The History of Heresy

1
The History of Heresy

• Five Errors that Refuse to Die

2
Five Errors that Refuse to Die

• Legalism
• Gnosticism
• Arianism
• Pelagianism
• Socinianism

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A Survey of Heresies

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Constantine is convertedA.D. 312

• Constantine became emperor of Rome in 306. His
  throne was contested by a brother-in-law,
  Maxentius.
• Constantine prayed for divine assistance during a
  battle against Maxentius (the battle of Milvian
  Bridge), when he saw a vision of a cross, bearing
  the inscription, In this sign conquer.
• After winning the decisive battle, Constantine
  converted to Christianity. The following year, he
  issued the Edict of Milan, declaring that
  Christianity would be tolerated throughout the
  empire.
• The edict did not (as is commonly supposed) make
  Christianity the official state religion of Rome,
  but it certainly meant Christianity was now in
  vogue.
• Moreover, from the start, Constantine took an
  active part in church affairs, and the Arian
  controversy was the occasion that encouraged and
  enabled him to do that.

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The Arian ControversyA.D. 319-381

• Started with a personal controversy between Arius
  and Alexander, bishop of Alexandria.
• Alexander taught that Father and Son are
  homoousiathe same substance.
• Arius insisted that was a form of Sabellianism.
  He said Christ and the father are homoiousiaof
  like substance. Alexander finally excommunicated
  him (A.D. 321).
• Constantine hears of the dispute and intervenes.
• Six leading characters in the dispute Arius,
  Alexander, Constantine, Eusebius of Caesarea (the
  historian), Eusebius of Nicomedia, Athanasius.

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Athanasius

• homoousia vs. homoiousia
• Christ as eternal vs. Christ as created
• Arius the popular teacher vs. Athanasius the
  precise teacher

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Arius to Eusebius of NicomediaThe bishop
greatly wastes and persecutes us, and leaves no
stone unturned against us. He has driven us out
of the city as atheists, because we do not concur
in what he publicly preaches, namely, God always,
the Son always as the Father so the Son the Son
co-exists unbegotten with the God. . . . But we
say and believe, and have taught, and do teach,
that the Son is not unbegotten and that He does
not derive his subsistence from any matter but
that by His own will and counsel He has subsisted
before time, and before ages, as perfect God,
only begotten and unchangeable. . . The Son
has subsisted before time, and before ages, as
perfect God, only begotten and unchangeable, and
. . . before He was begotten, or created, or
purposed, ot established, He was not. For He was
not unbegotten. We are persecuted, because we say
that the Son has a beginning, but that God is
without beginning. This is the cause of our
persecution. . . .
8
Arius to AlexanderThere are Three
Subsistences. And God, being the cause of all
things, is unbegun and altogether Solitary, but
the Son being begotten apart from time by the
Father, and being created and founded before ages
. . . begotten apart from time before all things,
alone was made to subsist by the Father. For He
is not eternal or co-eternal or co-unoriginate
with the Father, nor has He His being together
with the Father . . . But if the terms 'from
Him,' and 'from the womb,' and 'I came forth from
the Father, and I am come' be understood by some
to mean as if a part of Him, one in essence or as
an issue, then the Father is according to them
compounded and divisible and alterable and
material.
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Athanasius

• homoousia vs. homoiousia
• Christ as eternal vs. Christ as created
• Arius the popular teacher vs. Athanasius the
  precise teacher
• Tolerance vs. sound doctrine

10
Constantine at NiceaDiscord in the church I
consider more fearful and painful than any other
war. As soon as I, by the help of God, had
overcome my enemies, I believed that nothing was
more necessary than to give thanks to God in
common joy with those whom I had liberated. But
when I heard of your division, I was convinced
that this matter should by no means be neglected,
and in the desire to assist by my service I have
summoned you without delay. I shall, however,
feel my desire fulfilled only when I see the
minds of all united in that peaceful harmony
which you, as the anointed of God, must preach to
others. Delay not, therefore my dear friends,
delay not, servants of God put away all causes
of strife, and loose all knots of discord by the
laws of peace.
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Four groups at Nicea

• Committed Arians (Arius)
• Those who sided with Alexander (Athanasius)
• Those sympathetic to Arius (Eusebius of
  Nicomedia)
• The uncommitted (Eusebius the historian)

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Eusebius the historian at NiceaWe believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ, God of God, Light of
light, Life of Life, His only Son, the First-born
of all creatures, begotten of the Father,
beginning in eternity, before time was by whom
everything was created, who became flesh . . .
etc. etc.
13
Athanasius

• homoousia vs. homoiousia
• Christ as eternal vs. Christ as created
• Arius the popular teacher vs. Athanasius the
  precise teacher
• Tolerance vs. sound doctrine

14
The Nicene CreedWe believe in one God, the
Father Almighty, maker of all things visible and
invisible and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son
of God, the only-begotten of his Father, of the
substance of the Father, God of God, Light of
Light, very God of very God, begotten not made,
being of one substance (homoousios) with the
Father. By whom all things were made, both which
is in heaven and in earth. Who for us men and for
our salvation came down from heaven and was
incarnate and was made man. He suffered and the
third day he rose again, ascended into heaven.
And he shall come again to judge both the living
and the dead.And whosoever shall say that
there was a time when the Son of God was not, or
that before he was begotten he was not, or that
he was made of things that were not, or that he
is of a different substance or essence from the
Father or that he is a creature, or subject to
change or conversion--all that so say, the
Catholic and Apostolic Church anathematizes them.
15
Athanasius

• homoousia vs. homoiousia
• Christ as eternal vs. Christ as created
• Arius the popular teacher vs. Athanasius the
  precise teacher
• Tolerance vs. sound doctrine
• The Nicene Council vs. popular opinion
• Truth finally wins out over error