Heresy

The martyrdom of Athanasius

I made this table to monitor the groups present during Christ's era and in the early days of Christianity. I keep its original title as it represents my grappling with the beliefs for which people indeed sacrificed their lives.

What sort of heretic am I?

HERESY	DEFINITION	DATE
ADOPTIONISM	The belief that God adopted Jesus was as is son only at his baptism, resurrection or ascension.	2, 3 and 8C (Spanish)
APOPHATISM	The belief that God can only defined in terms of what he is not.	6C Byzantine Pseudo-Dionysius and Philo 25BC (Hellenistic Jewish philosopher)
ARIANISM	Jesus was an early creation of God the father.  Absolutely called Subordinationalist in 4C.	Arius of Alexandria: 4 and 5C
ASCETICISM	Disciplining the mind and body for spiritual fulfilment.
DOCETISM	Jesus only appeared as a human rather than having a physical body.	Serapian of Antioch 2C based on the non-canonical Gospel of Peter.
DONOTANISTS	From Donatus, hard line North African bishop who resisted Constantine’s offer of tolerance.	3C.
DYAPHOSITES	Apposed to myaphosites, these believe Jesus has two natures: divine and human.  Followers of Nestorianism.	4-5C from Nestorius of Constantinople
EBIONITES	A Jewish sect who worshipped Jesus, but who did not believe in his divinity or the virgin birth.  Revered poverty and were vegitarians.	1 to 4C.
EPICURIANS	The purpose of life is fulfilment and that God, if existing, has no effect on the world.	Epicurus 3-4 BC.
ESSENES	High organised ascetic community in Palestine, described in the Dead Sea Scrolls	2BC to 2C.
GNOSTICISM	Secret knowledge restricts those who are enlightened.	2C Christian context.
HOMOIOS	Trinity is alike in substance.	Decreed a read a heresy by the Council of Nicaea
HOMOUUSIOS	Orthodox view that the trinity are of the same substance.	Council of Nicaea 325 AD
MANICHEISM	The world is an evil place that ‘the forces of light’ must re-conquer.	After 3C Persian prophet Mani.
MONOPHYSITE	Christ has one divine state into which human elements are subsumed (myaphosites).	Many in 4-5C
NEOPOLITANISM	Most developed form of Platonism (belief that there are abstract objects that do not exist in space or time).	Plotinus 3C.
NESTORRIANISM	Christ has mingled Devine and human natures.	4-5C Nestorius of Constantinople.
NOVATIANIST	Hard line view that the church should not re-admit those who had lapsed during persecution.	3C Roman
PAIDEIA	A state of cultural and educational excellence exalted by the Greek elite.
PARRHESIA	The right to speak openly, an accepted convention in Greek society.	Abolished by emperor Justinian in 6C.
PELAGIAN CONTROVERSY	Original sin does not taint humans who have the free will to achieve perfection, as opposed to Augustine’s view of predestination.	Palegius, a 4C British ascetic and philosopher.
PHARISEES	A small Jewish group from Galilee who thought many Jewish practices did not follow the Law.	During Jesus’ ministry
SABELLIANISM	Jesus was a temporary manifestation of God with no distinct personality.	Sabellius 3C Roman.
SADDUCEES	Aristocratic Jewish priests sympathetic to Roman rule.	1C