The Church Fathers and Heresies

M3,L9:
THE CHURCH FATHERS

AND HERESIES
THE POPES, THE CHURCH FATHERS, AND THE ECUMENICAL

COUNCILS, LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT, GUIDED THE CHURCH
THROUGH THE TREACHEROUS WATERS OF HERESY.
The Church Fathers and Heresies
• The persecutions endured by the early Church were followed
by a series of heresies that rocked the Church to its
foundations.
• From the beginning, many Christian thinkers used Greek

philosophy and tradition to help explain Christian truths.
• Over the course of the third to fifth centuries, Popes and

bishops led the Church through a number of Ecumenical
Councils addressing new controversies and developing new
theological traditions.
The Church Fathers and Heresies
• The Athanasian Creed that emerged expresses the Catholic belief

in the three Divine Persons of the Blessed Trinity and the
Incarnation of God the Son, the Second Person of the Trinity. It
emphasizes the equality of each of the three persons of the
Trinity.
• The Creed begins and ends with an anathema (a condemnation)

on those who do not accept it.
• Each sentence, word, and phrase of the Creed was carefully

selected in order to adequately express the Catholic Faith. While
some of these terms may seem difficult to understand, members
of the early Church suffered torture, exile, and death in order to
preserve and transmit the unadulterated Deposit of Faith.

What is the Deposit of Faith?
The Deposit of Faith is the sum of all truths revealed in
Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition; it is entrusted to
the Church and interpreted infallibly by the Magisterium
of the Church.
Extension: It is the fullness of the Faith entrusted by Christ
to the Apostles and their successors, the bishops.

PART I: CHRISTOLOGICAL HERESIES
• St. Thomas Aquinas defines heresy as “a species of unbelief, belonging to

those who profess the Christian Faith but corrupt its dogmas.”
• Orthodox Catholicism derives from the Deposit of Faith (the sum of all
truths revealed in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, and entrusted to
the care of the Church).
• Heresy derives from the same Deposit of Faith, but denies or alters some
part of it.
•A person may enter into heresy in one of two ways:
 Material heresy: entered into through ignorance of

the truth, or misunderstanding or incomprehension of
some aspect of the Faith. This species is merely a
mistake that needs correcting.
 Formal heresy: freely choosing, with full
understanding of the teachings of the Church, to hold
doctrines that are contradictory to those of the
Church.
PART I: EARLY HERESIES
• The first heresies were particularly dangerous

because they attacked the figure of Christ
himself.
• Greek philosophy spoke of the logos, a term

used by St. Paul referring to God the Son. Neo-
Platonic thought taught that the logos was the
most exalted creation of the Father, rather than
God himself.
• They also viewed the material world as inferior to
the world of ideas.
• Therefore, these heresies denied the divinity of

Jesus, and de-emphasized, if not denied, his
humanity. They made Jesus inferior to the Father,
and set the stage for Arianism, the worst crisis that
the Church would ever endure.
• “Gnosticism” comes from the Greek word “gnosis”

meaning knowledge. It refers to a heresy in the early
Church that taught that salvation came from
knowledge.
• Gnosticism taught that secret knowledge had been

given to a few. It pitted the Demiurge, the creator
god of the material world, against the remote and
unknowable Divine Being. Therefore, the material
world was against and inferior to the spiritual world.
GNOSTICISM
• The redeemer was sent by the Divine Being to release
the divine sparks, found among some people, so that
they could return to the Divine Being. This was only
possible if the individual understood the secret
knowledge and practiced the Gnostic rituals.
• Gnosticism rejected the Church’s teaching regarding

both Christ’s human and divine nature. It taught that
Jesus did not inhabit a human body, nor did he die on
the Cross.
• The principle of finding the light within oneself
through pagan ceremonies is the essence of New Age
religions.
GNOSTICISM
• CHRISTOLOGICAL TEACHING: Christ is not the
Supreme Being.
• OTHER TEACHING: a complex syncretism of

paganism, Oriental mysticism, occultism (astrology,
magic), Christianity, Platonic dualism and other religions.
• Basic premise is that matter is evil, the spirit is

good (dualism)
file:///E:/THEO%202%202018-19%20FILES/theo%202,%202nd%20sem%20%202018%20OBE/Early%20Christological%20Heresies.pdf
2. GNOSTICISM
A.Marcionism creates a false dualism

between law and love. Marcion identified the
supposedly evil, vengeful God of the Law
with the Gnostic Demiurge; he identified the
Supreme Being as the good God of Love.
2. GNOSTICISM
A. Marcionism: Gnostic dualism.

Chief emphasis was that the OT God is not the same as the NT
God. Taught by Marcion (d. 160). Being a Docetist he denied
Jesus’ human nature, but he also denied Jesus’ deity. Marcion
was anti OT and anti-Semitic. He was opposed by Polycarp,
Bishop of Smyrna (70-155) and Irenaeus. Marcion is famous for
creating his own canon (centred on Paul’s writings) and forcing
the church to consider a formal canon.
( file:///E:/THEO%202%202018-19%20FILES/theo%202,%202nd%20sem%20%202018%20OBE/Early%20Christological
%20Heresies.pdf)
2. Manichaeism is a philosophical-
religious system which has a dualistic
explanation of the world. A 3rd century
form of dualistic Gnosticism propounded
by Mani (216-276).
•Mani is the founder of Manichaeism
•This is often described as a
“RELIGION OF LIGHT” that
aims: liberating the
elements of light trapped
with in the human body.
TEACHINGS OF THE
MANICHAEANS
• According to Mani, the universe is
divided into two domains:
KINGDOM OF
KINGDOM OF DARKNESS
LIGHT
GOOD EVIL
The earth is the

domain of evil.
• Good & evil existed from all
eternity, and the earth is the
result of a mixture of good & bad
elements, without evil there would
be no good; Evil became part of
the world happenings, thus,
mitigating personal responsibility.
MANICHAEANS WORSHIP LUMINARIES
• SUN, MOON, STARS

• as lightships or collector stations that
should guide us in our way back to the
kingdom of light.
• They are astrologers.

Jesus revelation is not complete…
• It can only be completed by the
coming of the Holy Spirit, the consoler,
the Holy Spirit personified by man.
•MANI is the Holy Spirit in
person. The last prophet.
PROCESS OF PURIFICATION THROUGH
THREE SEALS
1. Signaculum oris (mouth)

2. Signaculum manus (hands)
3. Signaculum sinus (heart)
PROCESS OF PURIFICATION THROUGH
THREE SEALS
1. Signaculum oris (mouth)
• Not uttering bad words

• Avoiding lies, impure words
• Control intake foods/drinks
• Avoid dark colored foods
• (ex. Eggplant, dark colored wine)
• Eat light colored foods

• Their favorite food is lentil or beans.
 Eating animals and plants is killing the elements of light in them.

 They prefer eating plants
2. Signaculum manus (hands)
Two levels of Manichaean

a. ELECTS- no manual labor
b. AUDITORS/ HEARERS-work for them

3. Signaculum sinus (bosom,
breast, heart)
 prohibition of marriage and
sexual relation.
“When a woman gave birth she
propagates evil.”
C. Montanism holds that the
arrival of the Kingdom of God
is imminent and its leaders
are inspired directly by the
Holy Spirit.
D. Docetism :
This was a facet of many Gnostics. Since matter is evil,
then Christ could not have become flesh. Therefore, his
body was only an appearance of human flesh, or a
phantom. Christ did not die on the cross but exchanged
places with Simon of Cyrene at the last minute.
Docetism claims that God would never have become

man and suffer such a degrading death, so someone
else must have been substituted for Christ on the Cross.
HERESY SECT’S BELIEFS CATHOLIC CHURCH’S
TEACHINGS
The God of the O.T. and the Jews are • There is one God of the Old
MARCIONISM evil; the God of the N.T. and the and New Testaments.
Christians are good. • Jews are Christians’ elders
brothers in the faith
There is a cosmic battle between two God is good; all of his creation is
gods. Satan, the creator of evil material good. Satan is a fallen creature,
world, and the good creator of the not a god. God took on human
MANICHAEISM spiritual world. Satan stole some of the nature to save all people through
light of the spiritual world and put it in his life, death & resurrection.
human beings. Secret knowledge can
save.
The heavenly kingdom was soon to The faith is handed on,
come. They were directly inspired by the safeguarded, & interpreted by the
MONTANISM Holy Spirit, not in need of Church pope and the bishops.
authority.
Because matter is corrupt, Jesus could Matter is good because God
DOCETISM not have had a human body. Somebody created and sustains it. Jesus
else died on the cross in his stead. Christ truly died on the cross.
FOCUS QUESTIONS
Why did the Greeks tend to look down on the material world, and
how did it affect their acceptance of the Incarnation?
Platonic philosophers viewed the material world as inferior to the

world of ideas. Material entities were thought to be images of the
world of ideas, with matter as an obstacle to contemplation and
personal perfection. Thus, it would not have made sense in their
minds for God, the perfect idea, to take on imperfect matter (a
body).
FOCUS QUESTIONS

According to the Gnostics, what was wrong with Judaism?
It was a false religion worshiping the evil Demiurge, mistakenly
claiming that the world is good.

What might a devout Jew think of Gnosticism?
He or she would probably see Gnosticism as blasphemous.

According to the Gnostics, who is the redeemer?
Jesus, the Redeemer, was a good divine being whose mission was
to bring secret knowledge to man.
FOCUS QUESTIONS

According to the Gnostics, why would it have been impossible for Christ to have
taken on human nature?
Since Jesus was a divine being, he could not have had a naturally evil human
nature.

What was the Crucifixion according to the Gnostics?
Christ’s body was just an apparition; his spirit left his body before the Crucifixion.

Why is Gnosticism basically pessimistic and Christianity basically optimistic?
Gnostics see the world as evil with no way out for most people. Christians see
creation as fundamentally good. Although sin entered the world through Adam
and Eve, hope has been restored through Christ’s Redemption.
FOCUS QUESTIONS

What did Marcion think about Judaism?
He rejected it as founded by the Gnostic evil Demiurge.

What does it mean to call Marcionism dualistic?
Marcionism put law and love in opposition. The Law was the work of the
Demiurge, whereas love was preached by Jesus, the messenger of the good
God.

How did Marcion contribute to the formation of the canon of Sacred
Scripture?
Marcion rejected the Old Testament and most of the New Testament. This
prompted the Church to define which books are inspired by the Holy Spirit.
FOCUS QUESTIONS

Out of what earlier heresy did Manichæism probably grow?
It probably grew out of Gnosticism.

According to the Manichees, what kind of cosmological battle is taking
place?
The universe is a battleground between Satan and God, darkness and light.
Satan’s material world is wholly evil; he had stolen some light particles
from God and placed them in the brains of humans. Manichæism
promises a way to liberate that light through secret knowledge and rituals.

FOCUS QUESTIONS
Who was probably the most famous

convert from Manichæism?
St. Augustine was a Manichæan as a young
man.
FOCUS QUESTIONS

Who was probably the most famous Montanist heretic?
Tertullian was the most famous Montanist heretic.
Why did the Montanists reject the authority of the Church?

Montanus and his two female prophets, Prisca and Maximilla,
claimed their authority came from the Holy Spirit directly.
How were the Montanists stricter than the Church?

They taught that Christians who had fallen from grace could never be
redeemed. They rejected the possibility of forgiveness of sins after
Baptism.
FOCUS QUESTIONS

What was the central tenet of Docetism?
Jesus only appeared to be human and did not actually suffer the pain of
Crucifixion and Death. Someone else, possibly Judas Iscariot or
Simon of Cyrene, switched places miraculously with Christ just
before the Crucifixion.

How does Docetism destroy the central belief of Christianity that
Jesus, the Christ, suffered and died for the forgiveness of our sins?
If Christ did not suffer and die for us, then our sins are not forgiven and
we are not redeemed.
ARIANISM
• THE NAME: derives from its founder, Arius.
• MAIN PROPONENTS: Arius (256-336) a presbyter
(pastor) at Alexandria
• Arians: Opposed by Council of Nicaea in 325.
• Who led the fight against the Arian heresy?

St. Athanasius never gave up despite five times being exiled.
ARIANISM
• CHRISTOLOGICAL TEACHING:
The Son was created by God the Father, before

time and from nothing, therefore, the Son be
pre-existent or eternal; he is a creature but not
one of the creatures. It denied that the Son was
of one essence with the Father.
• MODERN EQUIVALENT:
Jehovah’s Witnesses conform exactly; a similar position exists
in Christadelphians and extreme Unitarians. Children of God,
International Church of Ageless Wisdom, Way International
Apollinarianism comes from its founder, Apollinaris or

Apollinarius, bishop of Laodicea (310-382 AD).
CHRISTOLOGICAL TEACHING: The two natures of Christ could

not exist within one person, therefore, the human nature had to be
diminished; Christ cannot be fully God and fully man at the same time.
Therefore, Christ had one active principle alone, the divine Logos.
Christ’s human flesh had no independent mind or will; the Logos
replaced Christ’s human spirit. This denies that Christ had a human
personality. The result is that Christ is neither God nor man.
Apollinarianism
• COMBATED BY: Diodore of Tarsus, Gregory of

Nyssa, Gregory Nazianzen and various orthodox bishops.
Note that if Christ did not have a human soul he was not a
real man and could not have died for men. Condemned
by Council of Constantinople (381 AD)
• MODERN EQUIVALENT: no movements known, but

held by some individuals. The idea of Christ having a kind
of divine or heavenly flesh, rather than a real human
nature, reappeared in some radical Anabaptists in the
Reformation and was condemned by Calvin.
•
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 NESTORIANISM comes from Nestorius, Patriarch

(Archbishop) of Constantinople; a former pupil of
Theodore of Mopsuestia
 CHRISTOLOGICAL TEACHING: The heresy attributed (falsely)
to Nestorius is that Jesus is two persons. The heresy fails to do justice to the
union of Christ’s two natures in one person and the union of the logos with a
human nature in Christ. There are two natures but not a real union between the
two.
 Condemned by Council of Ephesus, 431. Mary

shouldn’t be called “Mother of God,” since
she’s mother only of the human side of Jesus.
NESTORIANISM
• OTHER TEACHING:
Nestorius taught against the prevailing use of the title
‘Theotokos’ for Mary as the ‘Mother of God’ as being
loose thinking, and thus entered into controversy with
powerful leaders. He suggested a better title was ‘Christ-
bearing’ (Christotokos).
• COMBATED BY: Cyril of Alexandria, who used his

greater political experience to outwit Nestorius.
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MONOPHYSITISM
means ‘one-nature’ in Greek (monos, physis); compare Dyophysitism (‘two
natures’).
 CHRISTOLOGICAL TEACHING:
Christ only has one nature. This was emphasized to protect the unity of
Christ’s person. Christ’s human nature is diminished.
OTHER TEACHING: To ascribe two natures to Christ meant, they believed, that man
could not attain oneness with God, which was the goal of salvation. •
 Condemned by Chalcedon in 451. Jesus really has only one nature, a divine
nature, which supplanted his human nature.
 MODERN EQUIVALENT: The Syrian Orthodox Church continues in Armenia,

Ethiopia and Egypt. Worldwide Church of God under Armstrong.
MONOTHELITISM
• Monothelitism • THE NAME: means ‘one will’ in Greek (hen
thelema).
• CHRISTOLOGICAL TEACHING: Monothelites were Monophysites
who particularly opposed the idea of two wills in Christ, as well as two
natures. They taught that Christ only had one will.
• OTHER TEACHING: Some held to a fusion of the divine and human

will, creating a third type of will; others that the human will was
absorbed into the divine will. They held that ‘nature’ and ‘person’ are
synonymous. •
MONOTHELITISM
•MAIN PROPONENTS: followers of Cyril of
Alexandria who felt that the Chalcedonian statement
of two natures led to a Nestorian duality.
•TIMESCALE: The Council of Constantinople in 680

stated that Christ had two natures and therefore two
wills, divine and human (Dyothelitism). The human will
is always subordinate to the divine will but also in
harmony with it, though it did not cease to be human.
CHRISTOLOGICAL SECT’S BELIEFS CATHOLIC CHURCH’S
The Christological Heresies
HERESIES TEACHINGS
The Son was created by God the Father, before Christ, from eternity, is of one
ARIANISM time and from nothing, therefore, the Son be substance with the Father.
pre-existent or eternal; he is a creature but not
one of the creatures. It denied that the Son was
of one essence with the Father.
Christ has a human body but not a human soul Christ is true man, having a human
APOLLINARIANISM (no human mind or human will). body and a human soul.
Christ is a union of two persons: one human Christ is one person with two natures,
and one divine. a human nature and a divine nature.
NESTORIANISM
Hypostatic union- the union of the human
& divine nature in one person.
Christ has only one nature, his human nature Christ has two natures , one human
MONOPHYSITISM having been absorbed into his divine nature. and one divine: human intellect and
a divine intellect, a human will and a
divine will.
Christ has two natures but only one divine will. Christ is fully human and so has a
MONOTHELITISM human will.
47
The Heresies [313-476 A.D.]

 Donatist. Condemned local Council of
Arles in 314. Repeated errors of
Novatianism and Montanism regarding Pelagius
sinners; held that sacraments
administered by clergy in state of
mortal sin are invalid.
St. Augustine’s answer to the Donatists

The true minister of every Sacrament
is Christ, even if the earthly minister of
the Sacrament is in a state of mortal sin
48
The Heresies [313-476 A.D.]
Pelagians. Condemned by Pelagius
Council of Ephesus in 431.

British monk, Pelagius, denied
existence of original sin;
possible to achieve salvation
solely through reason and free
will, without necessity of grace
or the Church.
TLA: Complete the following table about Christological
heresies (per group)
YEAR HERESY & ITS SECT’S BELIEFS CATHOLIC CHURCH FATHER/S
PROPONENT/S CHURCH’S & CHURCH
TEACHING COUNCIL
DEFENDED against
the HERESY
Arianism
Marcionism
Manichaeism
Montanism
Docetism
Apollinarianism
Nestorianism
(Nestorius)
Monophysitism
Monothelitism
PART II;
Ecumenical Councils and Church
Fathers
PART II:
Fathers
BASIC QUESTIONS
• What is the nature and function of an
Ecumenical Council?
• What is a Father of the Church, and
who were some of the most important?

PART II:
Fathers
FOCUS QUESTIONS

What is an Ecumenical Council?
From the Greek oikoumene (“the whole
[inhabited] world”), the Pope calls together
bishops from around the world to discuss and
decide matters of doctrine or discipline.

PART II
The Ecumenical Councils
• In order to meet the challenges posed by various heresies, the
Church convened a number of Ecumenical Councils.
• The first was in Nicaea AD 325.
• Altogether there have been twenty-one Ecumenical Councils,

the last one being the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965).
• The first six councils addressed Christological issues

providing theological answers to the question, “Who is Jesus
Christ?”
PART II
• Types of councils:
1. Ecumenical Council: A council for the entire

Catholic Church. At present it must be convened
by the Pope who governs the Council and he
alone has the power to accept or reject its decrees.
Its teachings on doctrine are considered
infallible.
2. Plenary council: A council including all of the
bishops of a nation.
PART II
• Types of councils:
3. Provincial council: An assembly of the
metropolitan archbishop with his suffragan
bishops.
4. Diocesan council: A synod, or meeting of a
bishop with representatives of the clergy,
religious, and laity in matters of diocesan
discipline or procedure.
• The first seven Ecumenical Councils are
recognized by both the East and West.
In the history of Christianity, the first seven
ecumenical councils include the following:
1. the First Council of Nicaea in 325,

2. the First Council of Constantinople in 381,
3. the Council of Ephesus in 431,
4. the Council of Chalcedon in 451,
5. the Second Council of Constantinople in 553,
6. the Third Council of Constantinople from 680–681 and
finally,
7. the Second Council of Nicaea in 787.
PART II:
Fathers
FOCUS QUESTIONS

What is patristic?
Patristic is the study of the Fathers of the Church
and their writings. Extension: The word is
derived from the Latin pater (“father”).

PART II:
Fathers
FOCUS QUESTIONS
What are four common characteristics of the Fathers of the

Church?
They were orthodox in doctrine, holy, had notoriety, and lived in the
early centuries of the Church’s history.

Why do the Church Fathers provide the standard for interpreting
Scripture?
Because of their proximity to the teachings of the Apostles, their
clarification and interpretation of the Scriptures is a standard
reference point for Church teaching.
PART II:
• Fathers
• Their writings offer an opportunity to learn and
appreciate the wealth of the earliest Christian
traditions.
• Because of their proximity to the Apostles, their
clarification and interpretation of Scripture is a
standard reference point.
• A Doctor of the Church is a specific title
granted by the Pope to those whose development
of theology and personal sanctity are exemplary.
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The Age of the Church Fathers Patristic

Period (AD 95 – 636)
Who were the “Church Fathers”?
• They were the most influential
theologians & writers in the
early Church
• Generally during the period
from the 2nd through the 7th
centuries
• These early thinkers and
preachers more clearly
defined Church teaching
through the interpretation of
Scripture and Tradition
Early Church Fathers
PART II:
Fathers
Some of the most important Church
Fathers:
• St. Ambrose of Milan,
• the monk St. Jerome,
• and the monk St. John Chrysostom,
In both the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church
traditions there are four Fathers who are called the "Great
Church Fathers":[3][4]
Western Church Eastern Church
Ambrose (A.D. 340–397) Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296 – 373)
Jerome (347–420) Basil of Caesarea (c. 329 – 379)
Augustine of Hippo (354–430) Gregory of Nazianzus (329 – c. 389)
Pope Gregory I (540–604) John Chrysostom (347–407)

63

Great Eastern Church Fathers
St. Athanasius (297-373)
• Council of Nicaea (325)
• Bishop of Alexandria -- Exiled and
deposed five times for fighting against
Arianism
• Friend of St. Antony of the Desert –
wrote his biography – boon to the growth
of monasticism
64

St. Basil the Great (329-379)
• Father & Doctor of the Church
• Founder of monasticism in Asia Minor
• Archbishop of Caesarea
• Close friend of Gregory of Nazianzus
• Took on the job as defender of the faith when
Athanasius died
• Remarkable pastor and preacher – one of the
great teachers of the CHurch
65

St. Gregory of Nazianzus (329-390)

• Bishop of Caesarea
• Strong defender of the Faith against Arianism
• Close friend of St. Basil
• Called to restore the faith as Bishop of
Constantinople
66

St. John Chrysostom (d. 407)

• Most famous as a preacher
• From Syria, but called to be bishop of
Constantinople
• Challenged the wealthy and immoral and
was constantly persecuted for his orthodoxy
• Eventually exiled by the Empress and died
in exile
ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, THE GOLDEN
MOUTHED
• St. John Chrysostom studied law in Antioch and later theology in the
influential Antiochene school.
• First deciding to be a monk he spent eight years following the

Pachomian Rule with the last two spent as an anchorite or hermit.
• Returning to Antioch due to ill health he was ordained a priest AD 386.
• He became a renowned preacher and earned the name Chrysostom,

which means golden mouthed.
• His sermons captured the deep spiritual meaning of Scripture without

excluding their literal sense.
68

Great Western Church Fathers
St. Ambrose (340-397)

• Bishop of Milan
• Staunch defender of the Church’s
independence from secular rule
• Converted Augustine
• Learned, classically educated
• Contemplative, spiritual
ST. AMBROSE OF MILAN
•St. Ambrose defended the Church’s independence

from the state. When Emperor Theodosius
slaughtered 700 people AD 390, St. Ambrose
excommunicated him and forced the emperor to
make public penance. The emperor was pardoned
after eight months of prayer and penance.
•As bishop he was an ardent opponent of Arianism, he
encouraged monasticism, introduced hymns into the
liturgy, and facilitated theological exchange with the
east.
70

St. Jerome (345-420)
• The Church’s first great scriptural
scholar
• Translated the Bible from its original
languages (Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic)
in Latin – the Vulgate
• Studied in Rome, Trier
• A mystic, lived in a cave near
Bethlehem
71

St. Augustine (354-430)

• Converted to Christianity in his 30s
• Made Bishop of Hippo at 41
• A prophetic voice in his time
• Writings are still with us: Confessions, City of
God, many books of scriptural exegesis
• Fought against the heresies of his day.
Note: A Christian at 33, a priest at 36, a bishop

at 41yrs. Old.
72

St. Gregory the Great (540-604)

• Wealthy, aristocratic family; prefect of Rome
at 30 - resigned
• Founded 6 monasteries in Sicily
• Benedictine monk – became one of Pope’s 7
deacons – Abbot
• At 50 elected Pope
• Firm, direct, liturgical reformer, missions
• Father of the medieval papacy that held
Europe together
73

Influential women in the early Church
St. Monica with
• Augustine’s mother Monica is St. Augustine
described beautifully in his

biographical work Confessions
• Constantine’s mother, Helena,
suffered much from the actions
(including murder) of her son. She
identified many of the holy sites in
the Holy Land, saving them from
destruction
• Benedict’s twin sister Scholastica
St. Helena
also had an impact on the monastic
movement especially among women
St. Scholastica
74
Theological Influence of Augustine

• Augustine, born 354, convert from
paganism; Bishop of Hippo, North
Africa, 395-430 – for 35 years!
• vs. Donatists, on the validity of
sacraments administered by sinful
ministers, esp. those who had
lapsed under persecution
• vs. Pelagians, on the priority of
God’s grace over free will; on
human nature created good, but
corrupted by sin; original sin
St. Augustine
75
Church Life in the Patristic Period

• Sacramental Life became more
structured: Baptism (esp. infants),
Eucharist (Latin Mass), Penance (more
frequent, but private)
• Devotions to Mary and the saints
became more popular: not “praying to”
them, but asking for their intercession
(“pray for us”)
• The Bible was “canonized” (list of OT &
NT books settled); and translated into
Latin (esp. the “Vulgate Bible” by St.
Jerome, 374-419)
• The Church continued to grow; the
deposit of faith was more clearly defined
in its theology; liturgy
77
Changing the Face of Europe

 Islamic threat grows – Northern Africa falls along with much of East.
Invasions stopped in Spain.
Reference:
YEAR HERESY & ITS SECT’S BELIEFS CATHOLIC CHURCH’S TEACHING CHURCH FATHER/S &
PROPONENT/S COUNCIL DEFENDED
against the HERESY
3nd -8th Arianism The Son was created by God the Father, Christ, from eternity, is of one substance • 1st Council of Nicaea (325)
century (Arius: AD 250-336 ) before time and from nothing, therefore, the with the Father. • 1st Council of Antioch (325)
Son be pre-existent or eternal; he is a • 1st Council of Constantinople
creature but not one of the creatures. It (381)
denied that the Son was of one essence with
the Father. • Alexander , bishop of
Alexandria
(overstated the humanity of Christ) • St. Athanasius of Alexandria
2nd -5th Marcionism The God of the O.T. and the Jews are evil; • There is one God of the Old and New • St. Polycarp, bishop of
century (Marcion: AD 85-160 ) the God of the N.T. and the Christians are Testaments. Smyrna (70-155)
good. • Jews are Christians’ elders brothers • St. Irenaeus
in the faith
There is a cosmic battle between two gods. Satan, God is good; all of his creation is good.
3rd Manichaeism the creator of evil material world, and the good Satan is a fallen creature, not a god. God •St. Augustine of Hippo a former
century (Mani: AD 216-276) creator of the spiritual world.. Satan stole some of took on human nature to save all people Manichaean member
the light of the spiritual world and put it in human
through his life, death & resurrection.
beings. Secret knowledge can save.
(abstaining from neat and sex)
Montanism
The heavenly kingdom was soon to come.
They were directly inspired by the Holy Spirit,
The faith is handed on, safeguarded, &
interpreted by the pope and the bishops.
• Syrian and Anatolian
2nd (Montanus: AD153-225 ) not in need of Church authority. bishops
century
Docetism Because matter is corrupt, Jesus could not Matter is good because God created and Note:
1st-7th
century
“ According to Clement a certain Julius have had a human body. Somebody else sustains it. Jesus Christ truly died on the Docetism doesn’t list a founder. The Church
Cassianus (second half of the second died on the cross in his stead. cross. Fathers as early as Hippolytus (170–235 C.E) and
century), who was counted a disciple of Clement of Alexandria (150–215 C.E.) wrote about
Valentinus, was their founder.” - Rudolf, Kurt. “illusionist” Christian sect.
Gnosis: The Nature and History of Gnosticism. First Harper and Row
Paperback Edition. 1987. p. 167. [emphasis added]
Apollinarianism Christ has a human body but not a human Christ is true man, having a human body • 1st Council of Constantinople
4th (Apollinarius: AD 361-390) soul (no human mind or human will). and a human soul. (AD 381)
century • Diodore of Tarsus,
(overstated the divinity of Christ) • Gregory of Nyssa,
• Gregory Nazianzen and various
orthodox bishops
Nestorianism Christ is a union of two persons: one human Christ is one person with two natures, a Councils of Ephesus (AD 431)
5th (Nestorius: AD 386-451) and one divine. human nature and a divine nature. and Chalcedon (AD 451).
century. •St. Cyril of Alexandria
Hypostatic union- the union of the human & divine
(overstated the humanity of Christ) nature in one person.
5th Monophysitism Christ has only one nature, his human nature Christ has two natures , one human and Council of Chalcedon in 451
century having been absorbed into his divine nature. one divine: human intellect and a divine • St. Cyril of Alexandria
intellect, a human will and a divine will. •Flavian of Constantinople

The Church Fathers and Heresies

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The Church Fathers and Heresies

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M3,L9:

THE CHURCH FATHERS

THE POPES, THE CHURCH FATHERS, AND THE ECUMENICAL

• From the beginning, many Christian thinkers used Greek

• Over the course of the third to fifth centuries, Popes and

• The Athanasian Creed that emerged expresses the Catholic belief

• The Creed begins and ends with an anathema (a condemnation)

• Each sentence, word, and phrase of the Creed was carefully

• St. Thomas Aquinas defines heresy as “a species of unbelief, belonging to

•A person may enter into heresy in one of two ways:

 Material heresy: entered into through ignorance of

• The first heresies were particularly dangerous

• Greek philosophy spoke of the logos, a term

• Therefore, these heresies denied the divinity of

• “Gnosticism” comes from the Greek word “gnosis”

• Gnosticism taught that secret knowledge had been

• Gnosticism rejected the Church’s teaching regarding

• OTHER TEACHING: a complex syncretism of

• Basic premise is that matter is evil, the spirit is

A.Marcionism creates a false dualism

A. Marcionism: Gnostic dualism.

The earth is the

• SUN, MOON, STARS

• They are astrologers.

1. Signaculum oris (mouth)

• Not uttering bad words

• Eat light colored foods

 Eating animals and plants is killing the elements of light in them.

Two levels of Manichaean

b. AUDITORS/ HEARERS-work for them

Docetism claims that God would never have become

Platonic philosophers viewed the material world as inferior to the

Who was probably the most famous

Why did the Montanists reject the authority of the Church?

How were the Montanists stricter than the Church?

• Arians: Opposed by Council of Nicaea in 325.

• Who led the fight against the Arian heresy?

The Son was created by God the Father, before

Apollinarianism comes from its founder, Apollinaris or

CHRISTOLOGICAL TEACHING: The two natures of Christ could

• COMBATED BY: Diodore of Tarsus, Gregory of

• MODERN EQUIVALENT: no movements known, but

PART I: CHRISTOLOGICAL HERESIES

 NESTORIANISM comes from Nestorius, Patriarch

 Condemned by Council of Ephesus, 431. Mary

• COMBATED BY: Cyril of Alexandria, who used his

PART I: CHRISTOLOGICAL HERESIES

 MODERN EQUIVALENT: The Syrian Orthodox Church continues in Armenia,

• OTHER TEACHING: Some held to a fusion of the divine and human

•TIMESCALE: The Council of Constantinople in 680

The Heresies [313-476 A.D.]

St. Augustine’s answer to the Donatists

The Heresies [313-476 A.D.]

Pelagians. Condemned by Pelagius

Council of Ephesus in 431.

• The first was in Nicaea AD 325.

• Altogether there have been twenty-one Ecumenical Councils,

• The first six councils addressed Christological issues

1. Ecumenical Council: A council for the entire

1. the First Council of Nicaea in 325,

What are four common characteristics of the Fathers of the

The Age of the Church Fathers Patristic

Western Church Eastern Church