I have always been mildly fascinated by the beliefs of cults that arose out of Christianity, but were crushed by the power of the church in Rome because of a fear of being usurped in influence or control. I was wondering if anyone knows anything about the Albigensians, the Cathari, or the Gnostics (there are a few other notable sects that I cant remember the names of now), and how they infleunced early Christianity, and why they were ultimately destroyed.
Let’s not forget xianity itself started out as a ‘cult’(mithraic/judaic)
The only difference between a ‘cult’ and a ‘religion’ is the amount of followers they command.
I believe that the blending of Mithric elements into the Christian movement came about when Constantine chose to use them both to gain some kind of religious order - of course, Paul could have encouraged Christians to identify those things that they had in common with other citizens of Rome so that they would be less singled out as troublemakers.
At the beginning of the movement there seems to have been a disagreement about the Mythos that Paul was building up, forming Jesus into an archetype as the ‘suffering servant’ that was ‘in fact’ the covert messiah, based upon OT Prophecy (Daniel & Isaiah). An archetype after the model of Abraham who believed and was reconciled.
This Mythos was clearly a step too far for those who knew Jesus, who was apparently more conservative than progressive, warning Pharisees to ‘not put new wine into old skins’ - which was precisely what Paul was doing amongst the gentiles. In the long term, Paul was probably more effective and those who sought a closer knit to what Jesus had taught, may have prevented a ‘Church’ from growing in the way it did.
Shalom
Bob
This text provides a good referance for the protean varitions that arose out of Christian belief.
Early Christian Heresies
Dr. C. George Boeree
A heresy is a belief that deviates from some standard, official belief. When religious authorities decide that a belief is heretical, they usually take active efforts to eradicate the belief, usually including the removal of the offending believers (by excommunication or worse). Of course, one man’s orthodoxy is another man’s heresy!
Most Christian heresies centered around the twin issues of the nature of the trinity and, more specifically, the nature of Jesus Christ. The official stand on these issues, developed over centuries of debate, were as follows: God is a trinity, three persons but one essence; Jesus Christ was one person, simultaneously human and divine. That these two statements are not particularly rational was considered irrelevant. The trinity was seen as mysterious and a matter of faith, not reason.
What follows are eight heresies, ranging from sects that see Jesus Christ as purely divine, to others which see him as purely human.
Sabellianism: Sabellianism is named for its founder Sabellius (fl. 2nd century). It is sometimes referred to as modalistic monarchianism. The father, son, and holy ghost are three modes, roles, or faces of a single person, God. This, of course, implies that Jesus Christ was purely divine, without humanness, and therefore could not truly have suffered or died.
Docetism: The name comes from the Greek word dokesis, meaning “to seem.” Along the same lines as Sabellianism, Docetism says that Christ was not a real human being and did not have a real human body. He only seemed to be human to us. In a nutshell…
Christ only (no Jesus)
Monophysitism: Monophysite comes from the Greek words for “one body.” This heresy says that Jesus Christ was a joining of the eternal Logos with the human person Jesus, which occured at incarnation. He therefore is two separate natures joined in one body. Monophysitism is very much alive in several present-day Egyptian and Middle Eastern sects of Christianity.
Jesus
> Jesus Christ
Christ
Adoptionism: Adoptionism says that Jesus was a human being who was “adopted” by God at his conception, at which point he developed a divine nature. Later versions sometimes suggest that he was adopted later, such as when he was baptized by John the Baptist.
Jesus > Christ
Nestorianism: Supposedly, Nestorius, Patriarch of Antioch (fl. 410), believed that Jesus Christ had two natures – man and God – which remained separate throughout his period on earth. This is not really what Nestor said (although he did deny virgin birth) but the name stuck. You can still find a few Nestorian churches in Iran.
Jesus…
Christ…
Apollinarianism: Named for Apollinaris of Laodicea (fl. 350), this heresy says that Jesus Christ was not a real man, but not totally divine either. Apollinarians suggested that he had a human body and a human soul, but his mind was taken over by the eternal Logos.
Je(Christ)sus
Arianism: Arianism is named after Arius (c. 250 - c. 336), a priest in Alexandria. This is considered the most serious heresy. Jesus Christ was thought of as a special creation by God for man’s salvation. Arianism was the form of Christianity that the Goths adhered to, and it was popular in all the areas they conquered, including Italy, Spain, and Africa.
Socianism: A version of Arianism called Socianism (from the Latin socius, meaning "companion), simply says that Jesus was an extraordinary man. This heresy still lives on in two very different forms, the Unitarians and the Jehova’s Witnesses.
Jesus only (no Christ)
Other Heresies
Not all heresies focussed on the issues of the trinity and Christ’s nature. Here are the four leading examples.
Donatism: Named for its leader, the theologian Donatus the Great (d. 355), Donatism included a group of extremist sects, mostly in North Africa, that emphasized asceticism. They valued martyrdom, found lapses of faith (even under torture or threat of death) inexcusable, and believed that the sacraments required a pure priest to be effective.
Pelagianism: Another group of sects, centered in Gaul, Britain, and Ireland, is associated with the Irish monk Pelagius (fl. 410). He believed that original sin was not transmitted from Adam and Eve to their children (and thereby to us). Baptism was not considered necessary, and people could be “saved” by their own efforts, that is, they did not necessarily require the grace of God. Many modern liberal Christians agee with Pelagius.
Gnosticism: Discussed in the chapter on Roman philosophy and religion, the Christian versions were, obviously, considered serious heresies. Gnosticism has never entirely disappeared, and can be seen in the traditions of Alchemy and Astrology, and even in modern times in the works of Carl Jung.
Manicheanism: Also discussed in that chapter, Manicheanism is actually a separate religion which blends Christianity with Gnosticism, Mithraism, neo-Platonism, and even Buddhism. Again, it was considered a very serious heresy. It survived well into the Middle Ages, where we see it in the form of the Bogomils in Bosnia and the Cathars in southern France. In both cases, the adherents were wiped out of existence by crusades.
For considerably more detail on these and other heresies (from an admittedly Catholic perspective) see the online Catholic Encyclopedia at newadvent.org.
© Copyright 2004 C. George Boeree
“I believe that the blending of Mithric elements into the Christian movement came about when Constantine chose to use them both to gain some kind of religious order”
Bob, were Christians, and the devotees of Mithras at war in the later Roman period?
Also Do you think Mithraic beliefs were conceived in reactionary opposition to Christianity itself or was it simply a coincidence they emerged at around the same time, and if it was indeed a coincidence what effect did these differing beliefs have upon one another?
There is also a question which keeps occuring to me, which is: What variation of Christianity comes the closest to being the original conception of Christ himsef?
Considering the abundancy of heretical beliefs throughout the entire Christian era in europe, the near east and Africa, one must ask which one is correct, if one cares at all. To me it is a curiousity because it throws faith into disorder, for in these deviations called heresies there is a human element completely removed from the ideal conception of the divine. In other words it takes away the foundation of belief and begins to approach a primordial chaos.
“Let’s not forget xianity itself started out as a ‘cult’(mithraic/judaic)”
Dr. S, why was Cristianity able to rise above the level of cult, and become a dominant world religion?
Mithras apparently came to the west via Zoroastrianism, which was a dualist religion, with a good god (Ahura Mazda) and an evil god (Ahriman), who was described as the god of this world. Mithras was seen as a mediator between Ahura Mazda and man, between heaven and earth, as well as being the divine representative of Ahura Mazda on earth, the one who protected the righteous from Ahriman.
Under the “reformed Zoroastrianism” after Zarathusra, Mithras was said to have incarnated on the earth. He was born of a virgin, human mother called Anahita, and ascended into heaven. He was described as God of truth, and as the ‘light of the world’ - he later became linked, and finally submerged with, sol invictus, the Roman god of the sun.
The similarities are striking, but then again, so are the differences. It would have been difficult for Constantine to completely eradicate the Mithras cult if he had wanted to, since most of his soldiers we devoted to Mithras. An amount of mixture took place, probably to please the ‘redeemer’ Ceasar and keep the peace. Afterwards though, the constituted Church tried to eradicate the connections without loosing some of the symbolic power - and has led to the speculation that Christ was only another form of Mithras.
Probably the Gnostics were closer to Christ, but their practises endangered greatly the existence of Christians, causing them to be called ‘atheists’ because Christianity was so unlike the organised Religion of the Roman society. Paul developed a Mythology that could compete with the Mythology within the Roman empire, and assured the growth of the church.
Shalom
Bob