Course:Carey HIST501/Project 1/HIST 501 – Week 4 Project: Modalism (by Raymond Leung)

Imagine that you were one of the bishops or heretics being summoned by the Emperor to be present at the great church councils. You want to spend every effort to discover all the heresies flowing around the Church. As preparation for the class, you will collect background information of major heresies/controversies in the early Church include the following

Biographical information of key leader(s) of the heresy/controversy

Sabellius

Modalism, form of Modalistic Monarchianism, initially was taught by a bishop in the early church named Sabellius (ca. 215 AD), thus, sometimes also called Sabellianism. Sabellius was a third-century priest and theologian who most likely taught in Rome but may have been a North African from Libya. Pentapolis was a place where the teachings of Sabellius thrived, according to Dionysius of Alexandria,  

Sabellius, lived in the early 3rd century. There is little known of him as his writings did not survive. Basil seemed to say that he was born in Africa, while some interpret that Hippolytus’ lack of mention of his birthplace meant that he was born in Rome. He was active in Rome, during the episcopate of pope Zephyrinus (198-217).

Callistus appears to have been influential on Sabellius theology.

Callistus, Sabellius and the pope seem to have united to oppose Hippolytus. When Callistus became pope (A.D. 217), he excommunicated Sabellius. Sabellius then disappeared from Rome and most likely died unreconciled to the church.

His written works are few but were quoted by Athanasius in his 4^th treatise against Arianism.

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Time frame when the heresy “flourished”

In the late 2nd century and 3rd century. During this time period, Christian theologians were attempting to clarify the relationship between God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Also, known as modalistic monarchianism.  The father, son, and holy ghost are three modes, roles, or faces of a single person, God.  This, of course, implies that Jesus Christ was purely divine, without humanness, and therefore could not truly have suffered or died.

Marcellus of Ancyra may have made Sabellianism popular in the 4^th century although its roots may be traced to the age of Justin Martyr when he condemns those “who affirm that the Son is the Father” in his Apol. i. s. 63.

By Augustine, Sabellianism was practically extinct in Africa.

Based on how Basil interchangeably identify Marcellianism and Sabellianism but did not get his way, it can be interpreted that in the late fourth century, both in East and in West, these kinds of theology were firmly rooted and quite readily accepted.

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Context that gave birth to the heresy/controversy

In the 2^nd century, the age of Gnoticism, leaders of Christian orthodoxy such as Irenaeus, in defence of heresy, insisted on the Divine Monarchy, God’s sole, independent, and absolute existence and being.

Some adopted the view called Ebionite Monarchianism, defending the Monarchy but denying Christ’s deity.

Others identified the Persons of the Godhead with the Father

The heresy arose while theologians grope their way to the complete Christological conception.

Tertullian expressly asserts, in the opening of his treatise against Praxeas, that this heresy had sprung out of a desire to maintain orthodoxy.

Central beliefs

Also known as modalistic Monarchianism, or Patripassianism, Sabellius advocated of this system and became known as Sabellianism. He teaches that Christ and God the Father were one and the same. Godhead was not three persons but one person who manifested himself in three different ways at different times: the Father in creation, the Son at redemption, and the Holy Spirit at sanctification.

He supported his view with John 10:30, “The Father and I are one”.

He asserts that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are sequential, non-essential modes, something like ways God interacts with his creation. Thus, in one epoch, God exists in the mode of Father, during the first century he exists as Son, and then after Christ’s resurrection and ascension, he exists as Holy Spirit. Sabellian modalism is usually rejected on the grounds that such modes are strictly sequential, or because they are not intrinsic features of God, or because they are intrinsic but not essential features of God.

The concept of Trinity developed as a result of negotiation between Monotheism of Judaism and Polytheism of the Pagans, after a negotiation that extended over three centuries.

Modalistic Monarchians believe in the deity of Jesus and understand Jesus to be a manifestation of Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament, in the flesh.

Modalism teaches that the Heavenly Father, Resurrected Son and Holy Spirit identified by the Trinity Doctrine are different modes or aspects of the One God, as perceived by the believer, rather than three coeternal persons in God Himself.

In passages of scripture such as Matthew 1:16-17 where the Son, Father, and Holy Spirit are separated in the text, they view this phenomena as confirming God’s omnipresence, and His ability to manifest himself as he pleases.

Oneness Pentecostals and Modalists dispute the traditional Trinitarian doctrine, while affirming the Christian doctrine of God taking on flesh as Jesus Christ.

Oneness teaches that there is only one being, revealing himself in different ways. Modalists cite passages in the New Testament that refer to God in the singular and note the lack of the word “Trinity” in any canonical scripture. They claim that Colossians 1:15-20 refers to Christ’s relationship with the Father in a similar sense:

Sabellius taught that the Logos or Word existed before the incarnation, but not as a distinct person, being immanent in the essence of the Deity as the divine reason. Unfortunately, the teaching of Sabellius is known to us only from a few fragments, and some of these not altogether consistent, in Athanasius of Alexandria, Gregory Nazianzen, Epiphanius of Cyprus and other fathers.

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Opponents to the heresy/controversy and/or church council which dealt with the heresy/controversy

Icon from the Mégalo Metéoron Monastery in Greece, representing the First Ecumenical Council of Nikea 325 A.D., with the condemned Arius in the bottom of the icon. Creative Commons 3.0

Condemned by Tertullian and Hippolutus (174-235).

Origen, Eusebisus, Athanasius, Basil, Hilary, Chrysostom were all opponents to Marcellus of Ancyra and in turn disagree with Sabellanism.

Novatian is the first to call this view Sabellian heresy. It became broadly controversial in North Africa c. 260. It grew in popularity under the support of two bishops in the district of Pentapolis in Libya, Ammon and Euphranor.

The Council of Nicaea in 325 articulated in the Nicene Creed and refined by the Second Oecumenical Council of 381 defended the Trinitarian concept, God in three equally divine “Persons”, being consubstantial (homoousios) with the same Divine essence.

Impact of the heresy/controversy to the Christian Church

In the 4th century, while Marcellus may have loosely supported Sabellianism, his disciple Photinus boldly proclaimed Sabellian views.

Sabellius was sometimes mistaken as Marcellus. Basil viewed Marceellus’s heresy as interchangeable with Sabellius’. He also accused Atarbius and Apollinaris of Laodicea of Sabellianism. In his letters written in 375 or early 376, Basil summarized his understanding of “Sabellianism” as follows: God is one hypostasis that has three appellations, and one object (pragma) that has several names or several presentations (Prosopa). In the Contra Asterium Marcellus spoke of God as one prosopon; except for this point, it is difficult to distinguish Basil’s Sabellius from his Marcellus.If the God of Sabellianism was metamorphosed to meet the changing needs of the world, Marcellus’ God was expanded to meet the changing needs of the world.

In the sixth century, John Piloponus did not accept the existence of a common divine substance in the Trinity.

In the late eleventh century, philosopher John Italos and the monk Nicetas Stethtos made confessions of faith. They supported to a Trinitarian theology that could be considered heretical. They denied the existence of a common divine substance that could safeguard the oneness of God and instead emphasized the closeness of the hypostases to each other, which made it impossible for them to agree to the hypostases the distinguishing function that the Cappadocians had given them. While arguing for Tritheism they sought a “Sabellian” solution

In the letter written to Lord Lifford, John Henry Newman, an English theologian and priest (1801-1890), his use of the word, Sabellianism is a shorthand way of referring to the anthropocentric basis of both evangelical Protestant piety and ecclesiastical liberalism. He describes to Richard Froude in 1835 of a trend which he named "Socinianism of Sabellianism".

Sabellanism continues in various forms beyond the early church.

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References

Early Church and Trinity: Father and Son, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlzM7LogGRU

Mark Edwards. (2009). Catholicity and Heresy in the Early Church. Routledge.