Christian Heresies - Revision history

DavidWalker at 10:05, 27 October 2015

2015-10-27T10:05:48Z

DavidWalker at 08:07, 7 July 2010

2010-07-07T08:07:05Z

DavidWalker at 08:04, 7 July 2010

2010-07-07T08:04:31Z

DavidWalker at 08:01, 7 July 2010

2010-07-07T08:01:10Z

DavidWalker at 08:19, 27 June 2010

2010-06-27T08:19:56Z

DavidWalker: New page: Jesus himself warned his followers to 'beware of false prophets' (''Matthew'' 7, 15; see also ''Matthew'' 24,3-28, and ''Mark'' 13, 22); and the Christian Church has always been co...

2010-06-27T08:12:43Z

New page: Jesus himself warned his followers to 'beware of false prophets' (''Matthew'' 7, 15; see also ''Matthew'' 24,3-28, and ''Mark'' 13, 22); and the Christian Church has always been co...

New page

Jesus himself warned his followers to 'beware of false prophets' (''Matthew'' 7, 15; see also ''Matthew'' 24,3-28, and ''Mark'' 13, 22); and the [[Christian]] [[Church]] has always been concerned to protect its members from falling into error in matters of religious belief. Even before [[Christianity]] became widespread in the [[Roman Empire]], let alone its official religion, [[Christian]] thinkers sought to identify and refute what they regarded as false doctrine, i.e., [[heresy]], and some of the Early Church Fathers wrote works exposing what they took to be [[heresy|heresies]] - most conspicuously, St. Irenaeus (died c202 CE), [[bishop]] of Lugdunum (modern Lyons in France), in his ''Adversus haereses'' (''Against Heresies'', c180), and Tertullian (Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus (?160-?225), a Carthaginian lay [[Christian]], in his ''De praescriptione haereticorum'' (''On the Prescription of Heretics'', c200).

But who should decide what is a [[heresy]]? And how should they decide the issue? It was Irenaeus' answers to these questions which largely determined the practice of the [[Christian]] [[Church]]. He argued that disagreements about doctrine within a particular locality were to be settled by the head of the church (i.e., the [[bishop]]) within that locality, and that it was for councils (i.e., meetings of [[bishop]]s) to determine what was true and what was false in religious matters. (He also maintained that precedence over the other [[bishop]]s should be accorded to the [[bishop]] of Rome, as the successor of St. Peter, the apostle appointed by Jesus as head of his [[]]church, and the first [[bishop]] of Rome.) Irenaeus argued further that any doctrine that conflicted with the teaching of Jesus must be false and rejected as a [[heresy]]. However, by the end of the second century many different accounts of Jesus' teaching, i.e., many different [[Gospel]]s, were current, and it was therefore necessary for Irenaeus to decide which accounts were genuine, and which spurious. He proposed that an account should be regarded as authentic, and form part of the scriptural [[canon]], only if its author could be shown to have been taught by Jesus himself or taught by someone whom Jesus had taught, and so on: in other words, he envisaged the true faith as having been handed down from teacher to disciple in an unbroken line, and assumed that the truth of a doctrine was guaranteed by its place in the tradition. (It is Irenaeus who is primarily responsible for the contents of the [[New Testament]] as we know it today.)

In the fourth century, after the conversion of the emperor Constantine I in 312, [[Christianity]] became widespread in the [[Roman Empire]] and began to acquire social and political functions, e.g., as one of the elements which served to unify the Empire. In these circumstances the need for uniformity of belief became more pressing - if only to avoid religious conflict which could threaten the Empire's stability. And once [[Christianity]] became the official religion of the [[Roman Empire]] at the end of the fourth century, clarity of doctrine became essential: if individuals were to be subject to legal punishment for not holding the correct beliefs - and the penalty for heresy could sometimes be death - it was vital that what the correct beliefs were should be clear. It was during the fourth century that the first [[ecumenical]] councils (i.e., 'worldwide' meetings of [[bishop]]s) were held to resolve disputed points of doctrine, to promulgate as [[dogma]] beliefs found to be acceptable, to condemn as [[heresy]] beliefs found to be unacceptable, and to formulate [[creed]]s, i.e., authoritative statements of the set of beliefs to which [[Christian]]s were expected to assent. The first [[ecumenical]] council, attended by 300 [[bishop]]s and presided over by the emperor Constantine himself, was held at Nicaea, a city in northwest Asia Minor, in 325: it condemned [[Arianism]], i.e., the teaching of Arius, as [[heretical]] and formulated the [[Nicene Creed]].

Central to [[Christianity]] is the belief that Jesus was both the son of God and lived on earth as a human being, the orthodox interpretation of this belief being that Jesus had two natures and was both fully divine and fully human. Many, though not all, of the earliest [[heresy|heresies]] (e.g., [[Arianism]], [[Monophysitism]], [[Docetism]], and [[Monothelitism]]) involve alternative interpretations, or even the denial, of this central [[Christian]] belief. Other [[heresy|heresies]] relate to other elements of [[Christianity]]: [[Nestorianism]], for example, concerns the status of Mary as the mother of Jesus; [[Pelagianism]] concerns the extent to which we have free will and can be responsible for our salvation; while [[Gnosticism]] conflicts with orthodoxy on a number of issues, not least on the nature of the sources of truth in religious matters.

[[Category:Religion]][[Category:Culture]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:05, 27 October 2015
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−	Jesus himself warned his followers to 'beware of false prophets' (''Matthew'' 7, 15; see also ''Matthew'' 24,3-28, and ''Mark'' 13, 22); and the [[Christian]] [[Church]] has always been concerned to protect its members from falling into error in matters of religious belief. Even before [[Christianity]] became widespread in the [[Roman Empire]], let alone its official religion, [[Christian]] thinkers sought to identify and refute what they regarded as false doctrine, i.e., [[heresy]], and some of the Early Church Fathers wrote works exposing what they took to be [[heresy\|heresies]] - most conspicuously, St. Irenaeus (died c202 CE), [[bishop]] of Lugdunum (modern Lyons in France), in his ''Adversus haereses'' (''Against Heresies'', c180), and Tertullian (Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus (?160-?225), a Carthaginian lay [[Christian]], in his ''De praescriptione haereticorum'' (''On the Prescription of Heretics'', c200).	+	Jesus himself warned his followers to 'beware of false prophets' (''Matthew'' 7, 15; see also ''Matthew'' 24,3-28, and ''Mark'' 13, 22); and the [[Christian]] [[Church]] has always been concerned to protect its members from falling into error in matters of religious belief. Even before [[Christianity]] became widespread in the [[Roman Empire]], let alone its official religion, [[Christian]] thinkers sought to identify and refute what they regarded as false doctrine, i.e., [[heresy]], and some of the Early Church Fathers wrote works exposing what they took to be [[heresy\|heresies]] - most conspicuously, St. Irenaeus (died c202 CE), [[bishop]] of Lugdunum (modern Lyons in France), in his ''Adversus haereses'' (''Against Heresies'', c180), and Tertullian (Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus) (?160-?225), a Carthaginian lay [[Christian]], in his ''De praescriptione haereticorum'' (''On the Prescription of Heretics'', c200).

	But who should decide what is a [[heresy]]? And how should they decide the issue? It was Irenaeus' answers to these questions which largely determined the practice of the [[Christian]] [[Church]]. He argued that disagreements about doctrine within a particular locality were to be settled by the head of the church (i.e., the [[bishop]]) within that locality, and that it was for councils (i.e., meetings of [[bishop]]s) to determine what was true and what was false in religious matters. (He also maintained that precedence over the other [[bishop]]s should be accorded to the [[bishop]] of Rome, as the successor of St. Peter, the apostle appointed by Jesus as head of his [[church]], and the first [[bishop]] of Rome.) Irenaeus argued further that any doctrine that conflicted with the teaching of Jesus must be false and rejected as a [[heresy]]. However, by the end of the second century many different accounts of Jesus' teaching, i.e., many different [[Gospel]]s, were current, and it was therefore necessary for Irenaeus to decide which accounts were genuine, and which spurious. He proposed that an account should be regarded as authentic, and form part of the scriptural [[canon]], only if its author could be shown to have been taught by Jesus himself or taught by someone whom Jesus had taught, and so on: in other words, he envisaged the true faith as having been handed down from teacher to disciple in an unbroken line, and assumed that the truth of a doctrine was guaranteed by its place in the tradition. (It is Irenaeus who is primarily responsible for the contents of the [[New Testament]] as we know it today.)		But who should decide what is a [[heresy]]? And how should they decide the issue? It was Irenaeus' answers to these questions which largely determined the practice of the [[Christian]] [[Church]]. He argued that disagreements about doctrine within a particular locality were to be settled by the head of the church (i.e., the [[bishop]]) within that locality, and that it was for councils (i.e., meetings of [[bishop]]s) to determine what was true and what was false in religious matters. (He also maintained that precedence over the other [[bishop]]s should be accorded to the [[bishop]] of Rome, as the successor of St. Peter, the apostle appointed by Jesus as head of his [[church]], and the first [[bishop]] of Rome.) Irenaeus argued further that any doctrine that conflicted with the teaching of Jesus must be false and rejected as a [[heresy]]. However, by the end of the second century many different accounts of Jesus' teaching, i.e., many different [[Gospel]]s, were current, and it was therefore necessary for Irenaeus to decide which accounts were genuine, and which spurious. He proposed that an account should be regarded as authentic, and form part of the scriptural [[canon]], only if its author could be shown to have been taught by Jesus himself or taught by someone whom Jesus had taught, and so on: in other words, he envisaged the true faith as having been handed down from teacher to disciple in an unbroken line, and assumed that the truth of a doctrine was guaranteed by its place in the tradition. (It is Irenaeus who is primarily responsible for the contents of the [[New Testament]] as we know it today.)

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:07, 7 July 2010
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−	[[Category:Religion]][[Category:Culture]][[Category: Christian ~~Heresies~~]]	+	[[Category:Religion]][[Category:Culture]][[Category: Christian heresies]]

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 In the fourth century, after the conversion of the emperor Constantine I in 312, [[Christianity]] became widespread in the [[Roman Empire]] and began to acquire social and political functions, e.g., as one of the elements which served to unify the Empire. In these circumstances the need for uniformity of belief became more pressing - if only to avoid religious conflict which could threaten the Empire's stability. And once [[Christianity]] became the official religion of the [[Roman Empire]] at the end of the fourth century, clarity of doctrine became essential: if individuals were to be subject to legal punishment for not holding the correct beliefs - and the penalty for heresy could sometimes be death - it was vital that what the correct beliefs were should be clear. It was during the fourth century that the first [[ecumenical]] councils (i.e., 'worldwide' meetings of [[bishop]]s) were held to resolve disputed points of doctrine, to promulgate as [[dogma]] beliefs found to be acceptable, to condemn as [[heresy]] beliefs found to be unacceptable, and to formulate [[creed]]s, i.e., authoritative statements of the set of beliefs to which [[Christian]]s were expected to assent. The first [[ecumenical]] council, attended by 300 [[bishop]]s and presided over by the emperor Constantine himself, was held at Nicaea, a city in northwest Asia Minor, in 325: it condemned [[Arianism]], i.e., the teaching of Arius, as [[heretical]] and formulated the [[Nicene Creed]].
-Central to [[Christianity]] is the belief that Jesus was both the son of God and lived on earth as a human being, the orthodox interpretation of this belief being that Jesus had two natures and was both fully divine and fully human. Many, though not all, of the earliest [[heresy|heresies]]involve alternative interpretations, or even the denial, of this central [[Christian]] belief (see[[Arianism]], [[Monophysitism]], [[Nestorianism]], [[Docetism]], and [[Monothelitism]]). Other [[heresy|heresies]] relate to other elements of [[Christianity]]: [[Pelagianism]], for example, concerns the extent to which we have free will and can be responsible for our salvation; while [[Gnosticism]] conflicts with orthodoxy on a number of issues, not least on the nature of the sources of truth in religious matters.
+Central to [[Christianity]] is the belief that Jesus was both the son of God and lived on earth as a human being, the orthodox interpretation of this belief being that Jesus had two natures and was both fully divine and fully human. Many, though not all, of the earliest [[heresy|heresies]] involve alternative interpretations, or even the denial, of this central [[Christian]] belief (see [[Arianism]], [[Monophysitism]], [[Nestorianism]], [[Docetism]], and [[Monothelitism]]). Other [[heresy|heresies]] relate to other elements of [[Christianity]]: [[Pelagianism]], for example, concerns the extent to which we have free will and can be responsible for our salvation; while [[Gnosticism]] conflicts with orthodoxy on a number of issues, not least on the nature of the sources of truth in religious matters.
 [[Category:Religion]][[Category:Culture]][[Category: Christian Heresies]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 Jesus himself warned his followers to 'beware of false prophets' (''Matthew'' 7, 15; see also ''Matthew'' 24,3-28, and ''Mark'' 13, 22); and the [[Christian]] [[Church]] has always been concerned to protect its members from falling into error in matters of religious belief. Even before [[Christianity]] became widespread in the [[Roman Empire]], let alone its official religion, [[Christian]] thinkers sought to identify and refute what they regarded as false doctrine, i.e., [[heresy]], and some of the Early Church Fathers wrote works exposing what they took to be [[heresy|heresies]] - most conspicuously, St. Irenaeus (died c202 CE), [[bishop]] of Lugdunum (modern Lyons in France), in his ''Adversus haereses'' (''Against Heresies'', c180), and Tertullian (Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus (?160-?225), a Carthaginian lay [[Christian]], in his ''De praescriptione haereticorum'' (''On the Prescription of Heretics'', c200).
-But who should decide what is a [[heresy]]?  And how should they decide the issue?  It was Irenaeus' answers to these questions which largely determined the practice of the [[Christian]] [[Church]]. He argued that disagreements about doctrine within a particular locality were to be settled by the head of the church (i.e., the [[bishop]]) within that locality, and that it was for councils (i.e., meetings of [[bishop]]s) to determine what was true and what was false in religious matters. (He also maintained that precedence over the other [[bishop]]s should be accorded to the [[bishop]] of Rome, as the successor of St. Peter, the apostle appointed by Jesus as head of his [[]]church, and the first [[bishop]] of Rome.) Irenaeus argued further that any doctrine that conflicted with the teaching of Jesus must be false and rejected as a [[heresy]]. However, by the end of the second century many different accounts of Jesus' teaching, i.e., many different [[Gospel]]s, were current, and it was therefore necessary for Irenaeus to decide which accounts were genuine, and which spurious. He proposed that an account should be regarded as authentic, and form part of the scriptural [[canon]], only if its author could be shown to have been taught by Jesus himself or taught by someone whom Jesus had taught, and so on: in other words, he envisaged the true faith as having been handed down from teacher to disciple in an unbroken line, and assumed that the truth of a doctrine was guaranteed by its place in the tradition. (It is Irenaeus who is primarily responsible for the contents of the [[New Testament]] as we know it today.)
+But who should decide what is a [[heresy]]?  And how should they decide the issue?  It was Irenaeus' answers to these questions which largely determined the practice of the [[Christian]] [[Church]]. He argued that disagreements about doctrine within a particular locality were to be settled by the head of the church (i.e., the [[bishop]]) within that locality, and that it was for councils (i.e., meetings of [[bishop]]s) to determine what was true and what was false in religious matters. (He also maintained that precedence over the other [[bishop]]s should be accorded to the [[bishop]] of Rome, as the successor of St. Peter, the apostle appointed by Jesus as head of his [[church]], and the first [[bishop]] of Rome.) Irenaeus argued further that any doctrine that conflicted with the teaching of Jesus must be false and rejected as a [[heresy]]. However, by the end of the second century many different accounts of Jesus' teaching, i.e., many different [[Gospel]]s, were current, and it was therefore necessary for Irenaeus to decide which accounts were genuine, and which spurious. He proposed that an account should be regarded as authentic, and form part of the scriptural [[canon]], only if its author could be shown to have been taught by Jesus himself or taught by someone whom Jesus had taught, and so on: in other words, he envisaged the true faith as having been handed down from teacher to disciple in an unbroken line, and assumed that the truth of a doctrine was guaranteed by its place in the tradition. (It is Irenaeus who is primarily responsible for the contents of the [[New Testament]] as we know it today.)
 In the fourth century, after the conversion of the emperor Constantine I in 312, [[Christianity]] became widespread in the [[Roman Empire]] and began to acquire social and political functions, e.g., as one of the elements which served to unify the Empire. In these circumstances the need for uniformity of belief became more pressing - if only to avoid religious conflict which could threaten the Empire's stability. And once [[Christianity]] became the official religion of the [[Roman Empire]] at the end of the fourth century, clarity of doctrine became essential: if individuals were to be subject to legal punishment for not holding the correct beliefs - and the penalty for heresy could sometimes be death - it was vital that what the correct beliefs were should be clear. It was during the fourth century that the first [[ecumenical]] councils (i.e., 'worldwide' meetings of [[bishop]]s) were held to resolve disputed points of doctrine, to promulgate as [[dogma]] beliefs found to be acceptable, to condemn as [[heresy]] beliefs found to be unacceptable, and to formulate [[creed]]s, i.e., authoritative statements of the set of beliefs to which [[Christian]]s were expected to assent. The first [[ecumenical]] council, attended by 300 [[bishop]]s and presided over by the emperor Constantine himself, was held at Nicaea, a city in northwest Asia Minor, in 325: it condemned [[Arianism]], i.e., the teaching of Arius, as [[heretical]] and formulated the [[Nicene Creed]].