Heresies and Early Church Teachings

Heresies As the early Church developed under Constantine’s reign several questions about the faith began to emerge. Different individuals in the early Church formulated different answers to the same questions. Eventually some answers became accepted by the early Church as official Church teaching while others became known as HERESIES. A HERESY is a lie or a false statement against the official teachings of an organization. A HERETIC is someone who advocates against an official Church teaching through heresy.

Some popular heretics include…… Galileo Galilei Galileo supported Copernicus’ belief in a Heliocentric solar system. In 1616 Galileo actually went to Rome to try to persuade Catholic Church authorities not to ban Copernicus' ideas. Galileo later defended his views in a book entitled Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems which appeared to attack Pope Urban VIII. He was tried by the Inquisition, found "vehemently suspect of heresy", forced to recant, and spent the rest of his life under house arrest.

Saint Joan of Arc Claiming divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years’ War. Joan said she had received visions from God instructing her to support Charles VII and recover France from English domination. When the English captured her they burned her at the stake as a witch on the argument that her claims of direct communication with God were heretical and an act of disobedience to the Church. Not until June 16, 1456, did Pope Callistus III declare Joan of Arc to be innocent on the charges of heresy and witchcraft.

Do you agree or disagree? 1. Jesus is 100% God, there is nothing human about him. 2. Heaven has already been reserved for a select certain group of people. 3. Mary is the mother of only the human side of Jesus. There are certain sins which can never be forgiven by God no matter how sorry you are for doing them. Any sacraments that you receive from a sinful priest are not considered valid. You do not need the help of God to merit Heaven. Jesus first came into existence 2000 years ago on Christmas day. Anticipation Guide Before we elaborate upon some heresies of the early church, let us discuss some of our ideas about the nature of Jesus and Christian beliefs

Individual who supported heresy Description of Church teaching Description of Heresy Individual who supported heresy Description of Church teaching Individual who supported Church teaching Gnosticism Select few were given “secret teachings” of Christ, therefore salvation is only for some not all. N/A All Christians have been given the same 4 gospels so anyone can be saved through Jesus Christ St. Irenaeus bishop of Lyons Arianism Jesus, the first creature created by God in order to serve God’s plan was not divine Arius, a priest in Alexandria Jesus is the same substance as God and therefore divine and equal to God. The Council of Nicaea and Bishop of Alexandria and St. Anthanasius Nestorianism There are 2 persons in Christ – one divine, the other human, like split personalities. Mary was only the mother of the human Jesus. Nestorius, a 5th century Bishop from Constantinople. Jesus undertook humanity without loss of divine identity. Mary is the mother of God. You cannot separate the God from the man. Jesus is 100% both. St. Cyril of Alexandria

Individual who supported heresy Description of Church teaching Description of Heresy Individual who supported heresy Description of Church teaching Individual who supported Church teaching Pelagianism People can save themselves without the help of God British Monk named Pelagius People have fallen natures and are subject to the effects of original sin so God and His grace is absolutely necessary for personal salvation St. Augustine Novatianism The church cannot forgive those who are guilty of great sins. Some sins are unforgiveable Novantian, a priest in Rome Repentance allows for the forgiveness of sins Council of Nicaea Donatism The sacraments are not valid when administered by an unworthy priest Donato Christ is the true minister of the sacraments. The unworthiness of the minister does not affect the sacrament’s validity