<p>B. The Heresies  Remember, heresy = the denial of some truth taught by Church that Christ</p><p>1) Gnosticism—the proto-heresy  from the Greek word for Knowledge (gnosis or γνωσις...impress your friends again...)</p><p> a) When it occurred  Its roots predated Christianity  A man named Cerinthus linked these ideas with Christianity  Lasted from the Apostolic Age to early AD 200s</p><p> b) What it taught  Everything worldly and material is evil  Salvation only by a “secret knowledge” known only by a few  God can’t have anything to do with humans * God can’t be associated with man * Jesus could not have been human.  People can do anything they want (including sin) as long as they’re “thinking the right thing”</p><p> c) Church teachings contradicted  The Incarnation—that God became man  The Hypostatic Union—that Jesus is both God and man  Apostolic Succession—how can only the few have this special knowledge needed for salvation when the Apostles and their successors didn’t?</p><p> d) Opponents to Gnosticism  St. John the Apostle * Polycarp tells the story that John refused to be in the same building as Cerinthus * John’s opposition to the Gnostics can even be found in the Bible—2 Jn. 1: 7-11 likely refers to them  St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons * before he was martyred in AD 202, he wrote Against the Heresies (Adversus Haereses), which systematically condemned Gnosticism e) Resolution  Normally, a Church council (like the Council of Jerusalem) went a long way to settle disputes like this  This time, 2 factors helped defuse Gnosticism: * the writings of St. Irenaeus * the persecutions of the Roman Empire, which hunted Christians whether they were Gnostic or not</p><p>Assignment 1) How did the teachings of Gnosticism contradict the teachings of the Church? 2) Read John’s 2nd Epistle in the Bible (2 Jn. 1: 7-11). Try to show how John here is attacking Gnosticism.</p>