Monarchianism

Sabellianism (from Greek μόνος Mónos "one ", "alone" and ἄρχειν archein " reign " ) is an umbrella term for a heterogeneous group of theological approaches to Christianity in the time since the 2nd century. The term Sabellianism first used by Tertullian. This is not a self-designation of a particular school or a term for a uniform system of theology. Common to very different approaches monarchianischen only that they wanted to solve the problem of the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ as the Son of God in the sense of a strict monotheism. They proposed a way which brought them into conflict with church teachings and - insofar as they represented their belief with radical consequence - led to its condemnation as a heretic.

The ancient Monarchians feared that the doctrine of the Trinity could lead to actually to make the Father and the Son to two different gods. To avoid this danger, they beat two completely opposite ways. One direction was the unity of God (meaning the Father ) true, by teaching that Christ was born a mere man and raised and later adopted as God's son ( "adopted" ) have been ( or dynamic Monarchianism Adoptionism ). The other direction, in contrast, emphasized the unity of God (as father and son) in such a way that father and son were regarded as different manifestations of the one God. This led these Monarchians to believe God the Father himself had suffered in the form of the Son on the Cross ( modalism or Patripassianismus ).

Dynamic Monarchianism

Dynamic Monarchianism or Adoptionismus, referred to by opponents as Psilantropismus, going from a monotheism of God the Father from. Jesus Christ as a mere when viewed also supernaturally by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin man who was equipped at his baptism by God particularly large degree by force and adopted as a son. As a scriptural basis for this are Mark 1:9-11 EU and - albeit controversial - Romans 1,3 f EU stated. This view was first represented about 190 in Rome by Theodotus of Byzantium and then by his successor Artemon.

Theodotus argued that this doctrine of the apostolic tradition entstamme. He was excommunicated by Pope Victor I.. Artemon was rejected by Hippolytus, who condemned the doctrine as an innovative attempt to rationalize the font according to the Hellenistic logic.

It is likely that Paul of Samosata represented a more advanced version of this dynamic Monarchianism. He described the album as the inherent reason of God in nature, which led him to formulate a doctrine of homoousia ( consubstantiality ) of the Logos and the Father, which necessarily denied the personal pre-existence of the Logos. Therefore, was sentenced 268 both this doctrine as a whole and the use of the word homoousia by the Council of Antioch. To perform the dynamic Monarchianism consistently, Paul also taught that the Holy Spirit is not a personal being but simply a manifestation of the grace of the Father.

The Theodotianer ( Melchisedekianer according to the scripture Hebrews 5:6) form a group dynamistic Monarchians and are named after the changer Theodotus of Byzantium and Theodotus.

Today, dynamic Monarchianism for example by the Christadelphians, The Way International and Unitarians is represented.

Modalism

Modalism (also modalistischer Monarchianism called ) tried the problem in the opposite way to solve it by he maintained the full deity of the Son and thereby for the purpose of preservation of monotheism came to positions that, at least from the perspective of opponents to an identity of father and son also ran. The earliest Monarchians in the 2nd and 3rd centuries were Noetus of Smyrna, wrote against the Hippolytus ( Philosophumena IX 7.10, X 27; Contra haeresim coercion ), and Praxeas, the Tertullian fought with Scripture Adversus Praxean. Both were polemically called Patripassianer. Patripassianismus ( "suffering of the Father", from the Latin pater, "father", and passio, "suffering" ) was a term introduced by Tertullian battle cry; the name modalism was introduced only in modern times. Patripassianismus teaches that it was the Father who became man, was born of a virgin and who suffered on the cross and died. Praxeas tried to modify, by making a distinction between the Christ who is the Father and the Son, who is a simple man. In this way, the Father suffered with the human Jesus.

The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs speak in their Christian passages from an appearance of God in human form on earth, and are not afraid to talk at one point of a "suffering of the Most High ." You may be an indication that there was modalistic ideas in Jewish-Christian area.

A more sophisticated form of modalism taught by Sabellius in Rome in the early third century and therefore got the name Sabellianism. Sabellius taught the existence of a divine hypostasis called by him huiopator that in the three Prosopa ( πρόσωπον = drama mask, role ) shows. These correspond to three revealed ways ( modes ): In the creation of the einpersonale God manifest as Father, as Son in redemption and in the work of sanctification as the Holy Spirit. These were three modes, which revealed the same divine person.

Sabellius was excluded by Pope Calixtus I ( 217-222 ) of the ecclesial community, Sabellianism was opposed by the Alexandrian bishop Dionysius the Greeks ( c. 247-264 ) and then finally 262 by the bishop of Rome, Dionysius ( 259-268 ) authoritatively condemned.

Modalism was in sharp contrast to the traditional, derived from Greek philosophy conviction that God can not suffer, as this would be incompatible with its perfection and self-sufficiency. This belief ( doctrine of the apathy of God) was particularly represented in Platonism and Aristotelianism and adopted by the Church Fathers, with the significant exception of Lactantius ( de ira dei ). Nevertheless, the majority were the teachings that emanated from a suffering God, unacceptable to the Church.

A kind of modalism is now held by some groups of the Pentecostal movement, the United Apostolic Church and of several of the smaller Mormon churches.