The Diversity in Early Christianity and Later Heresies

Week 5

Overview
Week 1: Introduction
Week 2: The Ebionites
Week 3: The Marcionites
Week 4: The Gnostics
Week 5: Early Creeds & The Council of Nicaea
Week 6: Manichaeism, Nestorianism & Catharism

Our Sources
Irenaeus: Bishop of Lyons, Gaul (France) about 180 A.D.
5 volume work Against Heresies

Tertullian: 160 A.D.

Wrote a five volume work The Five Books Against Marcion (earlychristianwritings.com)

Epiphanius: Bishop of Salamis, Cyprus around 340 A.D.

Compendium of heresies Panarion (Medicine Chest)
Persecuted non-Christians on the island of Cyprus
Spoke Hebrew, Greek, Syriac, Egyptian and Latin

Athanasius of Alexandria: 296-373 A.D.

1st record of our 27 books of the New Testament and only those books 367 A.D. (catholic.org)
Prominent figure in the Council of Nicea (justus.anglican.org)

Eusebius of Caesarea: 260-341 A.D.

Father of church history
Wrote 10 volume work, Ecclesiastical History, covering the time between the time of Christ until
the Council of Nicea

Nag Hammadi Library

Discovered by Muhammad Ali in 1945

West Bank of the Nile
23 leather bound codices containing 52 Gnostic writings
Coptic Gospel of Thomas

Ancient Viewpoints (2nd and 3rd

Century)
How many Gods are there?
a.
b.
c.
d.

1 Proto-Orthodox & Ebionites

2 - Marcionites
30 Gnostic (Valentinians)
365 Gnostic (Basilideans)

Was Jesus human or divine?

a.
b.
c.
d.

Fully human, not divine - Ebionites

Fully divine, not human - Marcionites
Fully divine and human
Proto-orthodox
Jesus was human; Christ was divine - Gnostic

What was the purpose of Jesus death?

a.
b.
c.
d.

Died for our sins Proto-orthodox

Substitute sacrifice - Marcionites
Didnt die Gnostic
Death had no part in salvation - Gnostic

What was the nature of creation?

a. Created by the one true God Proto-orthodox & Ebionites
b. Created by the Wrathful god - Marcionites
c. Divine accident by the lowest of the gods - Gnostic

Ebionites
Source of name unclear
Ebion could have been the name of their leader
Ebyon is Hebrew for poor

Also called Jewish Christian Adoptionists

Believed Christianity was a Jewish religion
Jesus was the Jewish Messiah, sent to the Jewish people,
by the Jewish God in fulfillment of the Jewish scriptures
One must convert to Judaism before converting to
Christianity
Had to keep kosher, observe Sabbath, and if male, had
to be circumcised

Believed that God adopted Jesus to be His Son at

Jesus baptism
Jesus was completely human, not divine
Jesus death was a perfect sacrifice, so no further
sacrifices were needed

Marcionites
Named after their founder, Marcion
Saw Paul as the one Christian who understood
the Gospel
Believed that the Old Testament God could not
be the same as the God of Jesus
Viewed the Old Testament God as just, but extremely
wrathful
The God of Jesus was a God of Mercy and Love

Also believed Jesus was not human at all, only

appeared to be human
Docetism from the Greek dokeo (to seem or appear)

Jesuss Crucifixion was a means to trick the

Wrathful God
We know Marcion wrote two books neither has
survived
The Antitheses
The Gospel of the Lord

Gnostics
Gnosis: knowledge required for salvation
Instead of following the law or belief in the resurrection, Gnostics obtained salvation from
acquiring and understanding the secret teachings of Jesus

God created us in his own image meaning our minds, not our bodies
Material World: Created by a Lesser God to trap Humanity
Believed in reincarnation
Believe all can be eventually saved, except Gnostics who leave the church

Separation of Jesus and Christ

Jesus is the man born of Joseph and Mary
Christ is the Divine being that entered Jesus body at his baptism and left just before his
death on the cross

He came to bring gnosis of God for humanitys salvation

I have come to teach you about what is, and what was, and what will be in order for you to
understand the invisible world, and the world that is visible, and the immovable race of
perfect humanity. (Secret Book According to John)

Belief in his death and resurrection play no part in salvation

Gospel of Judas excludes that entire narrative

Apostles Creed
Written 1st or 2nd
century
First mentioned, by
Ambrose, in a
letter in 390 A.D.
from a synod in
Milan
Written to combat
Marcionite,
Ebionite and
Gnostic heresies

Maker of heaven and earth:

And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our
Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the virgin Mary, suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead,
and buried;
he descended into hell;
the third day he rose again from the
dead;
he ascended into heaven, and sitteth
on the right hand of God the Father
Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge
the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the holy catholic church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of

heaven and Earth
Attacking Gnostic claim that the creator God was
inferior
Also Attacking Marcionites, claiming that the same God
created both heaven and earth

And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was
conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and
buried;
He descended into hell;
the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand
of God the Father Almighty;
from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the
dead.
Conceived by the Holy Ghost is against the Ebionites
Virgin Birth opposes Ebionites, Marcionites and Gnostics
Suffering and Death opposes Marcionites and Gnostics

I believe in the Holy Ghost;

the holy catholic church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting. Amen
The phrase holy catholic church is against the Gnostics because
they believe that only a few received the secret knowledge
The forgiveness of sins is irrelevant for salvation; only knowledge
matters
Resurrection of the body is certainly against the Gnostics and
possibly the Marcionites
Life everlasting, however, was accepted by all of them

Constantine
Flavius Valerius Constantinus
Augustus (272-337 A.D.)
Has a vision before the battle of
the Milvian Bridge against Caesar
Maxentius in 312 A.D.
In this sign you shall conquer

Possibly converted to Christianity

Never made Christianity the official
state religion
Stopped persecution of Christians
Edict of Milan

Formed Council in Nicaea to settle

issues in the church
Baptized just before his death

Arians
Believe Jesus was separate from God and subordinate to
him
You heard me say I am going away and coming back to you.
If youd loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the
Father, for the Father is greater than I. (John 14:28)

Named after Arius who was a Priest in Alexandria

Rejected the Holy Trinity
Lives on in the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses
Eusebius of Nicomedia supported Arius
He was also a relative of Constantine and later baptized him
I subscribe with hand only, not heart

First Council Of Nicaea (325 A.D.)

Defined nature
between God, the
Father, and Jesus
Separated Easter from
the Jewish Calendar
Specified clergy
hierarchy
Created the Nicene
Creed, which was
amended in 381 at
the First Council of
Constantinople

First Council of Nicaea (325)

Webelieve in one God,the Father Almighty, Maker of all
things visible and invisible.
And in oneLordJesus Christ, theSon of God, begotten of
the Father [theonly-begotten; that is, of the essence of the
Father, God of God,] Light of Light, very God of very God,
begotten, not made, being ofone substance with the
Father;
By whom all things were made [both in heaven and on
earth];

First Council of Constantinople (381)

We believe in one God, the Father Almighty,
Makerofheaven and earth, andof all things visible and
invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, theonly-begottenSon of God,
begotten of the Fatherbefore all worlds(ons), Light of
Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of
one substance with the Father;
by whom all things were made;

who for us men, and for our salvation, came downfrom

Who for us men, and for oursalvation, came down and was
heaven, and was incarnateby the Holy Spirit of the Virgin
incarnateand was made man;
Mary, and was made man;
hewascrucifiedfor us under Pontius Pilate,
He suffered, and the third dayhe rose again, ascended into andsuffered,and wasburied, and the third day he rose
heaven;
again,according to the Scriptures, andascended into
heaven,andsittethon theright hand of the Father;
From thence he shallcometojudgethe quick and the
from thence he shall comeagain, with glory, to judgethe
dead.
quick and the dead.;
whosekingdomshall have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit

And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of life, Who
proceeds from the Father and the Son, Who together with
the Father and Son is worshipped and glorified, and Who
spoke from the prophets.
In One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, we
acknowledge One Baptism for the forgiveness of sins, the
resurrection of the dead and of the age to come. Amen.

Effects of the Council

Established the orthodox Christian faith
Terminology changes from proto-orthodox to orthodox

A major blow to all other groups

Arians did continue
Emperor Constantius II tried to make Arianism the official
religion

Another threat to the faith was the rising popularity of a

group called the Manichaens
After this period, heresies started forming as a direct
opposition to the church

Next Week:

Manichaeism, Nestorianism
& Catharism