Heresies and Blasphemies: Introduction

Through the centuries of the Church, there have been many people who introduced false, mistaken, curious teachings to the faithful. Some of them seem like "what if" questions that got out of hand. Some attracted a handful of followers, other caused violence, martyrdom and took centuries to suppress. Some of the actually continue today under various names. These are not necessarily cults, sects or denominations; many of the people involved never formally split from the Church, and, indeed, thought they were teaching the truth. But, as sincere and well-meaning as some may have been, they were misguided.

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to post short articles about some of these heresies, blasphemies, false teachings and organized mistakes. The articles will be taken from a variety of sources, most with the names "Catholic", "Dictionary" or "Encyclopedia" somewhere in the title. When there are longer, more in-depth and scholarly articles available, such as from the Catholic Encylopedia, or papal documents that speak specifically to the matter, I'll add links to those, too.

Maybe you'll be familiar with all of these, but there may be terms you will have heard but for which you may not know the details, and others where you will surprised to know that you knew about it but didn't know the name or how ancient it was. I hope you'll learn something from it.

There's a list of the articles ready and planned. We're going to start here with some base terms and concepts, ideas and definitions that will be used again and again in these articles, and are the basis for choosing the articles in this series.

heresy

From the Greek hairesis, choice. Deciding for oneself what one shall believe and practise instead of accepting the truth taught by Christ, and His moral teachings.

heretic

One who, having professed the faith of Christ, corrupts its dogmas. He may be a material heretic, adhering to heresy innocently or from involuntary causes, or a formal heretic, knowingly and freely adhering to heresy. It can also refer to one who holds opinions at variance with recognized teachings in philosophy, science, or art. Since the term is somewhat odious, it is more properly applied to the originators of heresy than to their descendants and remote followers. For a more detailed explanation, see the Catholic Encyclopedia article.

blasphemy

From the Greek blapto, injure; pkemi, speak. Any word of malediction, reproach, or contumely pronounced against God. For a more detailed explanation, see the Catholic Encyclopedia article.

apostasy; apostate

From the Greek apostasis, a standing-off. A total defection from the Christian religion, after previous acceptance through faith and baptism. Refusal to accept a particular tenet of the faith is properly called heresy. Apostasy may be merely interior, or exteriorly manifested as well. It may be formal (with full consciousness of the obligation to remain in the faith), or material (without such consciousness). Exterior formal apostasy involves excommunication, reserved in a special manner to the Holy See. Apostasy from religious life is the unauthorized departure from a religious house of an inmate under perpetual vows, with the intention of not returning; or, if the departure be legitimate, a subsequent refusal to return in order thus to withdraw from the obligations of religious obedience. Such apostates incur excommunication. For a more detailed explanation, see the Catholic Encyclopedia article.

abjuration

The solemn act which renounces a heretical doctrine, by reading out a formula of faith in the presence of the Ordinary or his delegate. Until the end of the 10th century it was not formally distinguished from the penitential rites for the readmission of an apostate, or of a heretic baptized outside the Church. For infidels abjuration has a character more ritual than juridical and is contained in the rite of Baptism itself.

schism

From the Greek, schizo, divide. It is the rupture of ecclesiastical union, or the act by which one of the faithful severs the ties which make him a member of the Church, and the breach of ecclesiastical unity, or the state of dissociation or separation which is the result of that act. The hierarchical unity of the Church was taught by Christ and His Apostles and was maintained by the early Fathers. The great champion of ecclesiastical unity was Saint Cyprian of Carthage who conceived this unity as reposing on the effective authority of the bishops, their mutual union, and the pre-eminence of the Roman pontiff. Schisms have disturbed the Church in every age. The Ebionites in the 1st century; the schisms of Novatian; Donatus Aquilea, the Eastern and Western Schisms, Jansenism, the German Catholics, the Old Catholics, are a few of the principle breaches.

Schism is generally divided into two kinds:

• heretical or mixed, which has its source in heresy or is joined with it

• schism pure and simple, which is merely the rupture of the bond of subordination

The many attempts to legitimize schism have met with disfavor. Some have claimed that they cannot ally themselves with abuses in the Church, others have pleaded the division of the Articles of the Creed into fundamental and non-fundamental, and still others have advanced the theory that the individual should abide by Scripture alone. None of these views can be permitted, however, for theologians have always maintained that unity cannot be preserved save through absolute obedience to the authority of the Church as vested in the hierarchy.

Schism is a most serious sin, punishable by excommunication incurred ipso facto, by loss of ordinary jurisdiction, and incapacity to receive any ecclesiastical dignities. Moreover, the faithful are strictly forbidden to receive the Sacraments from Schismatics or to assist at any services in their temples.

superstition

A "vice opposed to religion by way of excess, not because in the worship of God it does more than true religion, but because it offers Divine worship to beings other than God or offers worship to God in an improper manner" (Saint Thomas). To honor God ,vith ceremonies approved by the Church is true worship, and not superstition. On the other hand worship based on rejected rites, heresy, spurious revelations, and the like is false, while concession to circumstances of an efficacy they have not is superfluous and superstitious.

dogma

From the Greek for opinion, decree. An opinion or belief authoritatively stated, a truth appertaining to faith or morals, revealed by God, transmitted by the Apostles in the Scriptures or tradition, and proposed by the Church as an article of faith, to be accepted by the faithful. In the sense that a dogma is an idea, it follows that dogmatism is necessary for religion, since a religion without ideas is meaningless. The dogmas of the Church, being the intellectual conception and verbal express of Divine truth, naturally take on the characteristic of truth, viz., unchangeableness or immutability. Mathematics has certain dogmas which are permanent and fixed because they are grounded in the very nature of reason itself, e.g., the principle that the whole is greater than any of its parts. The dogmas of the Church, on the other hand, are true because grounded on the authority of the Divine Reason who reveals them. The term dogma is also used in an odious sense of a statement made arbitrarily or arrogantly.