Sabellius

Sabellius was a priest and theologian of the third century. He probably came from Libya or Egypt, and died in exile on the island of Thasos.

He taught 217 in Rome, the doctrine of so-called economic Trinity, also known as modalistischer Monarchianism, according to which God is indivisible, with Father ( Creator and legislators ), son ( Savior ), and Holy Spirit ( the Divine Presence among men ) three chronologically successive manifestations are of the same essence.

This doctrine is contrary to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. Therefore, the Sabellians be reckoned among the Nichttrinitarier.

Sabellius was excommunicated by 220 after his doctrine of Bishop Calixtus I. had been declared to be heresy. Banished to the island of Thasos he died there in the village Kallirachi.

In later Christological disputes the term was used pejoratively Sabellianism against this doctrine and related deviating from the nicäanischen Trinity interpretations.

In the Eastern Churches Sabellianism was used as a label for those variant of Sabellianism, which only emphasized an identity of father and son in favor of differences.

Opponent of Sabellianism were, among others, Hippolytus of Rome, Tertullian, Dionysius of Alexandria, but also Arius.

In the story there are Sabellian ideas in the Spirituals theology of Joachim of Fiore. In the theology of the early reformakatholischen Jacob Frohschammer Sabellius had gone.