Monarchianism
Guarding God's oneness so fiercely it lost either the persons or the Son's divinity
Monarchianism is an umbrella term for teachings that safeguarded God's oneness at a cost. Modalist monarchianism, linked to Praxeas, Noetus, and Sabellius, denied any real distinction among the persons. Dynamic monarchianism denied Christ's full deity, treating him as a man empowered by God. Tertullian was among its leading opponents, and the Church condemned these views as failing to hold both God's unity and the genuine distinctions of Father, Son, and Spirit.
How it traveled
- Against Praxeas.— · c. 220 CEchallenges
- The Church History of EusebiusCaesarea · c. 339 CEexplains
Key passages(13)
Each passage is tagged by what it does with the idea: explains it, applies it in practice, redefines it with a new meaning, or challenges it. Relevance shows how directly the passage is about this idea.
Against Praxeas. · Anti-marcion
Chapter X.—The Very Names of Father and Son Prove the Personal Distinction of the Two. They Cannot Possibly Be Identical, Nor is Their Identity Necessary to Preserve the Divine Monarchy. So it is eit
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The Church History of Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
Chapter VI.—The Heresy of Sabellius. He refers also in the same letter to the heretical teachings of Sabellius, Of the life of Sabellius we know very little. He was at the head of the Monarchian (mo
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The Church History of Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
Chapter XXXIII.—The Error of Beryllus. 1. Beryllus, whom we mentioned recently as bishop of Bostra in Arabia, turned aside from the ecclesiastical standard Beryllus, bishop of Bostra in Arabia (ment
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Against Praxeas. · Anti-marcion
Chapter XXIII.—More Passages from the Same Gospel in Proof of the Same Portion of the Catholic Faith. Praxeas’ Taunt of Worshipping Two Gods Repudiated. Again, when Martha in a later passage acknowle
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The Catechetical Lectures of S. Cyril · Cyril of Jerusalem
Lecture VI. Concerning the Unity of God Περὶ Θεοῦ Μοναρχίας. The word μοναρχία, as used by Plato (Polit. 291 C), Aristotle (Polit. III. xiv. 11. εἶδος μοναρχίας βασιλικῆς), Philo Judæus (de Circumci
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Against Heresies: Book II · Irenaeus of Lyons
1. Moreover, in addition to what has been said, Basilides himself will, according to his own principles, find it necessary to maintain not only that there are three hundred and sixty-five heavens made
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Against Praxeas. · Anti-marcion
Chapter XVIII.—The Designation of the One God in the Prophetic Scriptures. Intended as a Protest Against Heathen Idolatry, It Does Not Preclude the Correlative Idea of the Son of God. The Son is in th
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The Church History of Eusebius · Eusebius of Caesarea
Chapter XXVII.—Paul of Samosata, and the Heresy introduced by him at Antioch. 1. After Xystus had presided over the church of Rome for eleven years, Xystus II. was bishop only eleven months, not ele
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The Acts of the Disputation with the Heresiarch Manes. · Archelaus
14. The judges said: If you have any clearer statement yet to make, give us some explanation of the natureManes replied: I hold that there are two natures, one good and another evil; and that the one
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Book First. of the Knowledge of God the Creator · John Calvin
The name of Trinity was so much disliked, nay detested, by Servetus, that he charged all whom he called Trinitarians with being Atheists. I say nothing of the insulting terms in which he thought prope
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Jerome and Gennadius. Lives of Illustrious Men · Jerome
Chapter LXIX. Dionysius,On penitence, another To the Romans, by the hand of Hippolytus, two letters To Xystus, who had succeeded Stephen, two also To Philemon and Dionysius, presbyters of the church
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Rhodon. [a.d. 180.] This RhodonHexaëmeron was an attempt to refute Moses; but whether he also fulfilled his promise concerning an ᾽Επίλυσις of Tatian’s Problems (or Questions), seems doubtful. Routh
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Malchion. · Anatolius and Minor Writers
Malchion. ———————————— Translator’s Biographical Notice. [a.d. 270.] Eusebiussecond, in opposition to Pearson, who holds that there was but one council at Antioch. This synod met apparently about a
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