Category:Heresy

Her"e*sy, n.; pl. Heresies. Etym: [OE. heresie, eresie, OF. heresie, iresie, F. hérésie, L. haeresis, Gr.

1. An opinion held in opposition to the established or commonly received doctrine, and tending to promote a division or party, as in politics, literature, philosophy, etc.; -- usually, but not necessarily, said in reproach. New opinions Divers and dangerous, which are heresies, And, not reformed, may prove pernicious. Shak. After the study of philosophy began in Greece, and the philosophers, disagreeing amongst themselves, had started many questions. . . because every man took what opinion he pleased, each several opinion was called a heresy; which signified no more than a private opinion, without reference to truth or falsehood. Hobbes.

2. (Theol.)

Defn: Religious opinion opposed to the authorized doctrinal standards of any particular church, especially when tending to promote schism or separation; lack of orthodox or sound belief; rejection of, or erroneous belief in regard to, some fundamental religious doctrine or truth; heterodoxy. Doubts 'mongst divines, and difference of texts, From whence arise diversity of sects, And hateful heresies by God abhor'd. Spenser. Deluded people! that do not consider that the greatest heresy in the world is a wicked life. Tillotson.

3. (Law)

Defn: An offense against Christianity, consisting in a denial of some essential doctrine, which denial is publicly avowed, and obstinately maintained. A second offense is that of heresy, which consists not in a total denial of Christianity, but of some its essential doctrines, publicly and obstinately avowed. Blackstone.

Note: "When I call dueling, and similar aberrations of honor, a moral heresy, I refer to the force of the Greek Coleridge.

---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary

Heresy - From a Greek word signifying (1.) a choice, (2.) the opinion chosen, and (3.) the sect holding the opinion. In the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 5:17; Acts 15:5; Acts 24:5, Acts 24:14; Acts 26:5) it denotes a sect, without reference to its character. Elsewhere, however, in the New Testament it has a different meaning attached to it. Paul ranks "heresies" with crimes and seditions (Galatians 5:20). This word also denotes divisions or schisms in the church (1 Corinthians 11:19). In Titus 3:10 a "heretical person" is one who follows his own self-willed "questions," and who is to be avoided. Heresies thus came to signify self-chosen doctrines not emanating from God (2 Peter 2:1).