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Early (pre-Nicene) Christological heresies refer to theological views about the nature of Christ that were later rejected as unorthodox by the emerging mainstream Christian tradition. These heresies arose in the first three centuries of Christianity, before the Council of Nicaea (325 AD), which defined key aspects of Christian orthodoxy.
Here’s a list of major pre-Nicene Christological heresies, along with descriptions of each:
1. Docetism
- Core idea: Christ only seemed (Greek dokein, “to seem”) to have a human body.
- Problem: Denied the true humanity and physical suffering of Christ.
- Motivation: Stemmed from a dualistic or Gnostic view that matter is evil and spirit is good—so God couldn’t really take on a physical body.
- Response: The early Church emphasized that Christ was truly incarnate to redeem the physical world as well as the spiritual.
2. Ebionism
- Core idea: Jesus was a mere man—though righteous and chosen by God—who was not divine by nature.
- Related beliefs: Emphasized observance of the Jewish law; rejected the virgin birth; denied the pre-existence and divinity of Christ.
- Problem: Rejected the incarnation and divine sonship of Jesus.
- Response: The Church rejected Ebionism for denying Jesus’ divinity and for conflating Christianity with Jewish legalism.
3. Adoptionism
- Core idea: Jesus was born human and was “adopted” as the Son of God—usually at his baptism or resurrection.
- Variants: Sometimes called “Dynamic Monarchianism.”
- Problem: Denied the eternal divine nature of Christ.
- Response: Church fathers argued that Christ was eternally begotten of the Father, not adopted or made divine later.
4. Modalism (Sabellianism / Patripassianism)
- Core idea: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not distinct persons but merely modes or aspects of one God.
- Sabellius: A key proponent; taught that God revealed Himself in different “modes” over time.
- Patripassianism: The implication that the Father suffered on the cross.
- Problem: Undermines the Trinity and the distinctiveness of the persons.
- Response: The Church affirmed that the Trinity consists of three distinct persons sharing one divine essence.
5. Gnosticism
- Core idea: A wide-ranging set of beliefs that generally saw Jesus as a divine being bringing secret knowledge (gnosis), not as a suffering Savior.
- Common traits: Dualism (spirit vs. matter); the material world is evil; salvation comes through hidden knowledge.
- Christological angle: Often held a docetic Christology (Jesus only appeared human); denied true incarnation and bodily resurrection.
- Problem: Undermines the historical Jesus, the atonement, and bodily resurrection.
- Response: Strongly condemned by Irenaeus (Against Heresies) and others.
6. Marcionism
- Core idea: Rejected the Old Testament and taught that the God of the Old Testament (a just and wrathful deity) was distinct from the God of the New Testament (a loving and merciful Father).
- Christology: Jesus was not born of Mary but appeared fully grown; denied his humanity.
- Scripture: Created his own canon, excluding the OT and parts of the NT.
- Problem: Denied continuity of revelation and the humanity of Christ.
- Response: Led to the development of the Christian biblical canon and reaffirmation of Jesus as fulfilling the OT.
7. Arianism (developed just before Nicaea)
- Note: Though the Council of Nicaea in 325 condemned Arianism, the controversy began earlier.
- Core idea: Jesus Christ is not co-eternal with the Father but a created being—”there was a time when he was not.”
- Problem: Undermines the divinity of Christ.
- Response: The Nicene Creed defined the Son as homoousios (“of the same substance”) with the Father.