In its vision ofheresy, the Catholic Church makes a distinction betweenmaterial andformal heresy. Material heresy means in effect "holding erroneous doctrines through no fault of one's own" due toinculpable ignorance and "is neither a crime nor a sin" since the individual has made the error ingood faith.[1] Formal heresy is "the wilful and persistent adherence to an error in matters of faith" on the part of abaptised person. As such it is a gravesin and involvesipso factoexcommunication; a Catholic that embraces a formal heresy is considered to have automatically separated his or her soul from the Catholic Church. Here "matters of faith" meansdogmas which have been proposed by the infalliblemagisterium of the Church[2] and, in addition to this intellectual error, "pertinacity in the will" in maintaining it in opposition to the teaching of the Church must be present.[3]
Heresy has been a concern inChristian communities at least since the writing of theSecond Epistle of Peter: "Even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them" (2 Peter 2:1). In the first two or three centuries of theearly Church,heresy andschism were not clearly distinguished. A similar overlapping occurred in medievalscholasticism. Heresy is understood today to mean the denial of revealed truth as taught by the Church.[1] Nineteenth-century theologianFriedrich Schleiermacher defined it as "that which preserved theappearance of Christianity, and yet contradicted itsessence".[4] This article contains themovements anddenominations which have been declared asheresy by theCatholic Church.
The following listing contains those opinions which were either explicitly condemned byChalcedonian Christianity before 1054 or are of later origin but similar. Details of some modern opinions deemed to be heretical by the Catholic Church are listed in an appendix. All lists are in alphabetical order.
Traditionally,orthodoxy andheresy have been viewed in relation to the "orthodoxy" as an authentic lineage of tradition. Other forms of Christianity were viewed as deviant streams of thought and therefore "heterodox", or heretical. This view was dominant until the publication ofWalter Bauer'sRechtgläubigkeit und Ketzerei im ältesten Christentum ("Orthodoxy and heresy in ancient Christianity") in 1934. Bauer endeavoured to rethink early Christianity historically, independent from the views of the church. He argued that originally unity was based on a common relationship with the same Lord rather than on formally defined doctrines and that a wide variety of views was tolerated. With time, some of these views were seen as inadequate. He went on to attribute the definition of "orthodoxy" to the increasing power and influence of the Church of Rome. In 1959,Henry Chadwick argued that all Christian communities were linked by the foundational events which occurred in Jerusalem and continued to be of defining importance in the forging of doctrinal orthodoxy. McGrath comments that historically Chadwick's account appears to be much more plausible.[5]
For convenience the heresies which arose in this period have been divided into three groups:Trinitarian/Christological;Gnostic; andother heresies.
The termChristology has two meanings in theology: it can be used in the narrow sense of the question as to how the divine and human are related in the person of Jesus Christ, or alternatively of the overall study of his life and work.[6] Here it is used in the restricted, narrow sense.
The orthodox teaching concerning theTrinity, as finally developed and formally agreed atConstantinople in 381,[7] is thatGod the Father,God the Son, and theHoly Spirit were all strictly one being in threehypostases, misleadingly translated as "persons".[8] The Christological question then arose as to how Jesus Christ could be both divine and human. This was formally resolved after much debate by theEcumenical Councils of 431, 451 and 680 (Ephesus, Chalcedon and Constantinople III).
| Heresy | Description | Origin | Official condemnation | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adoptionism | Belief that Jesus was born as a mere (non-divine) man, was supremely virtuous and that he was adopted later as the "Son of God" by the descent of the Spirit on him. | Propounded byTheodotus of Byzantium, a leather merchant, in Rome c.190, later revived byPaul of Samosata | Theodotus was excommunicated by Pope Victor and Paul was condemned by the Synod of Antioch in 268 | Alternative names:Psilanthropism and Dynamic Monarchianism.[9] Later criticized as presupposing Nestorianism (see below) |
| Apollinarism | Belief thatJesus had ahuman body and lower soul (the seat of the emotions) but adivine mind. Apollinaris further taught that thesouls of men were propagated by other souls, as well as their bodies. | Proposed byApollinaris of Laodicea (died 390) | Declared to be aheresy in 381 by theFirst Council of Constantinople | |
| Arabici | Belief that the soul perished with the body, and that both would be revived on Judgement Day.[10] | Founder unknown, but associated with 3rd-century Christians from Arabia. | Reconciled to the main body of the Church after a council in 250 led byOrigen. | |
| Arianism | Denial of the true divinity of Jesus Christ taking various specific forms, but all agreed that Jesus Christ was created by the Father, that he had a beginning in time, and that the title "Son of God" was a courtesy one.[11] | The doctrine is associated withArius (c. AD 250–336) who lived and taught inAlexandria, Egypt. | Arius was first pronounced aheretic at theFirst Council of Nicaea, he was later exonerated as a result of imperial pressure and finally declared a heretic after his death. The heresy was finally resolved in 381 by the First Council of Constantinople. | All forms denied that Jesus Christ is "consubstantial with the Father" but proposed either "similar in substance", "similar", or "dissimilar" as the correct alternative. |
| Collyridianism | Belief that the Trinity consists of the Father, Son, and Mary and that the Son is a result of the marital union between the other two. | Described byEpiphanius in hisPanarion. | The existence of the sect is subject to some dispute due to the lack of historical evidence aside from the writings of Epiphanius.[12] | |
| Docetism | Belief that Jesus' physical body was an illusion, as was his crucifixion; that is, Jesus only seemed to have a physical body and to physically die, but in reality, he was incorporeal, a pure spirit, and hence could not physically die. | Tendencies existed in the 1st century, but it was most notably embraced byGnostics in subsequent centuries. | Docetism was rejected by theecumenical councils and mainstream Christianity, and largely died out during the first millennium AD. | Gnostic movements that survived past that time, such asCatharism, incorporated docetism into their beliefs, but such movements were destroyed by theAlbigensian Crusade (1209–1229). |
| Luciferians | Strongly anti-Arian sect in Sardinia | Founded byLucifer Calaritanus, a bishop of Cagliari | Deemed heretical byJerome in hisAltercatio Luciferiani et orthodoxi | |
| Macedonians orPneumatomachians ("Spirit fighters") | While accepting the divinity of Jesus Christ as affirmed at Nicaea in 325, they denied that of the Holy Spirit which they saw as a creation of the Son, and a servant of the Father and the Son. | Allegedly founded in the 4th century by BishopMacedonius I of Constantinople, Eustathius of Sebaste was their principal theologian.[13] | Opposed by theCappadocian Fathers and condemned at theFirst Council of Constantinople. | This is what prompted the addition of "And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father, Who with the Father and the Son is equally worshipped and glorified, Who spake by the Prophets", into the Nicene Creed at the second ecumenical council. |
| Melchisedechians | ConsideredMelchisedech an incarnation of theLogos (divine Word) and identified him with theHoly Ghost. | Refuted byMarcus Eremita in his bookEis ton Melchisedek ("Against the Melchisedekites")[14] | It is uncertain whether the sect survived beyond the 9th century. They were probably scattered across Anatolia and the Balkans following the destruction ofTephrike. | |
| Monarchianism | An overemphasis on the indivisibility of God (the Father) at the expense of the other "persons" of the Trinity leading to eitherSabellianism (Modalism) or toAdoptionism. | Stressing the "monarchy" of God was in Eastern theology a legitimate way of affirming his oneness, also the Father as the unique source of divinity. It became heretical when pushed to the extremes indicated. | ||
| Monophysitism orEutychianism | Belief that Christ's divinity dominates and overwhelms his humanity, as opposed to the Chalcedonian position which holds that Christ has two natures, one divine and one human or the Miaphysite position which holds that the human nature and pre-incarnate divine nature of Christ were united as one divine-human nature from the point of the Incarnation onwards. | AfterNestorianism was rejected at theFirst Council of Ephesus,Eutyches emerged with diametrically opposite views. | Eutyches was excommunicated in 448. Monophysitism and Eutyches were rejected at theCouncil of Chalcedon in 451. Monophysitism is also rejected by theOriental Orthodox Churches | |
| Monothelitism | Belief that Jesus Christ had two natures but only one will. This is contrary to the orthodox interpretation of Christology, which teaches that Jesus Christ has two wills (human and divine) corresponding to his two natures | Originated in Armenia and Syria in AD 633 | Monothelitism was officially condemned at theThird Council of Constantinople (the SixthEcumenical Council, 680–681). The churches condemned at Constantinople include theOriental OrthodoxSyriac,Armenian, andCoptic churches as well as theMaronite church, although the latter now deny that they ever held the Monothelite view and are presently in full communion with theBishop of Rome. Christians in England rejected the Monothelite position at theCouncil of Hatfield in 680. | |
| Nestorianism | Belief that Jesus Christ was a natural union between the Flesh and the Word, thus not identical, to the divine Son of God. | Advanced byNestorius (386–450), Patriarch of Constantinople from 428–431. The doctrine was informed by Nestorius' studies underTheodore of Mopsuestia at theSchool of Antioch. | Condemned at theFirst Council of Ephesus in 431 and theCouncil of Chalcedon in 451, leading to theNestorian Schism. | Nestorius rejected the titleTheotokos for the Virgin Mary, and proposedChristotokos as more suitable. Many of Nestorius' supporters relocated to Sassanid Persia, where they affiliated with the local Christian community, known as theChurch of the East. Over the next decades, the Church of the East became increasingly Nestorian in doctrine, leading it to be known alternately as the Nestorian Church. |
| Patripassianism | Belief that the Father and Son are not two distinct persons, and thus God the Father suffered on the cross as Jesus. | similar toSabellianism | ||
| Psilanthropism | Belief that Jesus is "merely human": either that he never became divine, or that he never existed prior to his incarnation as a man. | Propounded byTheodotus of Byzantium, a leather merchant, in Rome c.190, later revived byPaul of Samosata | Rejected by theecumenical councils, especially in theFirst Council of Nicaea, which was convened to deal directly with the nature of Christ's divinity. | SeeAdoptionism |
| Sabellianism | Belief that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three characterizations of one God, rather than three distinct "persons" in one God. | First formally stated by Noetus of Smyrna c. 190, refined by Sabellius c. 210 who applied the names merely to different roles of God in the history and economy of salvation. | Noetus was condemned by the presbyters of Smyrna. Tertullian wroteAdversus Praxeam against this tendency and Sabellius was condemned by Pope Callistus. | Alternative names:Patripassianism, Modalism, Modalistic Monarchianism |
| Subordinationism | Belief the Son and the Holy Spirit are not co-equal with the Father. Subordinationists believe that the Son and the Holy Spirit are subordinate to the Father in either nature, role, or both. | Condemned as heretical in theSecond Council of Constantinople. | ||
| Tritheism | Belief that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three independent and distinct divine beings as opposed to three persons of one being and one essence |
Gnosticism refers to a diverse,syncretisticreligious movement consisting of variousbelief systems generally united in the teaching that humans are divinesouls trapped in amaterial world created by an imperfect god, thedemiurge, who is frequently identified with theAbrahamicGod. Gnosticism is a rejection (sometimes from anascetic perspective) and vilification of the human body and of thematerial world orcosmos. Gnosticism teaches duality in Material (Matter) versus Spiritual or Body (evil) versus Soul (good). Gnosticism teaches that the natural or material world will and should be destroyed (totalannihilation) by the true spiritual God in order to free mankind from the reign of the false God or Demiurge.
A common misperception is caused by the fact that, in the past, "Gnostic" had a similar meaning to the current usage of the wordmystic. There were some Orthodox Christians who as mystics (in the modern sense) taughtgnosis (Knowledge of the God or the Good) who could be called gnostics in a positive sense (e.g.Diadochos of Photiki).
Whereas formerly Gnosticism was considered mostly a corruption of Christianity, it now seems clear that traces of Gnostic systems can be discerned some centuries before the Christian Era.[15] Gnosticism may have been earlier than the 1st century, thus predating Jesus Christ.[16] It spread through theMediterranean andMiddle East before and during the 2nd and 3rd centuries, becoming adualisticheresy to Judaism (seeNotzrim), Christianity andHellenic philosophy in areas controlled by theRoman Empire andArian Goths (seeHuneric), and thePersian Empire. Conversion toIslam and theAlbigensian Crusade (1209–1229) greatly reduced the remaining number of Gnostics throughout theMiddle Ages, though a few isolated communities continue to exist to the present. Gnostic ideas became influential in the philosophies of variousesotericmystical movements of the late 19th and 20th centuries in Europe and North America, including some that explicitly identify themselves as revivals or even continuations of earlier gnostic groups.
| Heresy | Description | Origin | Official condemnation | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manichaeism | A major dualistic religion stating that good and evil are equally powerful, and that material things are evil. | Founded in 210–276 AD byMani | Condemned by Emperor Theodosius I decree in 382 | Thrived between the 3rd and 7th centuries and appears to have died out before the 16th century except in southern China. |
| Paulicianism | A Gnostic anddualistic sect | The founder of the sect is said to have been anArmenian by the name ofConstantine,[17] who hailed fromMananalis, a community nearSamosata. | Repressed by order of Empress Theodora II in 843 | |
| Priscillianism | A Gnostic andManichaean sect | Founded in the 4th century byPriscillian, derived from theGnostic-Manichaean doctrines taught byMarcus. Priscillian was put to death by the emperorMagnus Maximus for the crime of magic. | Condemned by Synod of Zaragoza in 380. | Increased during the 5th century despite efforts to stop it. In the 6th century, Priscillianism declined and died out soon after theSynod of Braga in 563. |
| Naassenes | AGnostic sect from around 100 AD | The Naassenes claimed to have been taught their doctrines byMariamne, a disciple ofJames the Just.[18] | Dealt as heresy byHippolytus of Rome | |
| Sethian | Belief that the snake in the Garden of Eden (Satan) was an agent of the true God and brought knowledge of truth to man via thefall of man | Syrian sect drawing their origin from theOphites | Dealt as heresy by Irenaeus, Hippolytus, and Philaster | Sect is founded around theApocalypse of Adam. |
| Ophites | Belief that the serpent who tempted Adam and Eve was a hero and that the God who forbade Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge is the enemy. | Dealt as heresy byHippolytus of Rome | ||
| Valentianism | A Gnostic anddualistic sect | Gnostic sect was founded by Ex-Catholic BishopValentinus | Considered heresy byIrenaeus andEpiphanius of Salamis |
| Heresy | Description | Origin | Official condemnation | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antinomianism | Any view which holds that Christians are freed by grace from obligations of anymoral law. St Paul had to refute a charge of this type made by opponents because of his attitude to the Mosaic Law (Romans 3:8)[19] | Some gnostics (e.g. Ophites and Nicolaitans) taught that since the matter was opposed to the spirit, the body was unimportant. Similar views were found among someanabaptists in the sixteenth century as a consequence ofjustification by faith and later among some sects in seventeenth-century England. | Decree on Justification, Chapter XVCouncil of Trent | Few groups[who?] have declared themselves Antinomian, and the term has often been used by one group to criticize another's views. |
| Audianism | Belief that God has the human form (anthropomorphism) and that one ought to celebrate Jesus' death during the Jewish Passover (quartodecimanism). | Named after the leader of the sect, Audius (or Audaeus), a Syrian who lived in the 4th century. | TheFirst Council of Nicaea condemnedquartodecimanism in 325.Cyril of Alexandria condemnedanthropomorphism at hisAdversus Anthropomorphites | |
| Barallot | Held all things in common, even wives and children | Were also called "Compliers" due to their love of sensual pleasures | ||
| Circumcellions | A militant subset of Donatism* | See Donatism | Outlawed by EmperorHonorius in 408 | Relied on violence. |
| Donatism (often spoken of as a "schism" rather than a "heresy")[20][21][22] | Donatists were rigorists, holding that the church must be a church of saints, not sinners and that sacraments administered bytraditores were invalid. They also regarded martyrdom as the supreme Christian virtue and regarded those that actively sought martyrdom as saints. | Named for their second leaderDonatus Magnus | Condemned by PopeMelchiades | Donatists were a force at the time of SaintAugustine of Hippo and disappeared only after the Arab conquest.[23] |
| Ebionites | A Jewish sect that insisted on the necessity of followingJewish law and rites,[24] which they interpreted in light of Jesus'expounding of the Law.[25] They regarded Jesus as the Messiah but not asdivine. | The termEbionites derives from theHebrewevionim (אביונים ), meaning "the Poor Ones"[26] | Justin Martyr considered them heretical atDialogue with Trypho the Jew chapter xlvii | In 375, Epiphanius records the settlement of Ebionites on Cyprus, laterTheodoret of Cyrrhus reported that they were no longer present there.[27] |
| Euchites /Messalians | Belief that:
| Originating inMesopotamia, they spread toAsia Minor andThrace. | Bishop Flavian of Antioch condemned them about 376 | The group might have continued for several centuries, influencing the Bogomils of Bulgaria, the Bosnian church, the Paterenes andCatharism.[28] |
| Iconoclasm | The belief that icons are idols and should be destroyed.[29] | From late in the seventh century onwards some parts of the Greek Church reacted against the veneration oficons. In 726 Emperor Leo III ordered the destruction of all icons and persecuted those who refused. The policy continued under his successors till about 780. Later Leo V launched a second attempt which continued till the death of the emperor Theophilus in 842 | Condemned byNicea II in 787 which regulated the veneration | Leo III may have been motivated by the belief that the veneration of icons, particularly in the excessive form it often took, was the chief obstacle to the conversion of Jews and Muslims |
| Marcionism | AnEarly Christiandualistbelief system. Marcion affirmed Jesus Christ as the saviour sent by God and Paul as his chief apostle, but he rejected theHebrew Bible and theHebrew God. Marcionists believed that the wrathful Hebrew God was a separate and lower entity than the all-forgiving God of the New Testament. This belief was in some ways similar toGnostic Christian theology, but in other ways different. | Originates in the teachings ofMarcion of Sinope atRome around the year 144.[30] | Many early apologists, such asTertullian on hisAdversus Marcionem (year 207) condemned Marcionism | Marcionism continued in theWest for 300 years, although Marcionistic ideas persisted much longer.[31] Marcionism continued in theEast for some centuries later. Similar heresies would arise withCatharism in 1200s France andPositive Christianity in Nazi Germany. |
| Montanism | The beliefs of Montanism contrasted with orthodox Christianity in the following ways:
| Named for its founderMontanus, Montanism originated at Hierapolis. It spread rapidly to other regions in theRoman Empire during the period before Christianity was generally tolerated or legal. | The churches of Asia Minorexcommunicated Montanists.[33] Around 177,Apollinarius, Bishop ofHierapolis, presided over asynod which condemned the New Prophecy.[34] The leaders of the churches ofLyon andVienne in Gaul responded to the New Prophecy in 177 | Although the orthodoxmainstream Christian church prevailed against Montanism within a few generations, labelling it aheresy, the sect persisted in some isolated places into the 8th century. |
| Pelagianism | Belief thatoriginal sin did not tainthuman nature and that mortalwill is still capable of choosinggood orevil withoutDivine aid. | Named afterPelagius (354–420/440). The theology was later developed byC(a)elestius andJulian of Eclanum into a complete system.[35] and refuted byAugustine of Hippo (who had for a time (385–395) held similar opinions[36]) but his final position never gained general acceptance in the East. | Pelagianism was attacked in the Council of Diospolis[37] and condemned in 418 at the Council of Carthage[38] and the decision confirmed at theCouncil of Ephesus in 431. | |
| Semipelagianism | Belief that Augustine had gone too far in attacking Pelagianism and taught that some come to faith by mercy and grace but others through free will alone. | This view arose in the East and was purportedly taught byJohn Cassian, who was opposed byProsper of Aquitaine. Whether Cassian taught this is disputable. | Condemned by the Council of Orange in 529 which slightly weakened some of Augustine's more extreme statements.[39] | The label "Semipelagianism" dates from the seventeenth century. |
| Heresy | Description | Origin | Official condemnation | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bogomils | A Gnostic dualistic sect that was bothAdoptionist andManichaean. Their beliefs were a synthesis of Armenian Paulicianism and the Bulgarian Slavonic Church reform movement. | Emerged in Bulgaria between 927 and 970 and spread into theByzantine Empire, Serbia, Bosnia, Italy and France. | ||
| Catharism | Catharism had its roots in thePaulician movement in Armenia and theBogomils of Bulgaria, with a strong dualist influence against the physical world, regarded as evil, thus denied that Jesus could become incarnate and still be the son of God. | First appeared in theLanguedoc region ofFrance in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries. Catharism had its roots in thePaulicians and theBogomils with whom the Paulicians merged. | Condemned by papal bullAd abolendam | After several decades of harassment and re-proselytizing, and the systematic destruction of their scripture, the sect was exhausted and could find no more adepts. The last known Cathar prefect in the Languedoc,Guillaume Bélibaste, was executed in 1321. Anti-Old Testament ideas later revived byPositive Christianity in Nazi Germany. |
| Free Spirit | Mixed mystical beliefs with Christianity. Its practitioners believed that it was possible to reach perfection on earth through a life ofausterity andspiritualism. They believed that they could communicate directly withGod and did not need theChristian church for intercession. | Condemned at theCouncil of Basel in 1431 | Small groups living mostly inBohemia, now theCzech Republic, during the 14th and 15th centuries. | |
| Fraticelli (Spiritual Franciscans) | Extreme proponents of the rule ofSaintFrancis of Assisi, especially with regard topoverty, and regarded thewealth of the Church asscandalous, and that of individual churchmen as invalidating their status. | Appeared in the 14th and 15th centuries, principally inItaly | Declared heretical by the Church in 1296 byBoniface VIII. | |
| Henricians | According toPeter of Cluny, Henry's teaching is summed up as follows:
| Henry of Lausanne lived in France in the first half of the 12th century. His preaching began around 1116 and he died imprisoned around 1148. | In 1151 some Henricians still remained inLanguedoc, forMatthew Paris relates that a young girl, who gave herself out to be miraculously inspired by theVirgin Mary, was reputed to have converted a great number of the disciples of Henry of Lausanne. | |
| Triclavianism | Belief that three, rather than four nails were used to crucify Christ and that a Roman soldier pierced him with a spear on the left, rather than the right side. | Attributed to Albigenses and Waldenses | Supposedly condemned byPope Innocent III, but most likely never actually considered a heresy by said Pope.[40] | |
| Waldensians (Waldenses or Vaudois) | A spiritual movement of the later Middle Ages | Begun byPeter Waldo, a wealthy merchant who decided to give up all his worldly possessions and began to preach on the streets ofLyon in 1177.[41] | Condemned by papal bullAd abolendam | Waldensians endured near annihilation in the 17th century. Descendants of this movement still exist. Over time, the denomination joined the Genevan orReformed branch ofProtestantism. |
| Conciliarism | Condemned by papal bullExecrabilis |
| Heresy | Description | Origin | Official condemnation | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hussites | The program of the Hussites is contained in the four articles ofPrague, which were agreed upon in July 1420. These are often summarized as:
| Founded by Czech reformerJan Hus (c. 1369–1415), who was one of the forerunners of theProtestant Reformation. | Council of Basel | |
| Lollardy | Founded byJohn Wycliffe | King Henry IV passed theDe heretico comburendo in 1401, which did not specifically ban the Lollards, but prohibited translating or owning the Bible and authorised burning heretics at the stake. | Lollards were effectively absorbed intoProtestantism during theEnglish Reformation, in which Lollardy played a role. | |
| Girolamo Savonarola | Savonarola called for simplicity in church interior and rigorous moral stances | On 13 May 1497 Savonarola was excommunicated by PopeAlexander VI and burned at the stake | Savonarola left many admirers throughout Europe, in particular among religiously pious humanists. |
| Heresy | Description | Origin | Official condemnation | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protestantism | Thefive solae are fiveLatin phrases (or slogans) that emerged during theProtestant Reformation and summarize the Reformers' basic theological beliefs in opposition to the teaching of theCatholic Church of the day.
| Originated in the 16th centuryProtestant Reformation which is generally accepted to have begun in 1517 withMartin Luther'sNinety-five Theses as an attempt toreform theCatholic Church.[42] | Exsurge Domine andCouncil of Trent | There are "over 33,000 denominations in 238 countries".[43] There are about 1.17 billion Protestants worldwide, constituting nearly half of all Christians.[44][45] among approximately 1.5–2.1 billion Christians.[46][47] In addition to theFive Solas, most Protestants disbelievetransubstantiation. SeeEucharistic heresies below. |
| Calvinism | The belief that God chooses to save certain people, not because of any foreseen merit or good in themselves, but totally by his sovereign choice. Calvinism has been summed up in five points, known as TULIP.
| Calvinism was systemised byJohn Calvin in mid 16th century Geneva, being further rigorised at the Dutch 17th centurySynod of Dort. | Calvinism forms the basis of the doctrines of theReformed churches, including those of the Netherlands, England, Scotland, and central Europe.Presbyterians,Congregationalists,some Baptist groups, and earlyAnglicans were influenced by Calvinist teachings. This influence can be found in official documents of these churches: theThree Forms of Unity (Dutch Reformed), theWestminster Confession (Presbyterian), theSavoy Declaration (Congregational), the1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith (Reformed Baptist), and theThirty-Nine Articles (Anglican). |
| Heresy | Description | Origin | Official condemnation | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protestantism[48] | Protestant groups display a wide variety of different doctrines. However, the early Reformers all stressed thefive solae (1)Sola scriptura ("by Scripture alone"); the conviction that only the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments should be used to form doctrine, in contradistinction to the Catholic view that both Scripture and the magisterium of the Church set dogma. (2)Sola fide ("by faith alone"); the conviction that believers are justified by faith in Christ alone, rather than faith in Christ and good works. (3)Sola gratia ("by grace alone"); the conviction that believers are saved by God's grace alone, and not by human works. (4)Solus Christus ("by Christ alone"); the conviction that the work of salvation is entirely the work of God through the mediatorial work of Christ alone. (5)Soli Deo gloria ("for God's glory alone"); the conviction that the work of salvation is entirely for God's glory alone.[49][50] Some believe the great diversity of Protestant doctrines stems from the doctrine of private judgment, which denies the infallible authority of the Catholic Church and claims that each individual is to interpret Scripture for himself.[51] However, the early Reformers warned against private interpretation, emphasizing, instead, the connection and continuity with the ancient church, and its dogma. | Began withMartin Luther's95 Theses in 1517, and later developed by otherProtestant Reformers. | Condemned by theCouncil of Trent, held inTrento,Italy from 1545 to 1563.[52] | Since the mid-20th century, the attitude of the Catholic Church to Protestantism has changed, as evidenced byecumenical relations with Protestant Churches.[53] Then-cardinalJoseph Ratzinger, much later Pope Benedict XVI, wrote that
|
| Heresy | Description | Origin | Official condemnation | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Febronianism | An 18th-century German movement directed towards the nationalizing of Catholicism, the restriction of the power of the papacy in favour of that of the episcopate, and the reunion of the dissident churches with Catholic Christendom | Practice and ideology condemned by PopePius IX'sSyllabus of Errors, PopeLeo XIII's encyclicalImmortale Dei, and theFirst Vatican Council | Compare withErastianism | |
| Gallicanism | The belief that civil authority – often the State's authority (originally that of theKing of France) – over the Catholic Church is comparable to that of the Pope | Practice and ideology condemned by PopePius VI'sAuctorem fidei, PopePius IX'sSyllabus of Errors, PopeLeo XIII's encyclicalImmortale Dei, and theFirst Vatican Council | Compare withErastianism | |
| Jansenism | A branch ofCatholic thought which arose in the frame of theCounter-Reformation and the aftermath of theCouncil of Trent (1545–1563). It emphasizedoriginal sin, humandepravity, the necessity ofdivine grace, andpredestination. | Originating in the writings of theDutchtheologianCornelius Otto Jansen, Jansenism formed a distinct movement within theCatholic Church from the 16th to 18th centuries. | Condemned by Innocent X's bullCum occasione on 31 May 1653, and by PopePius VI'sAuctorem fidei. | |
| Josephinism | The domestic policies ofJoseph II of Austria, attempting to impose a liberal ideology on the Church. | Practice and ideology condemned by PopePius IX'sSyllabus of Errors, PopeLeo XIII's encyclicalImmortale Dei, and theFirst Vatican Council | Compare withErastianism |
| Heresy | Description | Origin | Official condemnation | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Americanism | A group of related heresies which were defined as the endorsement of full freedom of the press, liberalism, individualism, and separation of church and state, and as an insistence upon individual initiative, which could be incompatible with the principle of Catholicism of obedience to authority. | Condemned by Pope Leo XIII in his letterTestem benevolentiae nostrae in 1899 | ||
| Jehovah's Witnesses | Religious movement which expects the imminent return of Jesus. Jehovah's Witnesses believe in a one-person God as opposed to theTrinity. Jesus is the first thing God created (asMichael the Archangel).[55] | It follows the teachings ofCharles Taze Russell. | ||
| Modernism | Evolution of dogma in time and space | Alfred Loisy,George Tyrell,Ernesto Buonaiuti | Condemned by Popes Leo XIII and Pius X in a series of encyclicals between 1893 and 1910[56] | |
| Mormonism | Religious movement that believes in a "Godhead" of separate and distinct beings: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as well as aHeavenly Mother. Further, it is believed that all humans as children of God can becomeexalted, or in other words, "As man now is God once was: As God now is, a man may be." | Joseph Smith founded the movement inWestern New York in the 1820s, and publishedThe Book of Mormon, which he claimed to have translated from writing ongolden plates in areformed Egyptian language. | Mormons would say that theirs is the truest form of Christianity while acknowledging that other Christian denominations hold a lesser truth. While accepting the validity of the traditional Christian Bible, Mormons also attribute scriptural authority to the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price. Mormons believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ but do not accept the doctrine of the Trinity. Mormons worship Jesus Christ and God the Father exclusively (and not Joseph Smith, whom they believe to have been a prophet only), and by this qualification meet the definition of non-Trinitarian Christianity. Many Protestant sects do not accept Mormons as true Christians, however, and no major Christian group accepts the validity of Mormon baptisms – a former Mormon would need to be re-baptized.[57] |
| Heresy | Description | Origin | Official condemnation | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community of the Lady of All Nations | The movement believes that its elderly founder, Marie Paule Giguère is a "reincarnation" of the Virgin Mary | Founded by Marie Paule Giguère in Quebec in 1971. | TheCongregation for the Doctrine of the Faith determined on 11 July 2007 that her followers had been excommunicated.[58] | Also known as Army of Mary |
| Positive Christianity | A term adopted by Nazi leaders to refer to a model of Christianity consistent with Nazism. | Condemned by Pope Pius XI in his letterMit brennender Sorge in 1937[59] | ||
| Reincarnationism | Belief that certain people are or can be reincarnations ofbiblical figures, such asJesus Christ and theVirgin Mary. | Doctrinal Note of the Catholic Bishops of Canada concerning the Army of Mary[60] andTribus circiter on the Mariavites. | ||
| Santa Muerte | Worship or veneration of Santa Muerte. | Criticized, calledblasphemous, described asdevil worship, and declared incompatible with the Christian faith by Catholic leaders,[61][62][63][64] including the Catholic Archdiocese of Mexico City[65] and some Catholic Bishops in the United States[66] CardinalGianfranco Ravasi, President of thePontifical Council for Culture, has repeatedly denounced devotion to Santa Muerte, calling it "the celebration of devastation and ofhell."[67] Commentators note that it is relatively rare that afolk saint is condemned by Vatican officials.[68] |
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)"Jesus' Teaching on the Torah in the Sermon on the Mount"(PDF). Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 16 June 2007. Retrieved13 March 2007.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Protestants: 625,606,000; Independents: 421,689,000; Unaffiliated Christians: 123,508,000
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)This change came in 1964 with Vatican II's Decree on Ecumenism, which 'signalled a more positive attitude towards ecumenism among Catholics worldwide'. This change in attitude by the Catholic Church, and the Protestant Churches' reaction to it, was one of the most crucial factors in the development of contact between the hierarchies of the Protestant and Catholic Churches.
