Chapter 4Church Fathers and Heresies

PART I

Early Heresies

Heresy

• “A species of unbelief, belonging to those who profess the Christian faith, but corrupt its dogmas”. (St. Thomas Aquinas)

Heresies…

• Deny or alter some part or parts of the Deposit of Faith

Material Heresy

• Results from a mistake

• Misjudgment, ignorance of the truth, etc.

• Needs immediate correction

Formal Heresy

• Willingly choosing to keep doctrines that are contradictorily to those of the Church

• Keeping doctrines that have been condemned as being false

Material Heresy Examples

• Jesus was a sinner• Mary was not a Virgin • God created Christ

Formal Heresy Examples

• Rejection of the Eucharist • Teaching that Jesus didn’t

overcome death by way of the Resurrection

• Rejecting the Church’s teaching on Sunday Obligation

Gnosticism

• Secret knowledge• Demiurge (creator

god) • Rejected MOST of

the NT• “The Kingdom of

God is within you.” (Gospel of Thomas)

Gnosticism: View of Jesus

• Jesus was merely a “messenger”

• Jesus entrusted one disciple with secret teachings

• Denied or limited the real humanity of Christ

• Jesus not born: “appeared”

Gnosticism’s Ethics

• Rejected ethical teachings of the Church

• Body = nature of evil: 1. self mutilation of the body

2. No possible way good soul can be damaged by actions of the body

Ridiculed by Church Fathers

• “My God made heaven and earth, and you cannot point to a measly vegetable yours has produced over all these centuries!”

Tertullian

Gnosticism: The Final Overview

• What: Gnosticism

• Who: Simon Magnus

• Where: Judea/ Roman Empire

• When: Birth of Christianity – Present day

• Central Belief: Salvation may be achieved through knowledge

• View of Christ: Christ was NOT human

Marcionism (144-400s)

• Founded by Marcion • Demiurge (god of the

OT/Jealous god) • Jesus sent to destroy the

OT god/Demiurge

Marcion: Founder of Marcionism

• Father was a Bishop • Was a wealthy shipbuilder• Survived Empire’s “put down”

of Jewish uprising• Excommunicated as a heretic

Marcionism

• Jesus did not have a true human body/was not from God

• Rejected the OT• Christian life must

be freed from material reality

Marcionism Differed from Gnosticism

• Did not claim possession of secret knowledge

• No unique scripture • No divine beings

(pleroma)

Church’s Rejection of Marcionism

• Rejected Monotheism

• Rejected creation was good

• Rejected the true humanity of Jesus (death on Cross was payment to the creator god)

Marcionism: the Final Overview

• What: Marcionism

• Who: Marcion

• When : 144-400s AD

• Where: Rome

• Central Belief: God of Jesus Christ sent to destroy the Demiurge

• View of Christ: Jesus was NOT truly human

Manichaeism (250s –1000s)

• Elaborate brand of Gnosticism

• Founded by Mani

• Goal was to share a secret knowledge that led to liberation

Mani

• Persian • Condemned to death • Viewed self as a

spiritual leader (Buddha, Jesus)

• Provided path to true freedom

Manichaeists Believed …

• Satan had stolen light particles from the brains of men/women

• Goal was to liberate humanity from Satan

• In living an ascetic life

• Jesus was/is NOT Divine

Manichaeism: The Final Overview

• What: Manichaeism

• Who: Mani

• When: 250s-1000s

• Where: Persia/India (Roman Empire)

• Central Belief: Man can be liberated from Satan through a secret knowledge

• View of Christ: Jesus was NOT Divine (only a human spiritual leader)

Montanism (156-200)• Were they an early women’s rights group? • A form of monasticism? • A strange group waiting for the end of the

world? • … a little bit of all of these.

Montanus

• Founder of Montanism• Began movement by

preaching • Originally a pagan priest • Excommunicated by the

Church (Turkey)• Had two female prophets

with him• Believed that the “end”

was at hand

Montanism

• TIME IS DIVIDED INTO THREE ERAS

• Age of the Father • Age of the Son • Age of the Holy Spirit

(final age)

Montanism

• New Heavenly movement would begin in Pepuza

• Canon of Scripture should NOT be closed

• “Charismatic” • Believed Church was

too soft on sinners

Montanism: The Final Overview

• What: Montanism

• Who: Montanus

• Where: Turkey/Rome/ Pepuza

• When: 156-200s

• Central Belief: A New heavenly kingdom would be revealed by the power of the Holy Spirit in Pepuza (the end was near)

• View of Jesus Christ: Jesus was Divine and human

Docetism (30s-100s)

• Branch of Gnosticism • “to appear” • Jesus’ humanity was merely an appearance

Docetism• Jesus was did not suffer the pain of the

Crucifixion and death• Preached that someone else switched

places with Christ before the Crucifixion• Christ escaped from it.

Docetism: The final overview

• What: Docetism

• Who: ? (unknown)

• When: 305 -1000s

• Where: Roman Empire

• Central Belief: Christ did NOT suffer the Crucifixion; Gnostic

• View of Jesus Christ: Christ was not fully human

PART II

The Ecumenical Councils

Ecumenical Councils

• There has been 21 ecumenical councils

• All the Bishops of the world (under the Pope) meet to discuss issues facing the Church.

Types of Councils

• Diocesan (Synod)• Provincial • Plenary • Echumenical

Diocesan Council

• Meeting of the Bishops, laymen/laywomen, and representatives of the Clergy meet and discuss matters of the diocese.

Provincial Council • Meeting of the Archbishop with his suffragan bishops

Plenary Council

• Meeting of all Bishops within a single nation

Ecumenical • Meeting between the Bishops

and the Pope (their leader)

PART III

Church Fathers

Characteristics of the Church Fathers

• Orthodoxy in doctrine• Holiness• Notoriety• Antiquity

• 320-462 ad

Patristics • The writings of the Church Fathers• Patrology – study of the Church Fathers

Doctor of the Church

• Title only given by the Pope to those whose development of theology is extraordinary

• St. Teresa of Avila • St. Catherine of Sienna • St. Therese of Lisieux • St. Hildegard of Bingen

St. Ambrose of Milan

• Governor of Milan • Anointed Bishop (was

only a Catechumen) • Defended the

independence of the Church from the State

• Did not get along with Emperor(s) because of high moral standards

St. Jerome • Translated the Hebrew Bible into Latin• Latin Vulgate - uniform Scripture for the

West • Most accurate translation of the Bible

St. John ChrysostomHe who speaks GoldEN words

• Patriarch of Constantinople

• Combined the Biblical Meaning with practical application/ captured the deep spiritual meaning

• On the Priesthood: the morality of the priests.

St. John Chrysostomthe Golden Mouthed

• Called for a moral reform among the Emperors and Bishops.

• He was twice banished by the Empress, but quickly returned from exile.

• In 407, he was forced into a Death March.

PART IV

Heresies of the Fourth and Fifth Centuries

The “Golden Age” of Church fathers

• Lack of persecution • Christians experienced a

renewed freedom

Alexandrian School

• Gave special status to the Divinity of Christ

Antiochene

• Antioch - Jesus’ followers were first called Christian.

• Focused more on literal and historical meanings of Scriptures.

Arianism • Jesus is neither God nor equal to the Father

Arianism

• Reduced the status of Jesus to being a creature of the Father

• Jesus, however, was above every other creature in dignity and perfection.

• Denied the Church’s teaching that the logos was coeternal with God.

Arians Instead Believed …

• That there “was when He was not”

• God created “The Word”

Arianism: The Final Overview• What: Arianism

• Who: Arius

• When: Fourth Century

• Where: Roman Empire/ Constantinople

• Central Belief: Jesus was not Divine, but anointed by God to the position of “Supreme ‘Human’ Being”

• View of Christ: Jesus was not Divine; was a Supreme “Human” Being

St. helena d. 330 A.D.

• Mother of Constantine

• Archaeologist • True Cross• Manager • Stairs (Scala Santa) • Favored wide

spread of Christianity

• Influenced son

Constantine the Great 272 A.D. – 337 A.D.

• Conversion (Cross/battle) • Edict of Milan 313 A.D. • Empowered Christianity • Sincere? • First Christian Roman

Emperor • Saint in Orthodox Church

The Council of Nicaea (325 AD)

• Convened by Constantine the Great

Primarily Addressed: • Arianism• Readmission of the

lapsed • Election of Bishops • Role of the office of the

Bishops

The Council of Nicaea (325 AD)

• Failed to combat Arianism through Scripture alone

• Developed a Creed to combat Arianism

What Developed

• Homoousians : identical (Orthodox)

• Homoiousians : similar(Arian)

After the Death of Constantine

“The entire world woke from a deep slumber and discovered that it had

become Arian.” ~ St. Jerome

The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed

• Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople (381).

Differences Between the NC and N Creed

• 2nd section = the Son. • 3rd section = the Holy

Spirit• last section = Church,

Baptism, forgiveness of sins, and the Resurrection.

• “from the substance of the Father” is absent in the later Creed.

Apollinarianism (360-381)

• Apollinaris refused to accept the Church’s Authority

Apollinarianism (360-381)

• Christ had a human body

• Denied that Christ had a human mind and will

• Christ did not live a COMPLETE human life as a man

• Word of God replaced rational soul

ApollinarianismThe final Overview

• What: Apollinarianism

• Who: Apollinaris

• When: 360-381

• Where: Syria (Eastern Roman Empire)

• Central Belief: Denied existence of human mind and will in Christ

• View of Christ: Christ did not live a complete human life

Nestorianism (351-451)

• Christ was the unity of a Divine person and a full human person.

• Mary = Christotokos “the bearer of Christ”

Nestorianism: the final Overview

• What: Nestorianism

• Who: Nestorius

• When: 351 – 451

• Where: Antiochene

• Central Belief: Christ human and divine, but not fully human/divine

• View of Christ: Ditto.

Monophysitism (400s-600s)

• Reaction to Nestorianism

• Christ = ONE nature (Divine)

Monophysitism: The Final Overview

• What: Monophysitism

• When: 400s – 600s

• Where: Alexandrian School

• Who: ? Unknown

• Central Belief: Christ did not have two natures – only Divine nature existed

• View of Christ: Human nature absorbed by the Divine nature

Monothelitism

• Response to Monophysitism

• Emperor Heraclius/Patriarch Sergius

• Pope Honorius: “one will”

Monothelitism: The Final Overview

• What: Monothelitism

• Who: Emperor Heraclius

• When: 600s

• Where: Constantinople/ Eastern Roman Empire

• Central Belief: Christ had only One will. But two natures

• View of Christ: Ditto.

 

Donastism (311-411)Sacramental Heresy

• Sacraments are invalid: 1. Priest/Bishop formally rejected the Faith2. Priest/Bishop in state of sin

Donastism

• Christ is the only true administrator of the Sacraments(Augustine)

Donastism: The Final Overview

• What: Donastism

• Who: ? (those who rejected the ordination of Bishop Caecillan )

• Where: Carthage (Roman Empire)

• When: (311-411)

• Central Belief: Sacraments are invalid if done by a lapsed priest or Bishop

• View of Christ: Jesus was human and Divine (Orthodox)

Pelagianism (late 300s-431):Dogmatic Heresy

• Man can be redeemed and sanctified without grace

• No Original Sin • Sacraments are

unnecessary

Pelagianism: The final Overview

• What: Pelagianism

• Who: Pelagius

• Where: Roman Empire

• When: 300s - 431

• Central Belief: Sacraments are unnecessary; Graces can be achieved by own human efforts

• View of Christ: Orthodox

St. Hilary • Latin Church Father • Athanasius of the

West • Fought Arianism • Heretics: followers of

Christianity who were trying to explain the same ideas, but in different terms

THE THREE CAPPADOCIANS

St. Basil the Great • Community life is essential • Teachings = Greek Church legislation • Father of Eastern Monasticism • Fought Arianism • “if people only took what they needed,

there would be no rich or poor.”

St. Basil the Great

• Worked for clerical rights

• Saw that Priests were properly trained

• Provided for the spiritual and material needs of the laity

• Built a social system of hospitals and social service institutions

• Divine Liturgy

St. Gregory of Nazianzus

• Five Theological Orations = Third person of the Trinity

• Against Arianism • “Gregory Bishop”

St. Gregory of Nyssa

• Became monk after wife died • On Virginity• Attacked Arianism/ “Theotokos”

Pope St. Leo the Great d. 461

• Consolidated Papal Power (NT)

• Gained Papal Jurisdiction (West)

• “First Pope”(modern)

St. Augustine of Hippo

• Mother = Christian

• Father = pagan • Studied Law • Student of

rhetoric (Cicero) • Manichaeists

St. Augustine of Hippo

Found Difficult: - The Bible - Origin of

Evil

Left Manichaeism after questions went unanswered

St. Augustine of Hippo

• Youth –rebel – Stole pears for fun – Made stories up about women to gain

acceptance – Had an illegitimate child

• Great Conversion experience– “Tolle et lege”

• Castrated self –to win over flesh

St. Augustine

“My heart will not rest until it rests in You.”

Augustine’s Most Important Works

• City of God • Confessions