THL303: Introduction to Church History: Early Heresies

A study of gnosticism examines the various ways early Christians strove to define themselves in a pluralistic Roman society, while questioning the traditional ideas of heresy and orthodoxy that have previously influenced historians.

Contents: Fragments of a lost faith -- Between demons and Gods : an age of Revelation -- The gnostic imagination -- In the world of the pleroma -- The arrogance of the demiurge and the creation of the world -- And God said, "Let us make man in our image and likeness" -- Mysterium coniunctionis : the gnostic saviour -- Waiting for the end -- Simon magus and the origins of gnosticism -- Visionaries, prophets and divines : towards a history of gnosticism -- Ascetics and libertines

The gnostic writings found at Nag Hammadi have stimulated much controversy about the relationship between early Christians and the diverse religious movement of the first three centuries. Perkins fills the New Testament student's need for a guide to recent developments in scholarship with a helpful survey that addresses the origins of Gnosticism, its relationship to Judaism, Redeemer myths and New Testament hymns, and other relevant topics.

Introduction: The problem of gnosticism --
pt. 1. Christianity and gnosticism --
pt. 2. How gnosticism could have been formed.

Bringing to a new generation a resource that has been used in theology & church history courses for more than 30 years, this volume features translations of the most important primary documents, introductions to the context of each text & new supplementary materials.

Arianism has always been regarded as the archetypal heresy. It did affirm the divinity of Christ as the Son of God, but, unlike orthodoxy, it regarded the divinity as secondary and inferior to that of the Father, the one Supreme God. Recently many scholars have presented a more positive view of the religious intentions of Arianism than has been customary in the past. Yet the Nicene Creed, which was designed explicitly to outlaw Arianism, remains one of the primary expressions of Christian orthodoxy. Maurice Wiles traces the history of how Arianism has been viewed in later Christian thought, particularly where scholars or religious groups have adopted broadly Arian views.

Contents: Introduction: Images of a Heresy -- pt. I. Arius and the Nicene Crisis -- A. Arius before Arianism -- B. The Nicene Crisis: Documents and Dating -- pt. II. Arius and Theology -- A. The Theology of Arius -- B. Alexandria and the Legacy of Origen -- C. Theology Outside Egypt -- pt. III. Arius and Philosophy -- A. Creation and Beginning -- B. Intellect and Beyond -- C. Analogy and Participation -- App. 1. Arius since 1987 -- App. 2. Credal Documents

Ancient heresies have modern expressions which influence our churches and culture, creating cruel dilemmas for today's Christian in th forms of error, sin, and various distortions of orthodox faith. In The Cruelty of Heresy Bishop Allison captures the drama and relevance of the Councils of the fourth and fifth centuries, and shows how the remarkable achievements of these early struggles still provide valuable guidelines, embodied in the Creeds, for believers "who are mystified and disturbed by attempts to jettison key doctrines of the faith."