THE GREAT HERESIES

Gnosticism
 Gnosis- knowledge
 Multi-faceted
 Salvation achieved through knowledge
 Pre-Christian, Eastern origins
o Persia, India
 Perversion of doctrine and symbols
 Founder: Simon Magus
o Acts 8:9-24
 Fundamental Points:
o Secret knowledge given to a select few (elitist)
o Dualism
 Demi-Urge
 creator of visible world
 Emanated from the divine being
 Author and ruler of created world
 Source of all evil
 Unknown god/ Divine being
 Source of all good
o All creation is inherently evil
o Jesus didn’t have human nature
 Brought secret knowledge from unknown god
 Didn’t die on the cross
o Matter is corrupted Spirit
 Catholic response
o St Irraneus, Tertullian, St Hippolytus

Marcionism
 Marcion
o Excommunicated 144AD
o Son of a bishop
 Developed from Gnosticism
 Concept of Dualism
o Demi-urge
 Jealous, revengeful god of the Old Testament
 Jewish god
 God of the Law
o God of Jesus Christ
 God of Love
 No connection with old testament god
 True God
 To destroy the Jewish religion
 Main Thesis: Law vs Love
  St Paul is the only authority
 Canon: 10 epistles of St Paul, edited Gospel of St Luke
 By the 3rd century: followers merged to Manicheanism

Manicheanism
 Founder: Mani
o Persia
o 216-270 AD
 Spread to Persia, India