Walter Bauer, in his Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity (1934/1971), proposed that in earliest Christianity, orthodoxy and heresy did not stand in relation to one another as primary to secondary, but in many regions heresy was the original manifestation of Christianity. The development of doctrine, the position of orthodoxy, and the relationship between the early Church and early heretical groups is a matter of academic debate. See also: Early Christianity Scholarly approaches Prior to the issuance of this edict, the Church had no state-sponsored support for any particular legal mechanism to counter what it perceived as heresy. The first known usage of the term heresy in a civil legal context was in 380 by the Edict of Thessalonica of Theodosius I. Heresy eventually became regarded as a departure from orthodoxy, a sense in which heterodoxy was already in Christian use soon after the year 100. The word appears in the New Testament, usually translated as sect, and was appropriated by the Church to mean a sect or division that threatened the unity of Christians. The word heresy comes from haeresis, a Latin transliteration of the Greek word originally meaning choosing, choice, course of action, or in an extended sense a sect or school of thought, which by the first century came to denote warring factions and the party spirit. 7 Modern Roman Catholic response to Protestantism.6 Reformation and Modern Era (1520–present).5 High Middle Ages (800–1299) and Late Middle Ages and the early Renaissance (1300–1520).3 Early Christianity (1st century – c.325 AD).Orthodoxy has been in the process of self-definition for centuries, defining itself in terms of its faith by clarifying beliefs in opposition to people or doctrines that are perceived as incorrect. The study of heresy requires an understanding of the development of orthodoxy and the role of creeds in the definition of orthodox beliefs, since heresy is always defined in relation to orthodoxy. Since the Great Schism and the Protestant Reformation, various Christian churches have also used the concept to include individuals and groups deemed to be heretical by those churches. In the East, the term "heresy" is eclectic and can refer to anything at variance with Church tradition. In Western Christianity, heresy most commonly refers to those beliefs which were declared to be anathema by any of the ecumenical councils recognized by the Catholic Church. Heresy in Christianity denotes the formal denial or doubt of a core doctrine of the Christian faith as defined by one or more of the Christian churches. JSTOR ( January 2009) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: "Heresy in Christianity" – news Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. This article needs additional citations for verification.