Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

11 results found

Marcion

(Encyclopedia)Marcion märˈshən, märˈsēən [key], c.85–c.160, early Christian bishop, founder of the Marcionites, one of the first great Christian heresies to rival Catholic Christianity. He was born in Sino...

antinomianism

(Encyclopedia)antinomianism ăntĭnōˈmēənĭzəm [key] [Gr.,=against the law], the belief that Christians are not bound by the moral law, particularly that of the Old Testament. The idea was strong among the Gno...

Docetism

(Encyclopedia)Docetism dōsētˈĭzəm [key] [Gr.,=to appear], early heretical trend in Christian thought. Docetists claimed that Christ was a mere phantasm who only seemed to live and suffer. A similar tendency to...

Ophites

(Encyclopedia)Ophites ōˈfīts [key] [Gr.,=believers in the serpent], group of Gnostic sects notorious for extreme cultism and inverted morality. Certain of these sects were known as Naasseni. Almost all that is k...

Paulicians

(Encyclopedia)Paulicians pôlĭshˈənz [key], Christian heretical sect. The sect developed in Armenia from obscure origins and is first mentioned in the middle of the 6th cent., where it is associated with Nestori...

Ephraem, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Ephraem, Saint ēˈfrāˌəm [key], a.d. 308?–373, Syrian theologian, Doctor of the Church. He taught at Nisibis and Edessa and composed biblical exegeses (now almost all lost) and numerous sacred v...

Cathari

(Encyclopedia)Cathari kăthˈərī [key] [Gr.,=pure], name for members of the widespread dualistic religious movement of the Middle Ages. Carried from the Balkans to Western Europe, Catharism flourished in the 12th...

Polycarp, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Polycarp, Saint pŏlˈĭkärp [key], c.a.d. 70–a.d. 156?, Greek bishop of Smyrna, Father of the Church. He was a disciple of St. John, who appointed him bishop. Thus he linked the apostles and such ...

New Testament

(Encyclopedia)New Testament, the distinctively Christian portion of the Bible, consisting of 27 books of varying lengths dating from the earliest Christian period. The seven epistles whose authorship by St. Paul is...

Manichaeism

(Encyclopedia)Manichaeism mănĭkēˈənĭzəm [key], religion founded by Mani (c.216–c.276). Several Christian emperors, including Justinian, published edicts against the Manichees. St. Augustine, in his yout...

Browse by Subject