DOUBLE PREDESTINATION
by Giuseppe Monno Double predestination is a central doctrine in the theological thought of John Calvin and, more broadly, in Calvinism. It holds that God, from all eternity, has predestined some human beings to salvation and others to eternal damnation, independently of their works or their response to grace. According to this view, God would […]
AGAINST THE MODALIST HERESY
by Giuseppe Monno Among the ancient Christological and Trinitarian heresies of the second century, one of the most insidious was Modalistic Monarchianism, also known as Patripassianism. Its principal exponent was Noetus of Smyrna, later followed by Sabellius, from whom this doctrine also takes the name Sabellianism. According to this heresy, God is a single Person […]
DONATISM
by Giuseppe Monno Donatism was a schismatic and heretical movement that arose in the fourth century in North Africa, particularly in the Roman provinces of Numidia and Carthage. It takes its name from Donatus of Casae Nigrae, bishop of Carthage and a central figure in the development of its doctrinal system. At the heart of […]
TATTOOS
by Giuseppe Monno “You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, nor shall you tattoo yourselves” (Leviticus 19:28) Sacred Scripture, already in the Old Testament, calls the people of Israel to distinguish themselves from the practices of pagan nations: “You shall not follow the customs of the nations” (cf. Leviticus 20:23). The […]
NESTORIANISM
by Giuseppe Monno Nestorianism is one of the principal Christological heresies of the early Church. It takes its name from Nestorius, who served as Patriarch of Constantinople beginning in 428 A.D. At the heart of the Nestorian controversy lies the question of the union between the divine and human natures in Christ. Nestorius denied the […]
ADOPTIONISM
by Giuseppe Monno Adoptionism is a heretical Christological current that developed within dynamic (or dynamistic) monarchianism, a doctrine aimed at preserving the absolute unity of God. According to this view, Jesus is not divine by nature, but was “adopted” by God as His Son at the moment of His baptism. One of the earliest proponents […]
PELAGIANISM
by Giuseppe Monno Pelagianism is a heretical doctrine that takes its name from the British monk Pelagius, active between the late fourth and early fifth centuries. He denied the transmission of original sin from Adam and Eve to all humanity, maintaining that every human being is born morally neutral and retains, from birth, the full […]
APOLLINARIANISM
by Giuseppe Monno Apollinarianism is a fourth-century Christological heresy named after Apollinaris of Laodicea, a bishop and theologian active during the Arian controversy. The doctrine was condemned as heretical because it undermined the integrity of Christ’s humanity, thereby disrupting the proper balance between his two natures, human and divine. In an effort to safeguard the […]
SUBORDINATIONISM
by Giuseppe Monno Subordinationism is a theological doctrine regarded as heretical by the Catholic Church, since it denies the consubstantiality and full equality of the three Persons of the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. According to subordinationism, the Son (Jesus Christ) is inferior to the Father in nature or in being, […]
MONOPHYSITISM
by Giuseppe Monno Monophysitism is a Christological doctrine regarded as heretical by the Catholic Church and by much of Eastern Christianity, insofar as it denies the full humanity of Jesus Christ. According to this view, there is in Christ only one nature (from the Greek monē physis, hence “Monophysitism”), namely the divine nature, which is […]