I'm trying to create a list of splits in the Church history that created heresies rather than a new
My chart
[quote]
| Heresy | Origin | Peak Influence | Marginalized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Docetism | 1st century AD | 2nd-3rd centuries AD | Never fully formalized as a distinct movement |
| Gnosticism | 2nd century AD | 2nd-3rd centuries AD | 4th-5th centuries AD |
| Marcionism | Mid-2nd century AD (c. 144 AD) | Mid-2nd century AD | 4th-5th centuries AD |
| Montanism | Mid-2nd century AD | Late 2nd century AD | 4th century AD |
| Manicheans | 3rd century AD | 3rd-7th centuries AD (Roman Empire, Asia) | Gradually declined after founder's death |
| Arianism | 318 AD | Mid-4th century AD | 10th century AD |
| Donatism | 311 AD | 4th century AD (North Africa) | 7th century AD |
| Pelagianism | Early 5th century AD | Early 5th century AD | Mid-5th century AD |
| Nestorianism | 5th century AD | 6th-7th centuries AD (Middle East, Asia) | Still exists as an Eastern Christian tradition |
| Paulicians | 7th century AD (Armenia) | 8th-9th centuries AD (Byzantine Empire) | 11th century AD |
| Bogomilism | 10th century AD (Bulgaria) | 10th-15th centuries AD (Balkans) | 15th century AD and beyond (assimilation/decline) |
| Catharism | 11th century AD | 12th-13th centuries AD (Languedoc) | 14th century AD |
| Valentinians | 2nd century AD | 2nd-4th centuries AD (Roman Empire) | Suppressed by Church authorities |
Are there other significant heresies that belong on my list?
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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You always have interesting and thought provoking posts!
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MJ. Smith said:
Are there other significant heresies that belong on my list?
Simonians - followers of Simon Magus; there's a good article on this in the Catholic Encyclopedia.
Origenism - a reaction against Gnosticism; there's a section on this in Arianism and Other Heresies by Augustine of Hippo (in the Introduction to "Memorandum to Augustine and to Orosius"). That book would be good to look through for other heresies.
Apollinarism - there's a good article on it in the Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics, Volumes I-XIII, edited by James Hastings, which includes this line positioning it chronologically: "Apollinaris, the younger, of Laodicea († c. 390), was the founder of a heresy which forms the connecting link between Arianism in the 4th and Nestorianism and Monophysitism in the 5th century." That book would also be good to look through for other heresies. I've been merely dabbling here to come up with this list for you.
Monophysitism - there's a good article on it in Hastings' Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics.
Molinism - there was significant debate in the late 16th and early 17th centuries between the Molinists and the Dominicans; Molinism was never officially condemned as heresy by the Catholic Church, and remains a theological variant, particularly within the Jesuit tradition. There's an article on this too in Hastings' Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics
Monarchianism - see also Hastings' Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics
A few others for you to look into:
Modalism, Sabellianism, Adoptionism - related to Monarchianism but each different and all condemned as heresies
Monothelitism - closely related to Monophysitism
Albigensianism (another name for Catharism, which you already have)
Amalricians (also known as Brethren of the Free Spirit) - seven of them were burned at the stake
Waldensians - condemned as heretics at the Council of Verona (1184) and the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), later became influential on the Protestant Reformation; in 2015, Pope Francis asked for forgiveness for the Catholic Church's historical persecution of the Waldensians
Euchites (aka Messalians) - condemned at the Council of Ephesus (431)
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Thanks, Rosie. The sort order leaves something to be desired but:
Heresy Origin Peak Influence Marginalized Docetism 1st century AD 2nd-3rd centuries AD Never fully formalized as a distinct movement Heresy of the Judaizers 15th century AD (Russia) Late 15th century AD Suppressed by the Church Simonians 1st century AD 1st century AD Never gained widespread acceptance Gundolfo 11th century AD (Italy) 11th century AD Suppressed by the Church Henricans 11th century AD (France) 11th century AD Condemned by Church Catharism 11th century AD 12th-13th centuries AD (Languedoc) 14th century AD Arnoldists 12th century AD (Italy) 12th century AD Suppressed by the Church Humiliati 12th century AD (Italy) 12th-14th centuries AD Suppressed by the Church Neo-Adamites 12th-13th centuries AD (Europe) Scattered outbreaks Suppressed by the Church Tondrakians 12th century AD (Bulgaria) 12th century AD Suppressed by the Church Waldensians 12th century AD 12th-14th centuries AD Persecuted but some elements continued Petrobinsians 12th century AD (France) 12th century AD Suppressed by the Church Lollardy 14th century AD (England) 14th-15th centuries AD Suppressed by the Church Strigolnichestvo 14th century AD (Russia) 14th-15th centuries AD Suppressed by the Church Hussites 14th-15th centuries AD (Bohemia) 15th century AD (Reformation) Gave rise to the Unity of the Brethren Adoptionism 2nd century AD 3rd century AD 4th century AD Gnosticism 2nd century AD 2nd-3rd centuries AD 4th-5th centuries AD Marcionism Mid-2nd century AD (c. 144 AD) Mid-2nd century AD 4th-5th centuries AD Montanism Mid-2nd century AD Late 2nd century AD 4th century AD Valentinians 2nd century AD 2nd-4th centuries AD (Roman Empire) Suppressed by Church authorities Monarchianism 3rd century AD 3rd century AD Condemned as heresy Origenism 3rd century AD 4th-6th centuries AD Condemned as heresy Manicheans 3rd century AD 3rd-7th centuries AD (Roman Empire, Asia) Gradually declined after founder's death Arianism 318 AD Mid-4th century AD 10th century AD Donatism 311 AD 4th century AD (North Africa) 7th century AD Euchites (Messalians) 4th century AD 4th-6th centuries AD Condemned as heresy Pelagianism Early 5th century AD Early 5th century AD Mid-5th century AD Nestorianism 5th century AD 6th-7th centuries AD (Middle East, Asia) Still exists as an Eastern Christian tradition Paulicians 7th century AD (Armenia) 8th-9th centuries AD (Byzantine Empire) 11th century AD Bogomilism 10th century AD (Bulgaria) 10th-15th centuries AD (Balkans) 15th century AD and beyond (assimilation/decline) Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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Basilideanism https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02326a.htm
Tritheism https://carm.org/uncategorized/tritheism/
Subordinationism https://www.theopedia.com/subordinationism
Jansenism https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08285a.htm
These are some that come to mind. And I will look through my stuff in my notebooks from Church history classes.
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This is helpful! Thank you!
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This is helpful! Thank you!
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I'll probably get in trouble, but I can't see the primary one ... kicking the Jerusalem group out (eg James, and later smaller pieces that the Fathers nailed). After that the church was largely a gentile operation, empowering Marcion.
"If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.
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DMB said:
I'll probably get in trouble, but I can't see the primary one
Ah, yes, there are a couple of other major ones. What I am trying to capture is the groups that don't show on a denominational histories chart. I cheated a bit but . . .
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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Great work MJ. This is also well informed by your research. Collyridianism, Priscillianism, and Audianism are three others that come to mind after doing some reading of notes in my previous studies.
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Another example comes from the Byzantine Empire in the eighth century. Iconoclasm is a conflict that emerged about the usage of images in worship. The iconoclasts argued that this was idolatry and a breach of the second commandment, so they burned all of the icons in their churches. The Second Council of Nicea in 787 opposed the iconoclasts and defined the distinction between worship which was only reserved for God alone and reverence or veneration which was allowable for saints and icons. Let me know if I am not on the same side of the tracks here.
Also this article might pique your fancy https://www.patheos.com/blogs/anxiousbench/2023/09/how-the-ancient-christian-heresies-lasted-a-thousand-years-longer-than-we-think/ I have not read Phil Jenkins newest book called A Storm of Images: Iconoclasm and Religious Reformation in the Byzantine World but it looks good.
You also might find this interesting Heinrich Von Staden, "Hairesis and Heresy: The Case of the `haireseis iatrikai'," in Jewish and Christian Self-Definition: Self-Definition in the Greco-Roman World, ed. B. F. Meyer and E. P Sanders, (London: SCM Press, 1982). it can be found here https://archive.org/details/jewishchristians0000unse
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Christian Alexander said:
I have not read Phil Jenkins newest book called A Storm of Images: Iconoclasm and Religious Reformation in the Byzantine World but it looks good.
That needs to be in Logos.
VOTE HERE:
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Not complete but I have found a way to include current organizations without implying judgment. I know this is still very oriented towards the European/Western view:
Heresy Origin Peak Influence Marginalized Gnostic: Hemeticism 3rd century BC (Egypt) Influences Gnosticism throughout its history Never a unified movement Docetism 1st century AD 2nd-3rd centuries AD Never fully formalized as a distinct movement Ebionites 1st century AD (Judea) 2nd-4th centuries AD Gradually assimilated or disappeared Gnostic: Cerinthians 1st century AD (Asia Minor) 1st-2nd centuries AD Gradually assimilated or disappeared Gnostic: Docetae 1st century AD (Asia Minor) 2nd-3rd centuries AD Never fully formalized as a distinct movement Gnostic: Dositheans 1st century AD (Samaria) 1st-4th centuries AD Gradually assimilated or disappeared Gnostic: Nicolaism 1st century AD (mentioned in Revelation) Limited influence Condemned as heresy Gnostic: Simonians 1st century AD (Samaria) 1st century AD Never gained widespread acceptance Nazarenes 1st century AD (Judea) 1st-4th centuries AD Gradually assimilated or disappeared Nicolaism 1st century AD (mentioned in Revelation) Limited influence Condemned as heresy Simonians 1st century AD 1st century AD Never gained widespread acceptance Adoptionism 2nd century AD 3rd century AD 4th century AD Alogi 2nd century AD 2nd century AD Never gained widespread acceptance Encratites 1st-2nd centuries AD (Various regions) Scattered outbreaks Condemned as heresy Gnostic: Adamites 2nd century AD (possibly earlier) Scattered outbreaks Condemned as heresy Gnostic: Alogians 2nd century AD 2nd century AD Never gained widespread acceptance Gnostic: Antitactae 2nd century AD (Asia Minor) Limited influence Condemned as heresy Gnostic: Bardesanites 2nd century AD (Syria) 2nd-3rd centuries AD Gradually declined Gnostic: Basilidians 2nd century AD (Egypt/Alexandria) 2nd-3rd centuries AD Suppressed by Church authorities Gnostic: Cainites 2nd century AD (Egypt) Limited influence Condemned as heresy Gnostic: Carpocratians 2nd century AD (Alexandria) 2nd century AD Suppressed by the Church Gnostic: Encratites 1st-2nd centuries AD (Various regions) Scattered outbreaks Condemned as heresy Gnostic: Mandaeism 1st-2nd centuries AD (Mesopotamia) Continued as a religious tradition Not marginalized Gnostic: Marcosians 2nd century AD (Egypt) Limited influence Suppressed by the Church Gnostic: Naassenes 2nd century AD (Syria/Egypt) Limited influence Suppressed by the Church Gnostic: Ophites 1st-2nd centuries AD (Egypt/Mesopotamia) Scattered outbreaks Condemned as heresy Gnostic: Perates 2nd century AD (Egypt) Limited influence Suppressed by the Church Gnostic: Valentianism 2nd century AD (Egypt/Alexandria) 2nd-4th centuries AD (Roman Empire) Suppressed by Church authorities Gnosticism (generic) 2nd century AD 2nd-3rd centuries AD 4th-5th centuries AD Melitians 2nd century AD (Asia Minor) Limited influence Condemned as heresy Elcesaitest Mid-2nd century AD (Syria/Palestine) Limited influence Condemned as heresy Gnostic: Elcesaites Mid-2nd century AD (Syria/Palestine) Limited influence Condemned as heresy Gnostic: Elkesaites Mid-2nd century AD (Syria/Palestine) Limited influence Condemned as heresy Marcionism Mid-2nd century AD (c. 144 AD) Mid-2nd century AD 4th-5th centuries AD Montanism Mid-2nd century AD Late 2nd century AD 4th century AD Gnostic: Archontics 2nd-3rd centuries AD (Various regions) Scattered outbreaks Condemned as heresy Gnostic: Barbeliotae 2nd-3rd centuries AD (Egypt) Limited influence Suppressed by the Church Gnostic: Borborites 2nd-3rd centuries AD (Syria/Egypt) Limited influence Condemned as heresy Gnostic: Manichaeism 3rd century AD (Persia) 3rd-7th centuries AD (Roman Empire, Asia) Gradually declined after founder's death Gnostic: Sethians 2nd-3rd centuries AD (Various regions) Scattered outbreaks Condemned as heresy Monarchianism 3rd century AD 3rd century AD Condemned as heresy Novatianism 3rd century AD (Rome) 4th-5th centuries AD Continued as a separate church (Donatist schism) Origenism 3rd century AD 4th-6th centuries AD Condemned as heresy Donatism 311 AD 4th century AD (North Africa) 7th century AD Arianism 318 AD Mid-4th century AD 10th century AD Abelians 4th century AD (North Africa) 4th century AD Suppressed by Church authorities Agapetae 4th century AD (Syria) 4th century AD Condemned as heresy Colluthians 4th century AD (Alexandria) 4th century AD Suppressed by Church authorities Collyridianism 4th century AD (Thrace) 4th century AD Suppressed by Church authorities Euchites (Messalians) 4th century AD 4th-6th centuries AD Condemned as heresy Gnostic: Abelonians4th century AD (North Africa) 4th century AD Suppressed by Church authorities Gnostic: Agapetae 4th century AD (Syria) 4th century AD Condemned as heresy Gnostic: Angelici 4th century AD (Syria) 4th century AD Condemned as heresy Gnostic: Audianism 4th century AD (Mesopotamia) 4th century AD Gradually declined after founder's death Gnostic: Messalians (Euchites) 4th century AD (Syria) 4th-6th centuries AD Condemned as heresy Gnostic: Priscillianism 4th century AD (Spain) 4th century AD Suppressed by Church and Roman authorities Pneumatomachianism 4th century AD 4th century AD Condemned as heresy at the First Council of Constantinople (381) Nestorianism 5th century AD 6th-7th centuries AD (Middle East, Asia) Still exists as an Eastern Christian tradition Pelagianism Early 5th century AD Early 5th century AD Mid-5th century AD Gnostic: Paulicians 7th century AD (Armenia) 8th-9th centuries AD (Byzantine Empire) 11th century AD Stephanism 7th century AD (Armenia) 7th-8th centuries AD Suppressed by the Armenian Apostolic Church Iconoclasm 8th century AD (Byzantine Empire) 8th-9th centuries AD 9th century AD (Second Council of Nicaea) Gnostic: Al-Dayhuri's Sect10th century AD (Mesopotamia) Limited regional influence Absorbed by Islam Gnostic: Bogomilism 10th century AD (Bulgaria) 10th-15th centuries AD (Balkans) 15th century AD and beyond (assimilation/decline) Perennial: Wisdom Tradition Pre-historic (concept) Ongoing Not Applicable (cross-cultural concept) Gnostic: Black Brotherhood (Cathars)11th century AD (Languedoc) 12th-13th centuries AD 14th century AD Gnostic: Catharism 11th century AD 12th-13th centuries AD (Languedoc) 14th century AD Gnostic: Pataria 11th century AD (Milan, Italy) 11th-12th centuries AD Goals largely achieved through reforms Gundolfo 11th century AD (Italy) 11th century AD Suppressed by the Church Henricans 11th century AD (France) 11th century AD Condemned by Church Albigenses 12th century AD (Languedoc) 12th-13th centuries AD 14th century AD Arnoldists 12th century AD (Italy) 12th century AD Suppressed by the Church Gnostic: Tondrakians 12th century AD (Bulgaria) 12th century AD Suppressed by the Church Humiliati 12th century AD (Italy) 12th-14th centuries AD Suppressed by the Church Perennial: Perennial Philosophy 12th century (Renaissance) 20th century (Academic revival) Not Marginalized (philosophical concept) Petrobinsians 12th century AD (France) 12th century AD Suppressed by the Church Tondrakians 12th century AD (Bulgaria) 12th century AD Suppressed by the Church Waldensians 12th century AD 12th-14th centuries AD Persecuted but some elements continued Neo-Adamites 12th-13th centuries AD (Europe) Scattered outbreaks Suppressed by the Church Neo-Gnostic: Gnostic Church of France 1928 (France) Mid-20th century Still Active (small movement) Fraticelli 13th-14th centuries AD (Italy) 14th century AD Suppressed by the Church in the 14th century Gnostic: Picards 14th century AD (Holy Roman Empire) Limited influence Suppressed by the Church Krstjani (Christian Brethren) 14th century AD (Bosnia) 14th-15th centuries AD Absorbed into Islam or assimilated by the Ottoman Empire Lollardy 14th century AD (England) 14th-15th centuries AD Suppressed by the Church Strigolnichestvo 14th century AD (Russia) 14th-15th centuries AD Suppressed by the Church Strigolniki 14th century AD (Russia) 14th-15th centuries AD Suppressed by the Church and assimilated Esoteric: Christian Kabbalah Varied Origins Ongoing Not a singular movement, various expressions exist within Christianity Heresy of the Judaizers 15th century AD (Russia) Late 15th century AD Suppressed by the Church Hussites 14th-15th centuries AD (Bohemia) 15th century AD (Reformation) Gave rise to the Unity of the Brethren Magic: Alchemy 12th-17th century CE (Europe) Limited influence Not Marginalized (later focus on chemistry) Esoteric: Familism 16th century (Netherlands) Late 16th century (Suppressed by authorities) Not Applicable (Extinct movement) Folk:Maximon (Guatemala) Colonial Period (Possible Pre-Columbian roots) Ongoing veneration Not Marginalized (Syncretic veneration with Catholic saint) Huguenots 16th century AD (France) 16th-17th centuries AD Largely ceased to exist after revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685) Magic: Enochian magic 16th century (England) Limited influence Socinianism 16th century AD (Poland) 16th-17th centuries AD Gradually declined in the 17th and 18th centuries Syncretic:Aymara SpiritualityPre-Columbian (Andean Region) Ongoing Not Marginalized (syncretized with Catholicism) Syncretic:Kakure Kirishitans 16th century (Japan) 17th-19th centuries (Underground practice) Not Applicable (Forced underground, re-emerged in 18th century) Candomblé17th century (Brazil) Ongoing Not Marginalized Jansenism 17th century AD (Netherlands) 17th-18th centuries AD Never fully marginalized, but lost influence after Papal condemnations Magic:Order of the Golden and Rosy Cross (OGRC)17th century (Germany) Limited influence Not Applicable (Presumed defunct) Perennial: Deism17th century (Europe) 18th century Still Active (limited following) Syncretic:Brazilian Vodum 17th century (Brazil) Ongoing Not Marginalized (syncretized with Catholicism) Syncretic:Cuban Vodú 17th century (Cuba) Ongoing Not Marginalized (syncretized with Catholicism) Syncretic:Tambor de Mina 17th century (Brazil) Ongoing (limited practice) Not Marginalized (syncretized with Catholicism) Esoteric: Societas Rosicruciana 1610s (Germany) 17th century Not Applicable (Extinct movement) Esoteric: Antoinism (separate from Antonianism) 18th century (France) Late 18th century Decline after founder's death Esoteric: Martinism 18th century (France) Late 18th - Early 19th century Still Active (fragmented groups) Magic:Order of Knight-Masons Elect Priests of the Universe Unknown (Possibly 18th century) Limited influence Not Applicable (Status unclear, possibly defunct) Perennial: Universal Unitarian 18th century (England) 19th century (Unitarian Universalism) Still Active (established denomination) Syncretic: Santeria 18th century (Cuba) Ongoing Not Marginalized Syncretic:Dōkai 18th century (Japan) Limited influence Absorbed by Shinto (1872) Syncretic:Dominican Vudú 18th century (Dominican Republic) Ongoing (limited practice) Not Marginalized (syncretized with Catholicism) Syncretic:Haitian Vodou 18th century (Haiti) Ongoing Not Marginalized (established religion) Syncretic:Longhouse Religion 18th century (Iroquois Confederacy) 19th century Still Active (evolved and adapted) Syncretic:Louisiana Voodoo 18th century (Louisiana) Mid-20th century Still Active (limited practice) Private revelation: Emanuel Swedenborg (Swedenborgianism) 1740 Private revelation: Mother Ann Lee (Shakers) 1747 19th century AD declining Esoteric: Archeosophical Society 1907 (Germany) Early 20th century Merged with Anthroposophical Society (1923) Esoteric: Universal White Brotherhood 19th century (Russia) Early 20th century Decline after founder's death Folk:Gauchito Gil (Argentina) 19th century 20th - 21st century Not Marginalized (Established folk saint) Neo-Gnostic: Johannite Church Varied Origins Limited influence Not Marginalized (fragmented groups) Perennial: Urreligion 19th century (Germany) Limited influence Not Marginalized (considered a fringe concept) Syncretic:Burkhanism 19th century (Siberia) Early 20th century (Suppressed by Soviet Union) Not Marginalized (limited revival after USSR collapse) Syncretic:Bwiti 19th century (Gabon) Mid-20th century Still Active (limited practice) Syncretic:God Worshipping Society 1800 (England) Early 19th century Merged with other Methodist movements Syncretic:Hoodoo 19th century (USA) Ongoing (limited practice, often seen as folk magic) Not Marginalized Syncretic:Lisu Christianity 19th century (Southwest China, Myanmar) Mid-20th century Still Active (syncretized with traditional Lisu beliefs) Perennial: Transcendentalism 1830s (USA) Mid-19th century Still Active (philosophical influence) Private revelation: Joseph Smith, Jr. (Mormons) 1830 Esoteric: Spiritualist Church 1848 (USA) Late 19th - Early 20th century Decline in popularity, some active churches remain Private revelation: The Báb and Bahá'u'lláh (Baha'i) 1844 growing Magic:Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (SRIA) 1865 (England) Early 20th century Still Active (established esoteric order) Private revelation: Ellen G. White (SDA) 1860 Esoteric: Theosophy 1875 (USA) Late 19th - Early 20th century Still Active (fragmented groups) Esoteric: Theosophy 1875 (USA) Late 19th - Early 20th century Still Active (fragmented groups) Magic:Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (Golden Dawn) 1887 (England) Late 19th - Early 20th century Not Marginalized (Fragmented groups, influential legacy) Syncretic:Ghost Dance 1870s (Great Plains, North America) 1890 (Wounded Knee Massacre) Not Fully Marginalized (Elements persist in some Native American traditions) Private revelation: Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Science) 1879 Syncretic:American Indian Shakers 1880s (Pacific Northwest, North America) Early 20th century Still Active (limited practice) Syncretic:Church of the Truth 1889 (USA) Early 20th century Decline after founder's death Syncretic:Church of Divine Science1898 (USA) Early 20th century Merged with Religious Science (1925) Esoteric: Anthroposophical Society1902 (Europe) Early 20th century Still Active (established movement) Esoteric: Christo-Paganism 20th century (North America, Europe) Limited spread Not Marginalized (considered a small movement) Esoteric: The Rosicrucian Fellowship 1907 (USA) Early 20th century Still Active (established movement) Magic:Ordo Aurum Solis (Order of the Golden Sun) 1902 (Germany) Early 20th century Not Marginalized (Fragmented groups) Neo-Gnostic: Ecclesia Gnostica1908 (Austria) Early 20th century Still Active (small movement) Neo-Gnostic: Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica 1907 (France) Early 20th century Decline after founder's death Neo-Gnostic: Ecclesia Pistis Sophia 1908 (England) Early 20th century Decline after founder's death Perennial: Religious Pluralism Varied Origins 20th century (Theological development) Not Marginalized (growing acceptance) Perennial: Traditional School 20th century (Rene Guenon) Mid-20th century Still Active (limited following) Syncretic:Alleluia Church 1908 (USA) Early 20th century Merged with Religious Science (1925) Syncretic:Chrislam 20th century (Various Locations) Limited spread Not Marginalized (considered a small movement) Syncretic:Christian Wicca 20th century (North America, Europe) Limited spread Not Marginalized (considered a small movement) Syncretic:Christopaganism 20th century (North America, Europe) Limited spread Not Marginalized (considered a small movement) Syncretic:Mama Tata 20th century (Haiti) Mid-20th century Still Active (limited practice) Syncretic:Umbanda 1908 (Brazil) Mid-20th century Still Active (established religion) Esoteric: Universal Alliance 1913 (USA) Early 20th century Merged with Theosophical Society (1920) Syncretic: Won Buddhism 1916 Syncretic:The Infinite Way 1919 (USA) Mid-20th century Still Active (small movement) Esoteric: Lectorium Rosicrucianum 1924 (Netherlands) Mid-20th century Still Active (established movement) Esoteric: Metropolitan Spiritual Churches of Christ 1924 (USA) Mid-20th century Still Active (small movement) Esoteric: The Christian Community 1922 (Germany) Mid-20th century Still Active (established movement) Syncretic:Cao Đài 1926 (Vietnam) Mid-20th century Still Active (established religion in Vietnam) Syncretic:Psychiana 1927 (USA) Mid-20th century Decline after founder's death Syncretic:Religious Science 1925 (USA) Mid-20th century Still Active (established movement) Private revelation: Marcus Garvey (Rastafari) 1930 1960s-1970s Syncretic: Jeungsanism 1930 Syncretic:Home of Truth 1931 (USA) Mid-20th century Still Active (small movement) Syncretic:Santo Daime 1930s (Brazil) Late 20th century Not Marginalized Syncretic:Antonianism 1940s (Madagascar) Mid-20th century (Suppressed by French colonial government) Still Active (limited practice) Folk: Santa Muerte (Mexico)Mid-20th century Late 20th - Early 21st century Not Marginalized (Growing popularity, facing some opposition) Private revelation: David Wilkerson (Message International) 1958 1970s-1980s Private revelation: Sun Myung Moon (Unification Church) 1954 Neo-Gnostic: The Process Church of The Final Judgment 1960s (UK) Late 1960s Decline after founder's death Private revelation: David Berg/Karen Zerby (Children of God) 1968 1970s-1980s Private revelation: Kyung Seuk Yoo (Church of World Messianity) 1960's Private revelation: Nazir Ahmad (Mukhtaree Movement) 1980 1980s Folk:San La Muerte (Guatemala) 20th century Limited influence Not Marginalized (Syncretic with Santa Muerte) Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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VERY nice!
"If myth is ideology in narrative form, then scholarship is myth with footnotes." B. Lincolm 1999.
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MJ. Smith said:
Not complete but I have found a way to include current organizations without implying judgment.
Excellent work, Martha!
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Another one I thought of is:
Christadelphians - if you have Swedenborgianism, Mormons, Christian Science, Unification Church, and Unitarian Universalism, then you need to include them. When looking them up (found a section on them in Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy: Exploring Belief Systems through the Lens of the Ancient Christian Faith, another good source for your project), I also found
Jehovah's Witnesses in the chapter on "Non-Mainstream Christians" (along with those others you have already).Here are some more that ChatGPT came up with for me when I asked it to list the heresies that Irenaeus wrote against in his "Against Heresies":
Sethianism - A Gnostic sect that revered Seth, the third son of Adam, as a spiritual ancestor and savior figure.
Basilidianism - Basilides: Another Gnostic teacher who proposed an elaborate cosmology involving multiple heavens and a remote supreme God.
Ophitism - (just for completeness; another name for Naassenes)
Emanationism - The idea that the divine being progressively emanates lower beings or aeons, leading to a complex hierarchy of divine entities.
You'll also find plenty of rabbit holes to go down if you look into the evangelical cult watchers. They keep lists of sects and groups that are heretical, in their view. Since you include a whole slew of these that would appear in their lists (Christian Science, Mormons, Unification Church, etc.)
ChatGPT provides this list of well-known cult-watching organizations:
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Christian Research Institute (CRI):
- Founded by Walter Martin, CRI is one of the most well-known evangelical organizations dedicated to researching and addressing cults and new religious movements.
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Apologetics Index:
- An online resource providing information on a wide range of cults, new religious movements, and related topics from a Christian perspective.
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Watchman Fellowship:
- An independent Christian research and apologetics ministry focusing on cults, the occult, and new religious movements. They publish the "Watchman Fellowship Profile" series, which provides overviews of various groups.
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Spiritual Counterfeits Project (SCP):
- An evangelical organization that publishes research and analysis on new religious movements, cults, and alternative spiritualities.
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Institute for Religious Research (IRR):
- Focuses on providing resources and research on a variety of religious movements, with a special emphasis on groups like Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
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Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry (CARM):
- Founded by Matt Slick, CARM provides articles and resources addressing cults, world religions, and theological issues.
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Center for Apologetics Research (CFAR):
- Works internationally to equip Christians to respond to cults and new religious movements.
I do not endorse any of these, nor even the practice of cult-watching as a rule (it can become an obsession; I'd rather focus on what is good and true and beautiful and where God is at work). Some groups have gotten blacklisted by these folks for strange reasons and don't belong on the lists. Others have previously been quite cultish but have become orthodox through a recognition by later followers that their leader had made mistakes (Worldwide Church of God, for example, which rebranded itself Grace Communion International; I met one of their pastors my first summer at Regent College; he'd been sent there to learn historic evangelical theology as part of this huge about-face the organization, now I suppose a denomination, was going through). So anyway, I take what they say with a grain of salt. But you might find some more items for your list from their websites.
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I'm going to question your info about David Wilkerson. I grew up knowing of him as the author of the classic book The Cross and the Switchblade, and knew he'd been a pastor involved in evangelism to gang members, such as Nicky Cruz, which the book is about. Cruz went on to become an evangelist himself and worked with Wilkerson in Teen Challenge (which Wilkerson founded) before going on to start his own evangelism ministry.
I googled "David Wilkerson" "Message International" and found nothing (well 8 irrelevant hits). I googled "David Wilkerson" "1958" and found that that was indeed the date when he founded Teen Challenge, an evangelical Christian addiction recovery program. So I'm wondering where this "Message International" came from, and why you'd categorize David Wilkerson as a heresiarch. Unless there's someone else named David Wilkerson who coincidentally also was associated with the date 1958. But I still can't find anything about him and his supposed "Message International" online if that's the case.
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Rosie Perera said:
why you'd categorize David Wilkerson as a heresiarch.
Not sure how the term "heretic" is being used here, so I will not agree with placing that label upon David Wilkerson (although it might be deserved).
However I do know that at some point he decided he was a prophet and began to "prophesy" the destruction of America.
His 1985 book "Set the Trumpet to Thy Mouth" (not available on Logos) randomly took portions of various old testament prophecies which had been fulfilled historically against numerous other nations and applied them to the modern United States, and certain cities in particular were to be shortly destroyed by fire.
Needless to say, America has seen moral decline since then and is clearly not headed in a good direction, but all of Wilkerson's dire warnings of impending destruction failed to materialize.
Heretic? I don't know. False prophet? Certainly so.
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John said:
Not sure how the term "heretic" is being used here, so I will not agree with placing that label upon David Wilkerson
The list includes schismatics as well as heretics - and for the modern era where it is unreasonable to expect any agreement on which groups deserve the classification, I instead included groups that were (a) esoteric (b) syncretic (c) form of magic (d) perennial philosophy (e) neo-gnostic (f) use text in addition to the Bible as authoritative Scripture. This last category picked up some groups that have active members on the forums but in the form of noting the additional texts and their authors i.e. an objective criterion rather than a more subjective criteria used for the earlier times. It is in this category that Wilkerson was picked up i.e. the prophetic phase. I will double check my sources as I am not personally informed on the details. It appears that his group has ended up under the name of World Challenge; if confirmed I will modify my table.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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John said:Rosie Perera said:
why you'd categorize David Wilkerson as a heresiarch.
Not sure how the term "heretic" is being used here, so I will not agree with placing that label upon David Wilkerson (although it might be deserved).
However I do know that at some point he decided he was a prophet and began to "prophesy" the destruction of America.
His 1985 book "Set the Trumpet to Thy Mouth" (not available on Logos) randomly took portions of various old testament prophecies which had been fulfilled historically against numerous other nations and applied them to the modern United States, and certain cities in particular were to be shortly destroyed by fire.
Needless to say, America has seen moral decline since then and is clearly not headed in a good direction, but all of Wilkerson's dire warnings of impending destruction failed to materialize.
Heretic? I don't know. False prophet? Certainly so.
Oh wow, I hadn't heard that about him. Thanks for filling me in.
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MJ. Smith said:
(f) use text in addition to the Bible as authoritative Scripture.
Of course there are also those who would claim even the ecumenical creeds are extra-biblical.
After witnessing doctrinal disputes on the internet for decades, with each side calling the other heretics, I concluded that the term was basically meaningless unless the one pronouncing the judgement had the authority to do so.
In past history, the power to arrest and imprison (or worse) those deemed to be heretics was what also empowered those who defined orthodoxy. To believe that this authority was flawlessly passed down by human succession is a matter of faith, and is contrary to warnings in the new testament like Acts 20:29-30
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To me a heresy is a belief that deviates from some standard, official belief. The early Christian church encountered internal issues as differing interpretations of Christian doctrines evolved. As the church grew and its doctrines evolved, conflicts emerged over theological interpretations, resulting in the classification of some ideas or actions as heretical. The concept of heresy was closely related to that of orthodoxy, which reflected the Christian community's authorized or right ideas. Those who held heretical beliefs were frequently viewed as threatening the church's unity and stability.
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John said:
Of course there are also those who would claim even the ecumenical creeds are extra-biblical.
That is why I didn't just say "authoritative" but rather "authoritative Scripture" which to me implies being able to be read as a lesson in a church service. My only problem is the difficulty in knowing how the additional texts are being used so in some cases it is an authoritative guess.
.John said:unless the one pronouncing the judgement had the authority to do so.
Exactly, and while I personally hold to fixed criteria to divide between orthodox, schismatic, heretic, and huh-they-still-call-themselves-Christian, I don't believe the general forum is an appropriate place to share that. It is critical that all feel welcome. Yes, I do have that final category - I was discussing a new book by a former Catholic priest who had slowly become his own brand of universalist; my friends first response at the mention of his name was "huh-they-still-call-themselves-Christian." I thought it was a wonderful term for scholars who produce very useful work but from such an inclusive perspective as to not be classifiable by faith let alone denomination.
Rosie Perera said:Christadelphians - if you have Swedenborgianism, Mormons, Christian Science, Unification Church, and Unitarian Universalism, then you need to include them. When looking them up (found a section on them in Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy: Exploring Belief Systems through the Lens of the Ancient Christian Faith, another good source for your project), I also found
Jehovah's Witnesses in the chapter on "Non-Mainstream Christians" (along with those others you have already).While both of these are not mainstream, unless I choose to include all non-trinitarian churches, none of my criteria catches them. But I set my criteria specifically to avoid subjective judgments on current churches. I will admit to flat out cheating on Nestorians while ignoring the cause of the splits with the Oriental Orthodox - Nestorians are Oriental but not Orthodox.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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I came across another book that might help you in your list if you're still working on curating it:
https://www.logos.com/product/243716/a-history-of-medieval-heresy-and-inquisition
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I know this kind of work is incredibly difficult and judgment calls need to be made, but I'd want to qualify two items:
Waldensians
12th century AD
12th-14th centuries AD
Persecuted but some elements continued
Huguenots
16th century AD (France)
16th-17th centuries AD
Largely ceased to exist after revocation of the Edict of Nantes (1685)
Both of these groups do continue to exist as formal denominations. The Huguenots remain as several different Reformed denominations in France with a sister-church in Quebec and a few scattered French Reformed congregations elsewhere. The Waldensians also remain with two synods, one in Italy and the other in South America (mainly Argentina), with two remaining Waldensian churches in the United States out of what was once a much larger group serving the Italian immigrant community.
Certainly not large groups, but with tens of thousands of members, they're not tiny, either. The National Union of Protestant Reformed Evangelical Churches of France has about 10,000 members and the Waldensians have about 35,000 members in Italy and about 15,000 in Latin America. There is also the United Protestant Church of France, a joint Lutheran-Reformed church with about 250,000 members today; when the merger happened about a decade ago, the former Reformed Church of France had about 300,000 members prior to the Lutherans joining, but obviously the merged denomination continues to lose members.1 -
Thanks for the additional information on their current size/status/name. I had hoped that my wording did not suggest that they no longer existed. I appreciate your posts today bringing attention to the Waldensians.
Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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From RGG4:
Islam: "Ein interessanter Sonderfall ist die durch → Johannes von Damaskus Johannes von Damaskus geprägte Einordnung des → Islam in das christl.-häresiologische Schema (Johannes hielt den Islam für eine Variante des Arianismus [→ Arius/Arianismus]). Diese Herangehensweise wurde im orientalischen Christentum breit rezipiert und 787 durch die VII. Ökum. Synode aufgenommen: Der Islam wird hier in einer Reihe christl. Häresien anathematisiert. Im Unterschied zu radikaleren Vorwürfen der Apostasie oder des Heidentums wird er dadurch prinzipiell in den Rahmen des christl. Monotheismus gestellt."
Flaggelants: "Die F. waren als Bruderschaften mit festen Riten organisiert; sie schufen ein eigenes volkssprachliches Liedgut. Obwohl → Clemens VI. 1349 die Geißler verbot, konnten sie sich in Italien als bis ins 18. Jh. lebendige Konfraternitäten institutionalisieren. Diese vollzogen die Autoflagellation öfftl., aber vermummt, an den Kirchenfesten. In Spanien wurden die F. bes. von → Vincentius Ferrer (1350–1419) gefördert. Die v.a. in Thüringen auftretenden Kryptoflagellanten des Spät-MA wurden dagegen aufgrund klerus- und dogmenkrit. Einstellung häretisiert (auf dem Konzil von → Konstanz) und verfolgt. Nach der Reformation nahmen F. in den kath. Ländern auch nördlich der Alpen bis in den Barock an Karfreitags-Prozessionen teil und kommen noch heute z.B. auf den Philippinen vor."
Hutterites: "Auch hier entstanden bisweilen unabhängige Gemeinschaftsformen, namentlich die Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine (→ Brüder-Unität:II.)"
"die → Neuapostolische Gemeinde/Kirche, die → Swedenborgianer, die → Lorber-Gesellschaft, die → Mormonen, die → Christian Science, die Gemeinschaft der Siebenten-Tags- → Adventisten, die → Zeugen Jehovas, die → Johannische Kirche, die → Gralsbewegung und die → Christengemeinschaft."
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From RGG4:
Islam: "Ein interessanter Sonderfall ist die durch → Johannes von Damaskus Johannes von Damaskus geprägte Einordnung des → Islam in das christl.-häresiologische Schema (Johannes hielt den Islam für eine Variante des Arianismus [→ Arius/Arianismus]). Diese Herangehensweise wurde im orientalischen Christentum breit rezipiert und 787 durch die VII. Ökum. Synode aufgenommen: Der Islam wird hier in einer Reihe christl. Häresien anathematisiert. Im Unterschied zu radikaleren Vorwürfen der Apostasie oder des Heidentums wird er dadurch prinzipiell in den Rahmen des christl. Monotheismus gestellt."
Flaggelants: "Die F. waren als Bruderschaften mit festen Riten organisiert; sie schufen ein eigenes volkssprachliches Liedgut. Obwohl → Clemens VI. 1349 die Geißler verbot, konnten sie sich in Italien als bis ins 18. Jh. lebendige Konfraternitäten institutionalisieren. Diese vollzogen die Autoflagellation öfftl., aber vermummt, an den Kirchenfesten. In Spanien wurden die F. bes. von → Vincentius Ferrer (1350–1419) gefördert. Die v.a. in Thüringen auftretenden Kryptoflagellanten des Spät-MA wurden dagegen aufgrund klerus- und dogmenkrit. Einstellung häretisiert (auf dem Konzil von → Konstanz) und verfolgt. Nach der Reformation nahmen F. in den kath. Ländern auch nördlich der Alpen bis in den Barock an Karfreitags-Prozessionen teil und kommen noch heute z.B. auf den Philippinen vor."
Hutterites: "Auch hier entstanden bisweilen unabhängige Gemeinschaftsformen, namentlich die Herrnhuter Brüdergemeine (→ Brüder-Unität:II.)"
"die → Neuapostolische Gemeinde/Kirche, die → Swedenborgianer, die → Lorber-Gesellschaft, die → Mormonen, die → Christian Science, die Gemeinschaft der Siebenten-Tags- → Adventisten, die → Zeugen Jehovas, die → Johannische Kirche, die → Gralsbewegung und die → Christengemeinschaft."
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Thanks for this very interesting post. It reminds me of the need for tables in Logos so I can keep this in a note. Is there a good book or dictionary that covers all of this? Seems like this would be a very helpful resource.
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