06/22/2026
The Chief Heresies
The major corruptions of the doctrines of the Church
1. A***nism
The A***ns were founded by the heresiarch Arius, an ambitious priest of Alexandria, born about A.D. 250 and died A.D. 336. They denied the divinity of our Lord, and said that He was not born of the Father, but made by Him; that He was not equal to, but inferior to, the Father. These heretics were condemned at the Council of Nicaea, a town in Bithynia, A.D. 325, under Pope St. Sylvester I. The Nicene creed was drawn up at this council.
2. Manicheanism
This religion was founded by the Persian Mani in the latter half of the third century. The Manicheans taught that our Lord did not take to Himself a real body, but only the appearance of a body, something similar to what the angels assumed when they visited holy persons, as mentioned in Scripture. They also said that there were two gods, a good one and a bad one. These heresies commenced about A.D. 280, and were finally condemned in the Fourth Lateran Council by Pope Innocent III., A.D. 1215.
3. Pneumatomachi / Macedonianism
The Macedonians were followers of Macedonius, who had usurped the see of Constantinople with A***n support. He denied the Godhead of the Holy Ghost, and said that He was only a creation like the angels, but of a higher order. This heresy was condemned at the First Council of Constantinople, A.D. 381, under Pope St. Damasus I.
4. Pelagianism
The Pelagians were founded by Pelagius, a native of Britain. He denied the existence of original sin in the soul of man, and taught that without the aid of grace man is perfectly able to fulfill the law of God. This heresy was condemned at a council of African bishops held at Carthage, A.D. 416, the decision of the council being confirmed by Pope St. Innocent I, and again at the Council of Ephesus, A.D. 431.
5. Nestorianism
The Nestorians were followers of Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople. He taught that there were two separate persons in our Lord, one the Son of God, and the other the son of man; and that the blessed Virgin was not Mother of God, but only of the Man Christ. This heresy was condemned at the Council of Ephesus, A.D. 431, under Pope St. Celestine I. The latter part of the "Hail Mary" was added—"Holy Mary, Mother of God," etc.
6. Monophysitism / Eutychianism
The Eutychians, founded by Eutyches, taught that there was only one nature, the divine, in our Lord. He said, that at the moment of the incarnation, the human nature was absorbed by, or changed into, the divine. This heresy was condemned at the Council of Chalcedon, A.D. 451, under Pope St. Leo the Great.
7. Semi-Pelagianism
The Semi-Pelagians taught that the beginning of faith and first desire of virtue came from the powers of man alone, unassisted by divine grace. They also said that the grace of final perseverance can be merited by our own efforts, and is not a free gift of God. This heresy was first taught by some priests of Marseilles. It was condemned at the Second Council of Orange, A.D. 529, the decrees of the council being confirmed by Pope Boniface II.
8. Monothelitism
The Monothelites said that Jesus Christ had no separate human will, but only a divine one. They were condemned at the Third Council of Constantinople, A.D. 680, under Pope St. Agatho.
9. Iconoclasm
The Iconoclasts, or breakers of holy images, rejected the use of holy images and pictures, and the practice of paying them due respect. They were condemned at the Second Council of Nicaea, A.D. 787, under Pope Adrian I.
10. Great Schism
The Greek Heresy and Schism was commenced in 879 by Photius, who, though not a priest, took unjust possession of the see of Constantinople. This schism was consummated in A.D. 1054, by Michael Cerularius, who broke entirely away from the supremacy of the Popes, and established what is called the Greek Church. The Greeks say that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father alone, instead of from the Father and the Son, as taught by the Catholic Church from the beginning. Photius was deposed and condemned at the Fourth Council of Constantinople, A.D. 870, under Pope Adrian II., and St. Ignatius was restored to his see.
11. Berengarianism
Berengarius was archdeacon of Angers. His heresy said that the body and blood of our Lord are not really present in the holy Eucharist, but only in figure. He was condemned at Rome, A.D. 1078.
12. Albigensianism
The Albigenses taught that there were two Gods and two Christs; they condemned marriage, denied all the sacraments and the resurrection of the body. For more, see: The Albigensian Attack.
It was while preaching to these heretics that the devotion of the rosary was revealed by the blessed Virgin to St. Dominic.
13. Waldensianism
The Waldenses taught that it was a heinous sin for a magistrate to condemn to death for any crime; that it was a mortal sin to take an oath; and that the clergy became reprobates by holding one farthing's worth of property. The Albigenses and Waldenses were condemned at the Third Lateran Council, under Pope Alexander III., A.D. 1179.
14. John Wycliffe
Wycliffe taught that the Pope is not the visible head of the Church; that bishops have not preeminence over simple priests; that all ecclesiastical powers are either forfeited or are in abeyance during mortal sin; that man is bound to sin; that God approves of sin; that confession is quite useless; and that temporal princes should cut off the head of any ecclesiastic who sinned, etc. These doctrines were, after the death of Wycliffe, preached by John Hus and his followers in the towns and villages of Bohemia. Condemned at the Council of Constance, A.D. 1414.
15. Lutheranism
Luther was a monk of the Order of St. Augustine, and professor in the University of Wittenberg. Pride and jealousy induced him to attack the ancient faith and invent a new creed. After Pope Leo X granted a plenary indulgence, Luther was annoyed that the commission to preach it was given to the Dominicans, and not to his own order. He then attacked the doctrine of indulgences itself. He also taught that faith alone will save mankind; that the sacrifice of the Mass is an abomination; that there is no necessity for confession, abstinence, fasting, or any mortification whatever. He said that priests might marry; he denied the supremacy of the Pope; he wrote against purgatory, free will, and almost every article of Christian belief.
16. Calvinism
Calvin, who is regarded as second only to Luther, was the founder of Presbyterianism. His chief stronghold was Geneva. He taught, among other things, that God created men on purpose to damn the greater number of them; that God is the author of all sin; and that man has no free will. He denounced not only the Pope, but bishops and priests also.
At the Council of Trent, held from 1545 to 1563 A.D., the heresies of Luther, Calvin, and others were condemned. The creed of Pope Pius IV is grounded on the decisions of this council.
17. Jansenism
The Jansenists, so called after their leader, Jansenius, bishop of Ypres, in Flanders maintained that man was not free; that it was impossible to keep some of God's commandments; that all good works of unbelievers are sins; that God will punish us for not practicing virtues which are not in our power; that our Lord died only to save a few privileged souls, and not the whole human race. Two illustrious French bishops, Bossuet and Fenelon, defended the truth against these heretics. Christopher de Beaumont, archbishop of Paris (1746-1781), was also a great champion of the true faith, and by his virtues and exertions did much to put down this heresy, which had already been condemned by Pope Urban VIII., A.D. 1642, and by Pope Clement XI, A.D. 1705.
18. Modernism
Modernism is the name given to a broad movement that tried to reinterpret Catholic doctrine according to modern rationalism, liberal Protestant criticism, subjectivism, and evolutionary views of dogma. Modernists often treated dogma not as fixed revealed truth, but as changing religious experience; they questioned miracles, prophecy, the historical reliability of Scripture, the divinity of Christ, and the permanent authority of the Church’s teachings. Pope St. Pius X condemned Modernism in the decree Lamentabili Sane and the encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis, A.D. 1907, calling it the “synthesis of all heresies,” because it did not merely deny one doctrine, but undermined the foundations by which doctrine is known, preserved, and believed.
