The Heresies
The Chief Heresies: The major corruptions of the doctrines of the Church
1. Arianism
The Arians were founded by the heresiarch Arius, an ambitious priest of Alexandria, born about A.D. 250 and died A.D. 336. They denied the divinity of our Lord, and said that He was not born of the Father, but made by Him; that He was not equal to, but inferior to, the Father. These heretics were condemned at the Council of Nicaea, a town in Bithynia, A.D. 325, under Pope St. Sylvester I. The Nicene creed was drawn up at this council.
This religion was founded by the Persian Mani in the latter half of the third century. The Manicheans taught that our Lord did not take to Himself a real body, but only the appearance of a body, something similar to what the angels assumed when they visited holy persons, as mentioned in Scripture. They also said that there were two gods, a good one and a bad one. These heresies commenced about A.D. 280, and were finally condemned in the Fourth Lateran Council by Pope Innocent III., A.D. 1215.
3. Pneumatomachi / Macedonianism
The Macedonians were followers of Macedonius, who had usurped the see of Constantinople with Arian support. He denied the Godhead of the Holy Ghost, and said that He was only a creation like the angels, but of a higher order. This heresy was condemned at the First Council of Constantinople, A.D. 381, under Pope St. Damasus I.
4. Pelagianism
The Pelagians were founded by Pelagius, a native of Britain. He denied the existence of original sin in the soul of man, and taught that without the aid of grace man is perfectly able to fulfill the law of God. This heresy was condemned at a council of African bishops held at Carthage, A.D. 416, the decision of the council being confirmed by Pope St. Innocent I, and again at the Council of Ephesus, A.D. 431.
5. Nestorianism
The Nestorians were followers of Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople. He taught that there were two separate persons in our Lord, one the Son of God, and the other the son of man; and that the blessed Virgin was not Mother of God, but only of the Man Christ. This heresy was condemned at the Council of Ephesus, A.D. 431, under Pope St. Celestine I. The latter part of the "Hail Mary" was added—"Holy Mary, Mother of God," etc.
6. Monophysitism / Eutychianism
The Eutychians, founded by Eutyches, taught that there was only one nature, the divine, in our Lord. He said, that at the moment of the incarnation, the human nature was absorbed by, or changed into, the divine. This heresy was condemned at the Council of Chalcedon, A.D. 451, under Pope St. Leo the Great.
7. Semi-Pelagianism
The Semi-Pelagians taught that the beginning of faith and first desire of virtue came from the powers of man alone, unassisted by divine grace. They also said that the grace of final perseverance can be merited by our own efforts, and is not a free gift of God. This heresy was first taught by some priests of Marseilles. It was condemned at the Second Council of Orange, A.D. 529, the decrees of the council being confirmed by Pope Boniface II.
8. Monothelitism
The Monothelites said that Jesus Christ had no separate human will, but only a divine one. They were condemned at the Third Council of Constantinople, A.D. 680, under Pope St. Agatho.
9. Iconoclasm
The Iconoclasts, or breakers of holy images, rejected the use of holy images and pictures, and the practice of paying them due respect. They were condemned at the Second Council of Nicaea, A.D. 787, under Pope Adrian I.
10. Great Schism
The Greek Heresy and Schism was commenced in 879 by Photius, who, though not a priest, took unjust possession of the see of Constantinople. This schism was consummated in A.D. 1054, by Michael Cerularius, who broke entirely away from the supremacy of the Popes, and established what is called the Greek Church. The Greeks say that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father alone, instead of from the Father and the Son, as taught by the Catholic Church from the beginning. Photius was deposed and condemned at the Fourth Council of Constantinople, A.D. 870, under Pope Adrian II., and St. Ignatius was restored to his see.
11. Berengarianism
Berengarius was archdeacon of Angers. His heresy said that the body and blood of our Lord are not really present in the holy Eucharist, but only in figure. He was condemned at Rome, A.D. 1078.
12. Albigensianism
The Albigenses taught that there were two Gods and two Christs; they condemned marriage, denied all the sacraments and the resurrection of the body. For more, see: The Albigensian Attack.
It was while preaching to these heretics that the devotion of the rosary was revealed by the blessed Virgin to St. Dominic.
13. Waldensianism
The Waldenses taught that it was a heinous sin for a magistrate to condemn to death for any crime; that it was a mortal sin to take an oath; and that the clergy became reprobates by holding one farthing's worth of property. The Albigenses and Waldenses were condemned at the Third Lateran Council, under Pope Alexander III., A.D. 1179.
14. John Wycliffe
Wycliffe taught that the Pope is not the visible head of the Church; that bishops have not preeminence over simple priests; that all ecclesiastical powers are either forfeited or are in abeyance during mortal sin; that man is bound to sin; that God approves of sin; that confession is quite useless; and that temporal princes should cut off the head of any ecclesiastic who sinned, etc.
These doctrines were, after the death of Wycliffe, preached by John Hus and his followers in the towns and villages of Bohemia. Condemned at the Council of Constance, A.D. 1414.
15. Lutheranism
Luther was a Catholic monk of the Order of St. Augustine, and a professor in the University of Wittenberg. Pride and jealousy induced him to attack the ancient faith and invent a new creed.
After Pope Leo X granted a plenary indulgence, Luther was jealous that the commission to preach it was given to the Dominicans, and not to his own order. Thereafter, he attacked the doctrine of indulgences itself.
He also came up with the idea that faith "alone" will save men, although that is not in the Bible; HE eventually claimed that the sacrifice of the Mass is an abomination; that there is no necessity for confession, abstinence, fasting, or any mortification whatever. He said that priests might marry; he mad eup the idea that each man is his own priest and so denied the supremacy of the Pope; he wrote against purgatory, free will, and almost every article of Christian belief. There isnt a Protestant denomination today that hasnt adopted some or all of his manufactured ideas.
16. Calvinism
Calvin, regarded as second only to Luther, was the founder of Presbyterianism. His chief stronghold was Geneva. He taught, among other things, that God created men on purpose to damn the greater number of them; that God is the author of all sin; and that man has no free will. He denounced not only the Pope, but bishops and priests also.
At the Council of Trent, held from 1545 to 1563 A.D., the heresies of Luther, Calvin, and others were condemned. The creed of Pope Pius IV is grounded on the decisions of this council.
17. Jansenism
The Jansenists, so called after their leader, Jansenius, bishop of Ypres, in Flanders maintained that man was not free; that it was impossible to keep some of God's commandments; that all good works of unbelievers are sins; that God will punish us for not practicing virtues which are not in our power; that our Lord died only to save a few privileged souls, and not the whole human race.
Two illustrious French bishops, Bossuet and Fenelon, defended the truth against these heretics.
Christopher de Beaumont, archbishop of Paris (1746-1781), was also a great champion of the true faith, and by his virtues and exertions did much to put down this heresy, which had already been condemned by Pope Urban VIII., A.D. 1642, and by Pope Clement XI, A.D. 1705.
18. Modernism
Modernism is the name given to a broad movement that reinterprets Church doctrine according to modern rationalism, liberal Protestant criticism, subjectivism, and evolutionary views of dogma. Modernists treat dogma not as fixed revealed truth, but as personally changing religious "experiences"; they question miracles, prophecy, the historical reliability of Scripture, the divinity of Christ, and the permanent authority of the Church’s teachings.
Pope St. Pius X condemned Modernism in the decree Lamentabili Sane and the encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis, A.D. 1907, calling it the “synthesis of all heresies,” because it does not merely deny one doctrine, but undermines the foundations by which doctrine is known, preserved, and believed.
This one is mysteriously absent from this list. It was, and conitnues to be, one of the major heresies of Christianity. No discussion of the topic is complete without acknowledging Gnosticism.
Of all the heresies, Gnosticism was really the the biggest tipping point. It was a major early heresy that combined Eastern mysticism with humanist spiritual principles. Gnostics taught that salvation comes not from faith in Christ's atonement, but from acquiring secret, mystical knowledge, aka, "gnosis..." which only they had.
Gnostics embraced radical dualism: the spiritual realm was seen as purely good, while the physical, material world was considered inherently evil and created by an inferior deity, the demiurge.
To make their worldview mesh with Christianity, Gnostics adopted docetism, the belief that Jesus was a purely spiritual being who only seemed to have a physical body.... like a hologram.
They denied His incarnation, bodily death, and resurrection, viewing Jesus primarily as a god-like revealer rather than a savior from sin.
Because they viewed all matter as evil, they either practiced extreme asceticism or indulged in unrestrained physical behavior. Their primary influence was felt 1st-3rd centuries, and they were the main reason the Bible was compiled and made the true guide for apostolic Christian belief.
However, Gnosticism has never really disappeared. During the middle ages, Gnostic-influenced dualist movements, such as the Bogomils and Cathars, emerge in Eastern and Western Europe before being extinguished during the Inquisition. In 1945, The Nag Hammadi collection of Coptic Gnostic texts is discovered in Egypt, providing modern historians with direct access to ancient Gnostic writings.
And today, modern movements drawing from ancient Gnostic ideas span organized spiritual organizations, broad cultural phenomena, and philosophical outlooks. Known collectively as neo-Gnosticism, these contemporary expressions focus on individual spiritual experience over religion. It is safe to say that the, "spiritual humanism" so popular today has its roots in Gnosticism.
Contemporary Neo-Gnostic Movements
Formal Neo-Gnostic Churches: In the late 19th and 20th centuries, formal Gnostic revivals took root in Western Europe. Today, organized bodies like the Ecclesia Gnostica and the Gnostic Catholic Church perform mystical liturgies, celebrating ancient alternative Christian concepts.
The New Age Movement: Broad New Age practices strongly echo Gnosticism by rejecting institutional authorities and traditional theology. They emphasize looking inward to uncover a "divine spark," "energy of the universe," "oneness with all," etc., and so achieve higher consciousness, creating a highly individualized, subjective spirituality.
The Mandaeans: The only continuous, surviving Gnostic community from antiquity. Originally based in Iraq and Iran, Mandaeans revere John the Baptist and maintain their strict ancient traditions across global diaspora communities.
Psychology (Carl Jung): Noted Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung studied ancient Gnostics deeply. He viewed their cosmic struggle between physical matter and secret wisdom as a brilliant symbolic mapping of human psychology and the integration of the unconscious mind.
Transhumanism and Digital Culture: Modern transhumanism—the quest to liberate human consciousness from the biological body using technology—often mirrors the classic Gnostic disgust with physical limitations.
This "mind over matter" theme heavily shapes modern media. Hit films like The Matrix, The Truman Show, the Star Wars franchise with it's slogan..."may the Force be with you," ... all center entirely on characters realizing their physical reality is an illusion or a prison, prompting a quest for hidden truth to achieve liberation.
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