed (ˈnaɪsiːn is an ecumenical Christian statement of faith accepted in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Assyrian Church of The First Council of Nicaea, held in Nicaea in Bithynia (present-day İznik in Turkey) convoked by the Roman Emperor Constantine
Early Christian heresies
- See also: Early Christianity
In the middle of the 2nd century, three unorthodox groups of Christians adhered to a range of doctrines that divided the Christian communities of Rome: the teacher Marcion; the pentecostal outpourings of ecstatic Christian prophets of a continuing revelation, in a movement that was called "Montanism" because it had been initiated by Montanus and his female disciples; and the gnostic teachings of Valentinus. Early Christianity is commonly defined as the Christianity of the three centuries between the Crucifixion of Jesus ( c Marcion (Μαρκίων (ca 110 - 160) was a Christian Theologian who was excommunicated by the Early Christian church Pentecostalism is a renewalist religious movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the Baptism Continuous revelation or continuing revelation is a theological belief or position that God continues to reveal divine principles or commandments to humanity Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems Valentinus (also spelled Valentius) ( c 100 - c160 CE) was the best known and for a time most successful Early Christian gnostic Early attacks upon alleged heresies formed the matter of Tertullian's Prescription Against Heretics (in 44 chapters, written from Rome), and of Irenaeus' Against Heresies (ca 180, in five volumes), written in Lyon after his return from a visit to Rome. Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, Anglicised as Tertullian, (ca Saint Irenaeus (Greek Ειρηναίος (2nd century AD - c 202 was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, Roman Empire (now Lyons France On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis ( commonly called Against Heresies (Latin Adversus haereses,) is a five-volume work The letters of Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp of Smyrna to various churches warned against false teachers, and the Epistle of Barnabas accepted by many Christians as part of Scripture in the 2nd century, warned about mixing Judaism with Christianity, as did other writers, leading to decisions reached in the first ecumenical council, which was convoked by the Emperor Constantine at Nicaea in 325, in response to further disruptive polemical controversy within the Christian community, in that case Arianist disputes over the nature of the Trinity. Saint Ignatius of Antioch (also known as Theophorus) (ca 35-110 was the third Bishop and Patriarch of Antioch and possibly a student of the Apostle John Saint Polycarp of Smyrna (ca 69 – ca 155 was a second century Bishop of Smyrna. The Epistle of Barnabas is a Greek treatise with some features of an Epistle containing twenty-one chapters preserved complete in the 4th century Codex Judaizers, see also WiktionaryJudaization, generally describes those who inculcate to Christians the adherence to Torah Laws, which is normally considered The First Council of Nicaea, held in Nicaea in Bithynia (present-day İznik in Turkey) convoked by the Roman Emperor Constantine Arianism is the theological teaching of Arius (c AD 250-336 who was ruled a heretic by the Christian church at the Council of Nicea.
In the first Christian millennium, the execution of heretics was very rare (at least according to the historical sources). [2]
Suppression of heresies
One of the roles of bishops, and the purpose of many Christian writings, was to refute heresies. The New Testament itself speaks of the importance of maintaining orthodox doctrine and refuting heresies, showing the antiquity of the concern. [3]
During those first three centuries, Christianity was effectively outlawed by requirements to venerate the Roman emperor and Roman gods. Consequently, when the Church labelled its enemies as heretics and cast them out of its congregations or severed ties with dissident churches, it remained without the power to persecute them. However, those called "heretics" were also called a number of other things (e. g. "fools," "wild dogs," "servants of Satan"), so the word "heretic" had negative associations from the beginning, and intentionally so.
Before 325 AD, the "heretical" nature of some beliefs was a matter of much debate within the churches. After 325 AD, some opinion was formulated as dogma through the canons promulgated by the councils. Each phrase in the Nicene Creed, which was hammered out at the Council of Nicaea, addresses some aspect that had been under passionate discussion and closes the books on the argument, with the weight of the agreement of the over 300 bishops in attendance. The Nicene Creed (ˈnaɪsiːn is an ecumenical Christian statement of faith accepted in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Assyrian Church of The First Council of Nicaea, held in Nicaea in Bithynia (present-day İznik in Turkey) convoked by the Roman Emperor Constantine [Constantine had invited all 1800 bishops of the Christian church (about 1000 in the east and 800 in the west). The number of participating bishops cannot be accurately stated; Socrates Scholasticus and Epiphanius of Salamis counted 318; Eusebius of Caesarea, only 250. ] In spite of the agreement reached at the council of 325, the Arians, who had been defeated dominated most of the church for the greater part of the fourth century, often with the aid of Roman emperors who favored them. Arianism is the theological teaching of Arius (c AD 250-336 who was ruled a heretic by the Christian church at the Council of Nicea. In the East, the successful party of Cyril cast out Nestorius and his followers as heretics and collected and burned his writings. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (Κύριλλος Α΄ Ἱεροσολύμων was a distinguished theologian of the early Church (ca Nestorius (in Greek: Νεστόριος; c 386&ndash c 451 was Archbishop of Constantinople from 10 April 428 Book burning (a category of biblioclasm or book destruction is the practice of destroying often ceremoniously, one or more copies of a book or other written material
Irenaeus (c. Saint Irenaeus (Greek Ειρηναίος (2nd century AD - c 202 was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, Roman Empire (now Lyons France 130–202) was the first to argue that his "orthodox" position was the same faith that Jesus gave to the apostles, and that the identity of the apostles, their successors, and the teachings of the same were all well-known public knowledge. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) The Twelve Apostles (Greek apostolos, "someone sent out" e This was therefore an early argument supported by apostolic succession. Irenaeus first established the doctrine of four gospels and no more, with the synoptic gospels interpreted in the light of John. The Gospel of John (literally According to John; Greek, Κατὰ Ἰωάννην Kata Iōannēn) is the fourth Gospel in the canon Irenaeus' opponents, however, claimed to have received secret teachings from Jesus via other apostles which were not publicly known. Gnosticism is predicated on the existence of such hidden knowledge, but brief references to private teachings of Jesus have also survived in the canonic Scripture as did warning by the Christ that there would be false prophets or false teachers. Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems In Religion, the term false prophet is a label given to a person who is viewed as illegitimately claiming Charismatic authority within a Religious group Irenaeus' opponents also claimed that the wellsprings of divine inspiration were not dried up, which is the doctrine of continuing revelation. Continuous revelation or continuing revelation is a theological belief or position that God continues to reveal divine principles or commandments to humanity
The Spanish ascetic Priscillian of Avila was the first person to be executed for heresy, only sixty years after the First Council of Nicaea, in 385. Priscillian, Bishop of Ávila (died 385 a theologian from Roman Gallaecia (in the Iberian Peninsula) was the first person in the Events By Place Asia Jinsa of Baekje becomes king of the ancient Korean kingdom of Baekje. He was executed at the orders of Emperor Magnus Maximus, over the procedural objections of bishops Ambrose of Milan and Martin of Tours, who claimed the Churches' right to punish its own. Magnus Maximus (ca 335&ndash August 28, 388) also known as Maximianus, was an Hispanic usurper of the Western Roman Empire Saint Ambrose (c 338 &ndash 4 April 397) was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the fourth century Saint Martin of Tours (Martinus (316/317 Savaria, Pannonia &ndash November 8, 317, Candes, Gaul; buried November Although Priscillian of Avila was the first person to be executed for heresy there are instances of violence between Christians in the first centuries caused by disagreements of correct doctrine.
Christology
Christology is the field of study concerned with the nature of Jesus Christ and the relationship between Christ and God the Father. Christology (from Christ and Greek grc -λογία -logia) is a field of study within Christian theology which is concerned with The orthodox teaching, as it developed, is that Christ was fully divine and at the same time fully human, and that the three persons of the Trinity are co-equal and co-eternal. SSC RF "Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Termonuclear Research" or TRINITY for shprt Троицкий Институт инновационных и термоядерных This position was challenged in the fourth century by Arius. Arius ( AD ca 250 or 256 - 336 was a Christian priest from Alexandria Egypt in the early fourth century whose teachings now called Arianism As a result, the Nicene creed was adopted in 325. The Nicene Creed (ˈnaɪsiːn is an ecumenical Christian statement of faith accepted in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Assyrian Church of Athanasius, the primary opponent of Arius, was also the first to list the 27 books we have in the New Testament circa 367, but disputes continued; see Biblical Canon. A Biblical canon or canon of scripture is a list or Set of Biblical books considered to be authoritative as Scripture by a particular religious
The earliest Christian heresies were generally Christological in nature, that is, they denied either Christ's (eternal) divinity or humanity. Christology (from Christ and Greek grc -λογία -logia) is a field of study within Christian theology which is concerned with For example, Docetism held that Jesus' humanity was merely an illusion, thus denying the incarnation; whereas Arianism held that Jesus was not eternally divine. In Christianity, Docetism (from the Greek, "to seem" is the belief that Jesus ' physical body was an illusion as was his Crucifixion Arianism is the theological teaching of Arius (c AD 250-336 who was ruled a heretic by the Christian church at the Council of Nicea. Most of these groups were dualistic, maintaining that reality was composed into two radically opposing parts: matter, usually seen as evil, and spirit, seen as good. Orthodox Christianity, on the other hand, held that both the material and spiritual worlds were created by God and were therefore both good, and that this was represented in the unified divine and human natures of Christ. [4]
Recent views on heresy in early Christianity
The development of doctrine, the position of orthodoxy, and the relationship between the early Church and early heretical groups is a matter of academic debate. Walter Bauer proposed a thesis that in earliest Christianity, orthodoxy and heresy do not stand in relation to one another as primary to secondary, but in many regions heresy is the original manifestation of Christianity. Walter Bauer ( August 8, 1877 - November 17, 1960) was a German Theologian and scholar of the development of the early The word orthodox, from Greek orthodoxos "having the right opinion" from orthos ("right true straight" + doxa ("opinion Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief especially a religion that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief Scholars such as Pagels and Ehrman have built on Bauer's original thesis. Elaine Pagels, née Hiesey (born February 13, 1943) is the Harrington Spear Paine Professor of Religion at Princeton University Bart D Ehrman is an American New Testament scholar and textual critic of Early Christianity. Drawing upon distinctions between Jewish Christians, Gentile Christians, and other groups such as Gnostics, they see early Christianity as fragmented and with contemporaneous competing orthodoxies. Jewish Christians (sometimes called also "Hebrew Christians" or "Christian Jews") is a term which can have two meanings a historical one and a Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems Early Christianity is commonly defined as the Christianity of the three centuries between the Crucifixion of Jesus ( c [5]
The Pattern of Christian Truth, written by H. E. W. Turner, is one of many scholarly responses to the concept of early Christian origins as being ambiguous. Turner's response was in objection to Bauer's. In 2006 Scholar Darrell Bock[6] addressed Walter Bauer's theory, stating that it does not show an equality between the established church and outsiders including Simon Magus. Darrell L Bock is a New Testament scholar and research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas, in Simon Magus ( Greek Σίμων ό μάγος also known as Simon the Sorcerer and Simon of Gitta, is the name used by early Christian writers In The Cambridge History of Christianity Volume 1[7] History of Christianity Volume 1, Origins to Constantine, Walter Bauer hypothesis was addressed again this time in the introduction of the book it states each article addressed the uniqueness of each early Christian community but stated that the tenets of the mainstream or catholic church insured that each early Christian community did not remain isolated. The Russian philosopher Aleksey Khomyakov stated that the very church was the idea of submission and compromise of the individual to God through the idea of catholic or the Russian equivalent sobornost. Aleksey Stepanovich Khomyakov ( Алексей Степанович Хомяков) ( May 1, 1804 – September 23/25 1860 was a Russian religious Sobornost (Russian definition Spiritual community of many jointly living people Russian Orthodox theologian Father Georges Florovsky addressed the concept of sobornost as the concept of Orthodox Christianity after rejecting the World Church Council as being catholic or orthodox simply because it expressed unity in Christ. Georges Vasilievich Florovsky ( Russian Георгий Васильевич Флоровский) ( August 23, 1893 Florovksy stating as an apology that the very tenet of catholic or sobornost was the original church's response (through the patristic works of the early fathers) to the idea that there where multiple orthodoxies and no real heresies. Catholic is an Adjective derived from the Greek adjective '' / 'katholikos' meaning "whole" or "complete".
List of Christian heresies
Christological
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Popular
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Controversial groups
Gnosticism
Early in the Christian era, gnosticism comprised several more or less distinct groups, some associated with Jesus and some not. Arnold of Brescia, (c 1090&ndash1155 also known as Arnaldus ( Arnaldo da Brescia) was a Monk from Italy who called on the Church to renounce The Free Spirit heresy consisted of small groups of Christian Heretics living mostly in the Bohemia area of eastern Germany during the fourteenth and fifteenth Henry of Lausanne (variously known as of Bruys of Cluny of Toulouse of Le Mans and as the Deacon sometimes referred to as Henry the Monk) French Heresiarch of Lollardy was the political and religious movement of the Lollards from the mid- 14th century to the English Reformation. The Hussites were a Christian movement following the teachings of Czech reformer Jan Hus or John Huss (c For the term in politics describing socialist movements see Autonomism Antinomianism (from the Greek ἀντί, "against" Audianism was a fourth-century Christian Heresy, named after the leader of the sect Audius (or Audaeus The Bosnian Church ( crkva bosanska, ecclesia bosniensis) seems to have been a Catholic monastic order that separated itself from the wider Church possibly over the for Christians who belong to Zionist denominations in southern Africa see Zionist Churches Christian Zionism or Restorationism, is a belief The Ebionites ( Greek: grc Ἐβιωναῖοι Ebionaioi from Hebrew; he '''אביונים''' he-Latn ''Ebyonim'' "the Poor Ones" were an The Euchites or Messalians were a Sect condemned as heretical in a synod of 383CE Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems Iconoclasm, Greek for "image-breaking" is the deliberate destruction within a culture of the culture's own religious Icons and other symbols or monuments Jansenism was a branch of Catholic Gallican thought which arose in the frame of the Counter-Reformation and the aftermath of the Council of Trent This is an article about people who revere the biblical Lucifer Mandaeism or Mandaeanism ( Mandaic: Mandaiuta, مندائية Mandā'iyya) is a Monotheistic Religion with a strongly Marcionism is the dualist Belief system that originates in the teachings of Marcion of Sinope at Rome around the year 144. The Euchites or Messalians were a Sect condemned as heretical in a synod of 383CE This is an article on sociological Millennialism You may be looking for the article on Christian Premillennialism. Monarchianism or Monarchism is a set of beliefs that emphasize God as being one person and the only ruler of his kingdom. The Ophites or Ophians (from Greek ὄφιανοι > ὄφις = Snake) any of numerous Gnostic sects in Syria and Egypt Patripassianism is a form of Modalism, the teaching that there is only one God who appears in three different modes (as opposed to the orthodox teaching that there is one God Paulicians (Պավլիկյաններ were a Gnostic and Manichaean Christian group which flourished between 650 and 872 in Anatolia, Pelagianism is a theological theory named after Pelagius (ad 354 – ad Semi-Pelagianism is a Christian Theological understanding about Salvation; that is how humanity and God are restored to a right relationship Priscillianism is a Christian doctrine developed in the Iberian Peninsula (the Roman Hispania) in the 4th century by Priscillian In Christianity, Psilanthropism or Socinianism is a Christological view that believes Jesus was merely human In Christianity, Sabellianism (also known as modalism, modalistic monarchianism, or modal monarchism) is the Nontrinitarian belief Socinianism is a form of Antitrinitarianism, named for Laelius Socinus (died 1562 in Zürich) and of his nephew Faustus Socinus Christadelphians (from the Greek for Brothers of Christ / Christ's Brethren: Christou Adelphoi; cf Jehovah's Witnesses is a restorationist, millenialist Christian denomination TalkMormon#Latter Day Saint vs Latter-day Saint --> Mormon Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems Valentinus (also spelled Valentius) ( c 100 - c160 CE) was the best known and for a time most successful Early Christian gnostic Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems According to gnostic beliefs, salvation depended on learned knowledge (gnosis) to help one escape the material world. Gnosis (from one of the Greek words for Knowledge, γνώσις is the spiritual knowledge of a Saint or mystically enlightened human being Christianity developed into a rival of Gnosticism, with a contrary interpretation of scripture, divinity, etc. Gnostic elements appear in early Christian writings, orthodox Christianity labeled gnosticism a heresy and rejected its dualistic cosmology and gnosticism's vilification of the material world and the creator of the material. Gnosticism's stance that the God of the Old Testament was not the true God (see the demiurge) and is either fallen (Valentinus) or evil (Sethian and Ophites). Demiurge (the Latinized form of Greek demiourgos, δημιουργός, literally "public or skilled worker" from demos Valentinus may refer to Pope Valentine Saint Valentine Valentinus (Gnostic Basilius Valentinus The Sethians were a group of ancient Gnostics who date their existence to before Christianity The Ophites or Ophians (from Greek ὄφιανοι > ὄφις = Snake) any of numerous Gnostic sects in Syria and Egypt Irenaeus labeling them false prophets. Saint Irenaeus (Greek Ειρηναίος (2nd century AD - c 202 was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, Roman Empire (now Lyons France In Religion, the term false prophet is a label given to a person who is viewed as illegitimately claiming Charismatic authority within a Religious group [8] Greek philosophers in the tradition of Plato were also outspoken against the gnostics and considered them heretical to Hellenic or Platonic philosophy akin to sophistry. Giving criticism of the sectarian gnostics like those later applied to the Glycon cult. Glycon was a Snake God, according to the satirist Lucian, who provides the only literary reference to the deity [9] (see Neoplatonism and Gnosticism). Neoplatonism (also Neo-Platonism) is the modern term for a school of Hellenistic philosophy that took shape in the 3rd century AD, based
According to Stephen L. Harris, the gospel of John both includes gnostic elements and refutes gnostic beliefs. Stephen L Harris is Professor and Chair Department of Humanities and Religious Studies at California State University Sacramento. The Gospel of John (literally According to John; Greek, Κατὰ Ἰωάννην Kata Iōannēn) is the fourth Gospel in the canon It presents a dualistic universe of light and dark, spirit and matter, good and evil, much like the gnostic(or Essene) accounts. Instead of escaping the material world, however, Jesus bridges the spiritual and physical worlds. John also equates eternal life with knowledge of God and Jesus Christ (17:3).
The gospel of Thomas has some gnostic elements but lacks the full gnostic cosmology. The Gospel According to Thomas ( Coptic: ⲡⲉ̅ⲩ̅ⲁ̅ⲅⲅ̅ⲉⲗ̅ⲓⲟⲛ̅ ⲡⲕ̅ⲁ̅ⲧⲁ ⲑ̅ⲱ̅ⲙⲁⲥ also known as The Gospel The scene in John with "doubting Thomas," in which he ascertains that the resurrected Jesus is physical, refutes the gnostic idea that Jesus returned to spirit form after death. The story might be an attempt to undermine the gospel of Thomas.
Christian opposition to gnostic ideas appear in early Christian writings (cf. 1 John 5:5-6, Book of Revelation (see the Nicolaitanes) and the Letter of Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans) and many church fathers and Christian saints (see Anti-Gnosticism stub). The First Epistle of John is a book of the New Testament, and is the fourth catholic or "general" Epistles. The Book of Revelation, also called Revelation to John, Apocalypse of John ( pronounced, from the Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου Nicolaism (also Nicholaism, Nicolationism, or Nicolaitanism) is a Christian Heresy whose adherents are called nicolaitans The Letter to the Smyrnaeans (often simply called To the Smyrnaeans) was written by Saint Ignatius of Antioch around AD 110
Some scholars believe that there were at least three distinct divisions within the Christian movement of the 1st century: the Jewish Christians (led by the Apostle James the Just, with Jesus's disciples, and their followers), Pauline Christians (followers of Paul of Tarsus) and Gnostic Christians (people who generally believed that salvation came through learned knowledge and introspection — see, for example, Romans 16:25 and 1 Cor 2:7). Jewish Christians (sometimes called also "Hebrew Christians" or "Christian Jews") is a term which can have two meanings a historical one and a Saint James the Just ( Hebrew: יעקב or Jacob ( Greek Iάκωβος (died 62AD also known as James of Jerusalem, James Adelphotheos Pauline Christianity is a term used to refer to a branch of Early Christianity associated with the beliefs and doctrines espoused by Paul the Apostle through Paul the apostle (שאול התרסי Šaʾul HaTarsi, meaning " Saul of Tarsus " Σαούλ Saul and Σαῦλος Saulos and Gnosticism (γνώσις gnōsis, Knowledge) refers to a diverse Syncretistic Religious movement consisting of various Belief systems Other scholars[10] believe that Gnostic Christianity was a later development, sometime around the middle or late second century, around the time of Valentinus. Valentinus may refer to Pope Valentine Saint Valentine Valentinus (Gnostic Basilius Valentinus Gnosticism was in turn made up of many smaller groups, some of which did not claim any connection to Jesus Christ. In the case of the Mandaeism gnosticism Jesus is referred to as a liar and false prophet. Mandaeism or Mandaeanism ( Mandaic: Mandaiuta, مندائية Mandā'iyya) is a Monotheistic Religion with a strongly A modern view is argued that Marcionism is mistakenly reckoned among the Gnostics, and really represents a fourth interpretation of the significance of Jesus. Marcionism is the dualist Belief system that originates in the teachings of Marcion of Sinope at Rome around the year 144. [2] [3] Sethian Gnosticism is depicted as the core set of text that the different sects of Gnosticism based their later works and teachings upon. The Sethians were a group of ancient Gnostics who date their existence to before Christianity The earlest of these texts is the Apocalypse of Adam in which the creator God of the Old Testament (and therefore the Jewish and Christian God) is depicted as the evil to mankind. [11]
Marcionism
In 144, the Church in Rome expelled Marcion of Sinope as a heretic. Marcion (Μαρκίων (ca 110 - 160) was a Christian Theologian who was excommunicated by the Early Christian church Marcionism is the dualist Belief system that originates in the teachings of Marcion of Sinope at Rome around the year 144. Marcion (Μαρκίων (ca 110 - 160) was a Christian Theologian who was excommunicated by the Early Christian church Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief especially a religion that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief He thereupon set up his own separate ecclesiastical organization, later called Marcionism. Marcionism is the dualist Belief system that originates in the teachings of Marcion of Sinope at Rome around the year 144. Like the Gnostics, he promoted dualism. Dualism denotes a state of two parts The word's origin is the Latin duo, "two". Unlike the Gnostics, however, he founded his beliefs not on secret knowledge (gnosis) but on the vast difference between what he saw as the "evil" deity of the Old Testament and the God of love of the New, on which he expounded in his Antithesis. Gnosis (from one of the Greek words for Knowledge, γνώσις is the spiritual knowledge of a Saint or mystically enlightened human being [4] Consequently, Marcionists were vehemently anti-Judaism in their beliefs. Anti-Judaism has been called "a total or partial opposition to Judaism &mdashand to Jews as adherents of it&mdashby persons who accept a competing system They rejected The Hebrew Gospel (see also Gospel of the Hebrews) and all the other Gospels with the exception of a ‘revised’ Gospel of Luke, called the Gospel of Marcion, according to most interpretations, however a minority conclusion is the reverse, that the current Gospel of Luke is based on Marcion's Gospel. The Gospel of the Hebrews (see "About titles" below is a lost gospel preserved only in a few The Gospel of Marcion or the Gospel of the Lord was a text used by the mid-second century Christian teacher Marcion to the exclusion of the other gospels [12]
Marcion argued that Christianity should be solely based on Christian Love. Agapē (ˈægəpiː ( Gk αγάπη) is one of several Greek words translated into English as love. He went so far as to say that Jesus’ mission was to overthrow Demiurge -- the fickle, cruel, despotic God of the Old Testament -- and replace Him with the Supreme God of Love whom Jesus came to reveal, see also Antithesis of the Law. Demiurge (the Latinized form of Greek demiourgos, δημιουργός, literally "public or skilled worker" from demos The Expounding of the Law ( KJV: sometimes called the ''Antithesis of the Law'', is a highly structured ("Ye have heard. Marcion was labeled a gnostic by Irenaeus. Saint Irenaeus (Greek Ειρηναίος (2nd century AD - c 202 was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, Roman Empire (now Lyons France [13] Irenaeus' labeled Marcion this because of Marcion expressing this core gnostic belief (see the Sethian and Ophites gnostics), that the creator God of the Jews and the Old Testament was Satan, the devil, the cause of evil to mankind. The Sethians were a group of ancient Gnostics who date their existence to before Christianity The Ophites or Ophians (from Greek ὄφιανοι > ὄφις = Snake) any of numerous Gnostic sects in Syria and Egypt Or in essence that the Jews, Christians (and anyone who worshipped the creator of the material world the Pagans too) was worshiping the devil. This position, he said, was supported by the ten Epistles of Paul that Marcion also accepted. His writing had a profound effect upon the development of Christianity and the canon. A Biblical canon or canon of scripture is a list or Set of Biblical books considered to be authoritative as Scripture by a particular religious
Montanism
In the 2nd century, Montanism, named after its founder Montanus, spread across the Roman Empire . The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial It even boasted Tertullian as a convert. Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, Anglicised as Tertullian, (ca The sect's ecstasy, speaking in tongues, and other details are similar to those found in Pentecostalism. Glossolalia is commonly called "speaking in tongues" For other uses of "speaking in tongues" see Speaking in Tongues (disambiguation. Pentecostalism is a renewalist religious movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on the direct personal experience of God through the Baptism Its believers followed the beliefs of chastity, including forbidding remarriage. Martyrs were emphasized in this Christian heresy, as Montanus preached that if a follower died as a martyr, he was forgiven of all his sins in his death and sacrifice.
Catholic understanding
Heresy is defined by Thomas Aquinas as "a species of infidelity in men who, having professed the faith of Christ, corrupt its dogmas. Faith is a Belief in the trustworthiness of an Idea. Formal usage of the word "faith" is usually reserved for concepts of Religion, as in Dogma (the plural is either dogmata or dogmas, Greek, plural) is the established Belief or " The Catholic Church asserts and teaches that its doctrines are the authoritative understandings of the faith taught by Christ and that the Holy Spirit protects the Church from falling into error when teaching these doctrines. In mainstream Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is one of the three entities of the Holy Trinity which make up the single substance To deny one or more of those doctrines, therefore, is to deny the faith of Christ. Heresy is both the non orthodox belief itself, and the act of holding to that belief.
While the term is often used by laymen to indicate any non orthodox belief such as Paganism, by definition heresy can only be committed by someone who considers himself a Christian, but rejects the teachings of the Catholic Church. The word orthodox, from Greek orthodoxos "having the right opinion" from orthos ("right true straight" + doxa ("opinion Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world A person who completely renounces Christianity is not considered a heretic, but an apostate, and a person who renounces the authority of the Church but not its teachings is a schismatic. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings The word schism (ˈsɪzəm or /ˈskɪzəm/ from the Greek σχίσμα skhísma (from σχίζω skhízō, "to tear to split"
The Church makes several distinctions as to the seriousness of an individual heterodoxy and its closeness to true heresy. Heterodoxy includes "any opinions or doctrines at variance with an official or orthodox position" Only a belief that directly contravenes an Article of Faith, or that has been explicitly rejected by the Church, is labelled as actual "heresy. "
Canon 751 of the Catholic Church's Code of Canon law promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1983 (abbreviated "C. Canon Law, the Ecclesiastical law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system with all the necessary elements courts lawyers judges a fully articulated Pope I. C. " for Codex Iuris Canonici), the juridical systematization of ancient law currently binding the world's one billion Catholics, defines heresy as the following: "Heresy is the obstinate denial or doubt after the reception of baptism of some truth which is to be believed by divine and Catholic faith. " The essential elements of canonical heresy therefore technically comprise 1) obstinacy, or continuation in time; 2) denial (a proposition contrary or contradictory in formal logic to a dogma) or doubt (a posited opinion, not being a firm denial, of the contrary or contradictory proposition to a dogma); 3) after reception of valid baptism; 4) of a truth categorized as being of "Divine and Catholic Faith," meaning contained directly within either Sacred Scripture or Sacred Tradition per Can. 750 par. 1 C. I. C. ("de fide divina") AND proposed as 'de fide divina' by either a Pope having spoken solemnly "ex cathedra" on his own (example: dogmatic definition of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1950), or defined solemnly by an Ecumenical Council in unison with a Pope (ex: the definition of the Divinity of Christ in the Council of Chalcedon) ("de fide catholica"). Papal infallibility is the Dogma in Catholic theology that by action of the Holy Spirit, the Pope is preserved from even the possibility of
An important distinction is that between formal and material heresy. The difference is one of the heretic's subjective belief about his opinion. The heretic who is aware that his belief is at odds with Catholic teaching and yet continues to cling to his belief pertinaciously is a formal heretic. This sort of heresy is sinful because in this case the heretic knowingly holds an opinion that, in the words of the first edition of the Catholic Encyclopedia, "is destructive of the virtue of Christian faith . . . disturbs the unity, and challenges the Divine authority, of the Church" and "strikes at the very source of faith. " Material heresy, on the other hand, means that the individual is unaware that his heretical opinion denies, in the words of Canon 751, "some truth which is to be believed by divine and Catholic faith. " The opinion of a material heretic is still heresy, and it produces the same objective results as formal heresy, but because of his ignorance he commits no sin by holding it.
The penalty for a baptized Catholic above the age of 18 who obstinately, publicly, and voluntarily manifests his or her adherence to an objective heresy is automatic excommunication ("latae sententiae") according to Can. Excommunication is a religious Censure used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community 1364 par. 1 C. I. C. .
A belief that the church has not directly rejected, or that is at variance with less important church teachings, is given the label, sententia haeresi proxima, meaning "opinion approaching heresy. " A theological argument, belief, or theory that does not constitute heresy in itself, but which leads to conclusions which might be held to do so, is termed propositio theologice erronea, or "erroneous theological proposition. Belief is the psychological state in which an individual holds a Proposition or Premise to be true The word theory has many distinct meanings in different fields of Knowledge, depending on their methodologies and the context of discussion. " Finally, if the theological position only suggests but does not necessarily lead to a doctrinal conflict, it might be given the even milder label of sententia de haeresi suspecta, haeresim sapiens, meaning "opinion suspected, or savoring, of heresy. "
Some significant controversies of doctrine have risen over the course of history. At times there have been many heresies over single points of doctrine, particularly in regard to the nature of the Trinity, the doctrine of transubstantiation and the immaculate conception. SSC RF "Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Termonuclear Research" or TRINITY for shprt Троицкий Институт инновационных и термоядерных See also Eucharist (Catholic Church On the related belief that Christ is present in the Eucharist in body blood soul and divinity see Real Presence. For dogmatic context see Roman Catholic Mariology. For artistic depictions see Roman Catholic Marian art.
Types of heretics
- the heretic impenitent and not relapsed (for the first time)
- the heretic impenitent and relapsed (for the first time was penitent now is impenitent)
- the heretic penitent and relapsed (for the first time was penitent now is penitent too, but relapsing was the capital offence)
- the heretic negative (who denied his crime)
- the heretic contumacious (who absconded)
Since the Church doesn't thirst for blood (ecclesia non sitit sanguinem), the first four types were all delivered over to the secular arm. The state usually immediately punished heresy with death sentence. Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. The longest delay could be five days. The custom that the impenitent heretics (the first two types) were cast into the flames alive and the penitent (the third type) were first strangled or hanged and then burned was not always observed.
Catholic response to heresy
The Church has always fought in favor of orthodoxy and the Pope's authority as the successor of St. Peter to determine truth. History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and At various times in history, it has had varying degrees of power to resist or punish heretics, once it had defined them.
In the early church, heresies were sometimes determined by a selected council of bishops, or ecumenical council, such as the First Council of Nicaea and promulgated by the Pope and the bishops under him. This is a general introduction to ecumenical councils For the Roman Catholic councils, see Catholic Ecumenical Councils. The orthodox position was established at the council, and all who failed to adhere to it would thereafter be considered heretics. The church had little power to actually punish heretics in the early years, other than by excommunication. Excommunication is a religious Censure used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community To those who accepted it, an excommunication was the worst form of punishment possible, as it separated the individual from the body of Christ, his Church, and, if the sentence accurately reflected God's judgment, meant the denial of salvation. In Theology, salvation can mean three related things being saved from or Liberation from something such as Suffering or the punishment of Excommunication, or even the threat of excommunication, was enough to convince many a heretic to renounce his views. Priscillian achieved the distinction of becoming the first Christian burned alive for heresy in 385 at Treves. Priscillian, Bishop of Ávila (died 385 a theologian from Roman Gallaecia (in the Iberian Peninsula) was the first person in the Events By Place Asia Jinsa of Baekje becomes king of the ancient Korean kingdom of Baekje. Trier (Trèves Luxembourgish: Tréier; Augusta Treverorum is a City in Germany on the banks of the Moselle River.
In later years, the Church instituted the Inquisition, an official body charged with the suppression of heresy. The term Inquisition can refer to any one of several institutions charged with trying and convicting heretics within the Roman Catholic Church and The Inquisition was active in several nations of Europe, particularly where it had fervent support from the civil authority. The Albigensian Crusade (1209-1229) was part of the Catholic Church's efforts to crush the Cathars. The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade (1209&ndash1229 was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Roman Catholic Church to eliminate the Cathar It is linked to the movement now known as the Medieval Inquisition. The Medieval Inquisition is a series of Inquisitions ( Roman Catholic Church bodies charged with suppressing Heresy) from around 1184, including the The Spanish Inquisition was particularly brutal in its methods, which included the burning at the stake of many heretics. The Spanish Inquisition started and was established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile to maintain Execution by burning has a long history as a method of Punishment for Crimes such as Treason, Heresy and Witchcraft However, it was initiated and substantially controlled by King Ferdinand of Spain rather than the Church; King Ferdinand used political leverage to obtain the Church's tacit approval. Ferdinand II of Aragon the Catholic (Fernando II de Aragón y V de Castilla "el Católico" Ferran II d'Aragó "el Catòlic" Ferrando II d'Aragón Another example of a medieval heretic movement is the Hussite movement in the Czech lands in the early 1400s. The Hussites were a Christian movement following the teachings of Czech reformer Jan Hus or John Huss (c The " Czech lands " (České země is an auxiliary term used mainly to describe the combination of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia.
It is widely reported that the last person to be burned alive at the stake on orders from Rome was Giordano Bruno, executed in 1600 for a collection of heretical beliefs including Copernicanism and (probably more important) an unlimited universe with innumerable inhabited worlds. Giordano Bruno (1548 – February 17, 1600) was an Italian Philosopher best-known as an early proponent of Heliocentrism and The last case of an execution at an auto de fe by the Spanish Inquisition was the schoolmaster Cayetano Ripoll, accused of deism and executed by garroting July 26, 1826 in Valencia after a two-year trial. The phrase auto de fe refers to the ritual of public Penance of condemned heretics and Apostates that took place when the Spanish Inquisition Cayetano Ripoll, a poor schoolmaster from Valencia, Spain, was Garroted or hanged to death on 31 July 1826 for allegedly teaching Deism is the belief that a supreme God exists and created the physical universe and that religious truths can be arrived at by the application of reason alone without dependence on revelation A garrote or garrote vil (a Spanish word alternative spellings include garotte and garrotte) is a handheld Weapon, most often referring Events 657 - Battle of Siffin. 811 - Battle of Pliska; Byzantine Emperor Nicephorus For the game see 1826 (board game. Year 1826 ( MDCCCXXVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display Valencia ( Valencian: València, Valencia Spanish phonology --> is the capital of the Spanish autonomous
The development of the printing press greatly hampered the ability of the church to suppress dissidents, with the result that Martin Luther was able to successfully fight the Papacy and forge the Protestant Reformation. A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a medium (such as paper or cloth thereby transferring an image Martin Luther (November 10 1483 February 18 1546 was a German Monk, theologian, university professor Father of Protestantism, and church reformer The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time
Modern Catholic response to Protestantism
Well into the twentieth century, Catholics - even if no longer resorting to persecution - still defined Protestants as heretics. Thus, Hillaire Belloc - in his time one of the most conspicuous speakers for Catholicism in Britain - was outspoken about the "Protestant heresy". Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc (27 July 1870 &ndash 16 July 1953 was a French -born Writer who became a Naturalised British subject He even defined Islam as being "a Christian heresy", on the grounds that Muslims accept many of the tenets of Christianity but deny the godhood of Jesus (see Hilaire Belloc#On Islam). For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc (27 July 1870 &ndash 16 July 1953 was a French -born Writer who became a Naturalised British subject
However, in the second half of the century - and especially in the wake of Vatican II - the Catholic Church, in the spirit of ecumenism, tends not to refer to Protestantism as a heresy nowadays, even if the teachings of Protestantism are indeed heretical from a Catholic perspective. The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, was the twentieth century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Modern usage favors referring to Protestants as "separated brethren" rather than "heretics", although the latter is still on occasion used vis-a-vis Catholics who abandon their Church to join a Protestant denomination. Many Catholics consider Protestantism to be material rather than formal heresy, and thus non-culpable.
Some of the doctrines of Protestantism that the Catholic Church considers heretical are the belief that the Bible is the only source and rule of faith ("sola scriptura"), that faith alone can lead to salvation ("sola fide") and that there is no sacramental, ministerial priesthood attained by ordination, but only a universal priesthood of all believers. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Sola scriptura ( Latin ablative, "by scripture alone" is the assertion that the Bible as God's written word is self-authenticating Sola fide ( Latin: by Faith alone also historically known as the doctrine of justification by faith is a doctrine that distinguishes most The universal priesthood or the priesthood of all believers, as it would come to be known in the present day is a Christian doctrine believed to be derived from several
Protestantism and heresy
The main meaning of 'heresy' to a Protestant is the concept of telling lies about God. It is not at its core a matter of opposing the authorities (though, like all authorities religious or otherwise, Protestant leaders often invoke the concepts of heresy and apostasy to defend themselves from attack). Protestants chose the difficult course of action, to try to steer a middle course between (1) respecting God enough to care that humans tell the truth about God, and (2. ) being tolerant and loving of those who honestly see things differently, giving them an open ear because there might be something to learn from them. Protestants who seek to re-establish what they see as ancestral Christian principles sometimes refer to Catholicism (or indeed other Protestant groups) as heretical. One aspect of Catholicism many Protestants regard as heresy against original Christianity is the veneration of the saints, and in particular the cultus of the Virgin Mary. In Christianity, veneration ( Latin veneratio, Greek &delta&omicron&upsilon&lambda&iota&alpha dulia) or veneration of saints This article discusses cult in the original and typically ancient sense of "religious practice" (cultus Another is the doctrine of transubstantiation, the belief that the bread and wine at Mass become the actual Body and Blood of Christ. See also Eucharist (Catholic Church On the related belief that Christ is present in the Eucharist in body blood soul and divinity see Real Presence.
References
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary
- ^ John Coffey (2000), Persecution and Toleration in Protestant England 1558-1689,p. 23
- ^ e. g. 11:13-15; 2:1-17; 7-11; 4-13, and the Epistle of James in general.
- ^ R. Gerberding and J. H. Moran Cruz, Medieval Worlds (New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004) p. 58
- ^ Ehrman, Bart D. (2003). Bart D Ehrman is an American New Testament scholar and textual critic of Early Christianity. Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew. New York: Oxford. ISBN 0-19-514183-0.
- ^ Bock, Darrell L. The Missing Gospels: Unearthing the Truth Behind Alternative Christianities / ISBN-13: 978-0785212942
- ^ Cambridge History of Christianity Volume 1, Origins to Constantine Series: Cambridge History of Christianity by Frances M. Young ISBN-13: 9780521812399 Published February 2006
- ^ Irenaeus, bishop of Lyon: The Refutation and Overthrow of the Knowledge Falsely So Called "THE TEXT: (BOOK I) THE HERETICS PREFACE To Irenaeus "Unhappy men, who want to be some kind of false prophets, but deny the gift of prophecy to the Church, suffering what those do who, because of those who come in insincerity, separate themselves from the fellowship of the brethren". On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis ( commonly called Against Heresies (Latin Adversus haereses,) is a five-volume work
- ^ The Enneads by Plotinus The Second Ennead II. 9 [33] - "Against Those That Affirm The Creator of the Kosmos and The Kosmos Itself to be Evil: [Generally Quoted as "Against the Gnostics"]
- ^ No Longer Jews: The Search for Gnostic Origins by Carl B. Smith Hendrickson Publishers (September 2004)ISBN-13: 978-1565639447
- ^ The Enneads by Plotinus translation by A. H. Armstrong Section Against the Gnostics Section 9 A. The Six Enneads, sometimes abbreviated to The Enneads or Enneads, is the collection of writings of Plotinus, edited and Plotinus ( Greek:) (ca AD 204–270 was a major philosopher of the ancient world who is widely considered the founder of Neoplatonism (along with his Arthur Hilary Armstrong ( 13 August 1909 &ndash 16 October 1997) was an English educator and author H. Armstrong also made this footnote. Footnote from Page 264 1. From this point to the end of ch. 12 Plotinus is attacking a Gnostic myth known to us best at present in the form it took in the system of Valentinus. Valentinus may refer to Pope Valentine Saint Valentine Valentinus (Gnostic Basilius Valentinus The Mother, Sophia-Achamoth, produced as a result of the complicated sequence of events which followed the fall of the higher Sophia, and her offspring the Demiurge, the inferior and ignorant maker of the material universe, are Valentinian figures: cp. Irenaeus Adversus haereses 1. Saint Irenaeus (Greek Ειρηναίος (2nd century AD - c 202 was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, Roman Empire (now Lyons France On the Detection and Overthrow of the So-Called Gnosis ( commonly called Against Heresies (Latin Adversus haereses,) is a five-volume work 4 and 5. Valentinius had been in Rome, and there is nothing improbable in the presence of Valentinians there in the time of Plotinus. But the evidence in the Life ch. 16 suggests that the Gnostics in Plotinus's circle belonged rather to the other group called Sethians on Archonties, related to the Ophites or Barbelognostics: they probably called themselves simply "Gnostics. The Sethians were a group of ancient Gnostics who date their existence to before Christianity " Gnostic sects borrowed freely from each other, and it is likely that Valentinius took some of his ideas about Sophia from older Gnostic sources, and that his ideas in turn influenced other Gnostics. The probably Sethian Gnostic library discovered at Nag Hammadi included Valentinian treatise: ep. Puech (Michelle Puech), Le pp. 162-163 and 179-180. End of Section 9
- ^ From the perspectives of Tertullian and Epiphanius (when the four gospels had largely canonical status, perhaps in reaction to the challenge created by Marcion), it appeared that Marcion rejected the non-Lukan gospels, however, in Marcion's time, it may be that the only gospel he was familiar with from Pontus was the gospel that would later be called Luke. It is also possible that Marcion's gospel was actually modified by his critics to become the gospel we know today as Luke, rather than the story from his critics that he changed a canonical gospel to get his version. For example: compare Luke 5:39 to 5:36-38; did Marcion delete 5:39 from his Gospel or was it added later to counteract a Marcionist interpretation of 5:36-38? See also New Wine into Old Wineskins. New Wine into Old Wineskins is a saying of Jesus found in the Gospel of Matthew, Gospel of Mark and Gospel of Luke. One must keep in mind that we only know of Marcion through his critics and they considered him a major threat to the form of Christianity that they knew. John Knox (the modern writer, not to be confused with John Knox the Protestant Reformer) in Marcion and the New Testament: An Essay in the Early History of the Canon (ISBN 0-404-16183-9) was the first to propose that Marcion's Gospel may have preceded Luke's Gospel and Acts. John Knox (c 1510 – 24 November 1572 was a Scottish clergyman and leader of the Protestant Reformation who is considered the founder of the Presbyterian [1]
- ^ Irenaeus "Detection and Overthrow of the False Knowledge" chapter XXVII. -Doctrines of Cerdo and Marcion.
See also
Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief especially a religion that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief Formal charges of Heresy, although less common than in the medieval period have not died outDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic