Heresy

Heresy is defined by Thomas Aquinas as "a species of infidelity in men who, having professed the faith of Christ, corrupt its dogmas". Heresy is both the nonorthodox belief itself, and the act of holding to that belief.

The term is used primarily in the Catholic Church, although other Christian (and non-Christian) churches sometimes have similar concepts. Its use is far less common today even within Catholicism than it was during the Middle Ages, when the Church's power was at its height and heresy was often an offense punishable by clerical or secular powers.

While the term is often used by laymen to indicate any nonorthodox belief such as Paganism, by its literal definition heresy can only be committed by someone who was at first a believer in orthodox Catholicism and who subsequently renounces that orthodoxy in favor of a belief in opposition to the teachings of the Church. Also, a person who completely renounces Christianity is not considered a heretic, but an apostate, and a person who renounces the authority of the Church but not its teachings is termed a schismatic.

The Church makes several distinctions as to the seriousness of an individual heterodoxy and its closeness to true heresy. Only a belief that directly contravenes an article of faith, or that has been explicity rejected by the Church, is labelled as actual "heresy". A belief that the church has not directly rejected, or that is at variance with less important church teachings, is given the label, sententia haeresi proxima, meaning "opinion approaching heresy". A theological argument, belief, or theory that does not constitute heresy in itself, but which leads to conclusions which might be held to do so, is termed propositio theologice erronea, or "erroneous theology". Finally, if the theological position only suggests but does not necessarily lead to a doctrinal conflict, it might be given the even milder label of sententia de haeresi suspecta, haeresim sapiens, meaning "opinion suspected, or savouring, of heresy".

Some significant controversies of doctrine have risen over the course of history. Sometimes there have been many heresies over single points of doctrine, particularly the nature of the Trinity, the doctrine of transubstantiation, the immaculate conception, and other dogmas.

Church Response to Heresy

The Church has always fought in favor of orthodoxy and the Pope's authority as the successor of St. Peter to establish truth. At different times in history, it has had varying degrees of power to resist or punish heretics.

In the early church, heresies were sometimes determined by a council of bishops, or ecumenical council, such as the First Council of Nicaea. At the council, the orthodox position was established, and all who failed to adhere to it would thereafter be considered heretics. The church had little power to actually punish heretics in the early years, other than by excommunication, a spiritual punishment. To the devout, an excommunication was the worst form of punishment possible, as it separated the individual from the body of Christ, his Church, and prevented salvation. Excommunication, or even the threat of excommunication, was enough to convince many a heretic to renounce his views.

In later years, the Church (and sometimes lay power) instituted the Inquisition, an official body charged with the suppression of heresy. The Spanish Inquisition was particularly brutal in its methods, which included the burning at the stake of many heretics.

Early Heresies

A number of heresies have to do with the nature of Christ and the relationship between the Father and the Son. The orthodox teaching is that Christ was fully divine and at the same time fully human, and that the three persons of the Trinity are equal and eternal. Some of the more significant or interesting, historically, are:

Protestant Heresies

The Catholic Church does not consider modern Protestantism to be a heresy, per se, but the individuals who were involved in its rise and who directly opposed the Church's teachings on points of doctrine were declared heretics by the Church. Once the Protestants formally renounced the Church of Rome, they became schismatics rather than heretics.

Some of the doctrines of Protestantism that are considered heretical are the belief that the Bible is the only source and rule of faith ("sola scriptura"), that faith alone can lead to salvation ("sola fide") and that there is a universal priesthood of believers.

Some quotes and information in this article came from the [Catholic Encyclopedia].