Chapter I - ON ORTHODOXY AND HETERODOXY AS SUCH

This short chapter discusses what is orthodoxy and what is heterodoxy, and how to distinguish them. (Length of this chapter, with notes, = 7 pp.)

Chapter II - THE APOSTLES AND THE FATHERS ON HERESY

In the New Testament there are already warnings against deviant opinions. The first great inventorist of heresies was Irenaeus of Lyons in the second century A.D. Later we are informed by Hegesippus and still more by Epiphanius. Augustine's attitude to heretics is discussed. (Length of this chapter, with notes, = 11 pp.)

Chapter II - THE APOLOGISTS

`Apologists' are those early Christian authors, who wrote `apologies' = defenses and explanations of the Christian faith. In doing so, they made use of philosophical concepts. Not a few of them got nearer to pagan philosophy than to Christian dogmatics. This is especially true of Origen, whose writings became, a century after his death, the subject of a vehement controversy. (Length of this chapter, with notes, = 29 pp.)

Chapter III - ADOPTIONISM : WAS JESUS REALLY DIVINE?

Some theologians of the early Church thought that Jesus, although a great prophet, was not really the Son of God; his divinity was the result of his being `adopted', as an ordinary human person , by the Father. This naturally also meant a rejection of the idea of the Trinity. The Monarchists, the Modalists, and Paulinianism defended this position. (Length of this chapter, with notes, = 20 pp.)

Chapter IV - THE ASCETIC URGE

There were in the ancient Church strong tendencies towards ascetism. Some found that all Christians had to live ascetically, preferably as vegetarians. Their attitude towards sex was negative. Christians should not shun martyrdom, perhaps even seek it.

The first sect to propagate this way of life was that of the Encratists. More widespread was Montanism in Asia Minor, with its female prophetesses. The Donatists in North Africa found the attitude of the Church with regard to those who had lapsed during the persecutions lax. They should never be admitted again to the Christian fold. This led to a schism and the foundation of the Donatist Church.

The Spaniard Priscillian took a sombre view of this world; in his view there are two kinds of wisdom, one of God, and one of the men or the flesh. Priscillian and some of his companions were the first heretics to be executed, by order of the Emperor Maximus (A.D. 385 ). (Length of this chapter, with notes, = 93 pp.)

Chapter VI - THE ARIAN CONTROVERSY

The greatest upheaval in the ancient Church was caused by Arius, who, shortly after A.D. 300, denied that Jesus was the Son of God; he was an inspired prophet, but not divine. This caused an enormous controversy, because Arius won many adherents.

In 325 the Council of Nicaea almost unanimously decreed that Jesus was really the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. This did not spell the end of the controversy; for decades the theological battle raged in the Church. Athanasius defended the orthodox position; councils and statements followed each other. This emperor intervened on the orthodox side, that emperor took the Arian side. However, slowly but surely the Arian opposition lost ground, to disappear almost completely in the East. In the West most Germanic tribes were Arian, but later all of them became orthodox. (Length of this chapter,with notes, = 115 pp.)

Chapter VII - THE STRUGGLE OVER THE NATURES OF CHRIST

The struggle over the nature or natures of Christ went on: was he one person with two natures, one human, one divine (the dogmatic position of the Church), or one person with one nature, which is at the same time divine and human. This was the position of the Apollinarists.

Nestorius became bishop of Constantinople in 482. In his opinion the divinity and the humanity of Jesus had separate origins, the divinity coming from the Father and the humanity from Mary. This divided the eastern Church from top to bottom. Nestorianism remained strong in the eastern parts of the Byzantine Empire; a Nestorian Church still exists.

There was also Monophysitism, the doctrine that Jesus was one person with one nature, namely, a divine nature. This finally led to the most explicit anti-dualistic statement produced by the Church so far. The Council of Chalcedon in 451 stated that Jesus is one person complete with regard to his divinity and complete with regard to his humanity, consubstantial with the Father just as he is consubstantial with mankind. (Length of this chapter, with notes, = 50 pp.)

Chapter VIII - THE BATTLE OVER THE STATUS OF MAN

Pelagius discussed not the status of Christ, but that of man: he did not deny that Adam and Eve had sinned, but we should not speak of `original sin', a sin that is hereditary in mankind. People sin, but this is always their own responsibility. For this he was taken to ask especially by Saint Augustine, who, however, did not always express the opinion of the Church in his polemics against Pelagianism. (Length of this chapter, with notes, = 24 pp.)

The EPILOGUE discusses in how far the deviant opinions were dualistic (most of them are). The stance of the Roman Catholic Church is described as fundamentally and principally anti-dualistic. (Length of this chapter, with notes, = 14 pp.)

This volume is the first with a Manual (of subjects); it furthermore has a Chronology, schemes of theological systems, a Bibliography, and a General Index.

Published in 1998 by J.C. Gieben, Publisher.
ISBN 90 5063 558 X