Praxeas

Praxeas was a theologian from Asia Minor, who lived in the second half of the 2nd and early 3rd century AD. He was a representative of Sabellianism, who identified in contrast to the trinitarian doctrine of God the Father with the Son, as different manifestations of the same God ( modalism ), which would be so died with Jesus on the cross ( Patripassianismus ).

Praxeas is known primarily from the Scriptures Tertullian against him ( Adversus Praxean ), Tertullian wrote around 213, when Praxeas ' doctrine of Rome in North Africa ( Carthage ) spread where Tertullian had. Tertullian summed up his doctrine in this way: Paracletum fugavit et Patrem crucifixit ( "He drove the Holy Spirit ( Paraclete ) and crucified the Father "). Tertullian referred Praxeas as a troublemaker who would boast of a martyrdom, which was in reality only a short imprisonment. Moreover, he makes him responsible for ensuring that he had taken care to 198 during his appearance in Rome about 190 that the former Popes ( Viktor I. and from 199 his successor Zephyrinus ) had actually already decided to revoke the approval of Montanism. Tertullian was himself a follower of Montanism, he ' defended against Praxeas attacks. As Tertullian wrote against him, Praxeas was no longer active. According to Tertullian, he had his views revoked ( revocation would be in the archives of the North African Church ) and his teaching had been apparently been eradicated, but was taken up again by others ( which he did not name names ), against whom Tertullian then applies.

Another representative of the Monarchianism from the same period is Noet, who also hails from Asia Minor.

Praxeas is listed by Tertullian praescriptione also in the list of heretics De haereticorum.