Early Christians, especially in the 2nd Century AD, had to respond to a philosophical-religious system that had begun synchronizing with Christianity. Was it okay to blend the “best” of both systems in a way that compromised some of what the apostles had originally taught?
Background and Summary
Gnosticism was a philosophical system which attached itself to Christianity primarily in the 2nd century AD. It held that matter was evil, and that the Creator of the Old Testament was distinct from the God of the New Testament who had sent Christ. In fact, the Creator was the Demiurge, merely one of a long line of lesser gods emanating from the true God. Because matter was intrinsically evil, Christ must have only appeared to be human (a belief known as Docetism).[1]
Because of the fundamentals of the Christian faith at stake, it was in the hands of Tertullian and Irenaeus to cast Gnosticism out of the church. Through these apologists, Christianity was to remain grounded on the unity of Old and New Testaments as well as the humanity of Jesus.
Proponents of Apostolic Christianity
Tertullian wrote Against Marcion, which defended Christians’ use of the Old Testament and emphasized the oneness of the God of the Old and New Testaments.[2] Tertullian provided the terms for the church’s understanding of the Trinity.[3]
Irenaeus wrote Against Heresies, which was for centuries the historian’s primary source for Gnostic teachings. He is best known for his attacks on Gnosticism.[4] In his view of Christ, he was primarily concerned with Soteriology (the branch of theology dealing with salvation); to him, a Christ who was less than fully human could not bring about full salvation.[5] He showed that contrary to the Gnostics’ claim of secret knowledge passed from the apostles, the apostles’ teachings were preserved for all in the churches.[6]
“A Christ who was less than fully human could not bring about full salvation.”
Opponents of Apostolic Christianity
Simon Magus was a magician mentioned in Acts 8:9-24 who blended philosophy, biblical ideas, and self-worship in what many see as an early Gnosticism.[7]
Saturninus claimed that Christ only appeared to be human (the Docetic view).[8]
Cerinthus taught that the “Christ” descended upon Jesus at baptism and departed before the crucifixion.[9]
Marcion denied the humanity of Jesus and his bodily resurrection.[10] He taught that the God of the Old Testament was not the same as the Father of Jesus. Though docetic and anti-matter like other Gnostics, he did not accept their elaborate ritualistic formulas for salvation. He also formulated a truncated canon which rejected the Old Testament and those New Testament books he considered too Jewish in nature.[11]
Valentinus, the most famous Gnostic teacher, taught in Alexandria and later in Rome.[12]
Biblical Basis for Rejecting Gnosticism
“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3, NIV)
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14, NIV)
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
Excerpt
Irenaeus on Marcion: “…he says that salvation will be of our souls only, of those souls which have learned his teaching; the body, because forsooth it is taken from the earth, cannot partake in salvation.”[13]
[1] Earle Cairns, Christianity through the Centuries: A History of the Christian Church (Grand Rapids: Academie Books, 1981), 98.
[2] Everett Ferguson, “Tertullian,” in Introduction to the History of Christianity, ed. Tim Dowley (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002), 112.
[3] Cairns, 113.
[4] Harold O.J. Brown, Heresies: Heresy and Orthodoxy in the History of the Church (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1988), 78.
[5] Brown, 82-83.
[6] Everett Ferguson, “Irenaeus,” in Introduction to the History of Christianity, ed. Tim Dowley (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002), 100.
[7] Brown, 50-51.
[8] Edwin M. Yamauchi, “The Gnostics,” in Introduction to the History of Christianity, ed. Tim Dowley (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002), 99.
[11] H. Dermot McDonald, “Marcion,” in Introduction to the History of Christianity, ed. Tim Dowley (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002), 104-105.
[13] Irenaeus, “The Pontic Type,” in Documents of the Christian Church, ed. Henry Bettenson and Chris Maunder (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), 41.
