Definition of Terms:
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Heresy and Doctrinal Error
From its inception, the Christian Church understood itself as the steward of a divine deposit of truth. This truth, received from Christ and transmitted by the apostles, was not merely a personal faith experience but a revealed and authoritative body of teaching to be safeguarded and handed down. As such, deviations from this truth—later called heresies—were met with grave concern. A disregard for authority and promotion of false teachings will, by nature, disrupt unity and create division in a community, something which is inherently at odds with the Triune God. The Church established by Christ, however, was to be of one mind and in full accord (Phil. 1:27; 2:2). In John 17:20–23, Christ prays for future believers that they “may become perfectly one.” The early Church emphasized the importance of discernment, remaining rooted in sound doctrine, and guarding against teachings that contradicted the core of the Christian faith.
Biblical Foundations for Orthodoxy and Heresy
Scripture establishes both the concept of orthodoxy (right teaching) and heresy (false teaching). The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, passionately warns:
“Even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8–9).
Similarly, Peter writes:
“There will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them” (2 Pet. 2:1).
Paul further warns Timothy:
“In later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1).
Christ Himself spoke of the binding authority of the Church (Matt. 18:17–18) and cautioned against divisions (Matt. 12:25). Thus, from the very beginning, fidelity to sound doctrine and obedience to ecclesial authority were inseparably linked to the unity and authenticity of the Church.
The Meaning and Origin of “Heresy” and “Orthodoxy”
The term heresy comes from the Greek hairesis (αἵρεσις), originally meaning “choice” or “party,” but by the New Testament era it came to signify sectarian divisions (cf. Acts 24:14; 1 Cor. 11:19). Over time, hairesis referred to a deliberate deviation from apostolic teaching. In contrast, orthodoxy (from ὀρθός, orthos, “correct” + δόξα, doxa, “belief” or “glory”) came to describe the correct belief that was in harmony with the apostolic deposit of faith.
Ignatius of Antioch (d. c. 110 AD), in his Letter to the Smyrnaeans, is the earliest known Christian writer to use the term Catholic Church, stating, “Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be; as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.”¹ This served to distinguish the universal, apostolic Church from breakaway sects. By the second century, Irenaeus of Lyons would fully articulate this opposition in Against Heresies, establishing a clear contrast between heretical teachings and what he called the “rule of faith” preserved through apostolic succession.²
The First Great Heresy: Judaizers
The earliest doctrinal controversy in the Church concerned the status of Gentile converts. Some Jewish Christians insisted that adherence to the Mosaic Law, including circumcision, was required for salvation. This controversy was addressed at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), where the apostles, under Peter’s leadership, concluded that Gentiles were not bound by the Law of Moses. Paul later refers to those who continued to impose the Law as Judaizers (cf. Gal. 2:14), derived from the Greek Ioudaizein (Ἰουδαΐζειν), meaning “to live like a Jew.”³ Because the apostles rendered a decision they believed to be binding on the entire Church, continued defiance of this decision marked the Judaizers as heretical.
Early Heresies and Church Responses
As Christianity spread, new theological errors emerged:
Gnosticism (2nd century): Claimed secret knowledge (gnosis) was necessary for salvation and denied the goodness of the material world. It rejected the full humanity of Christ. Irenaeus’s Against Heresies was written in large part to refute Gnostic errors.⁴
Marcionism: Taught that the God of the Old Testament was a different, inferior deity from the Father of Jesus. Marcion rejected the Old Testament and edited the New Testament to suit his theology.
Montanism: An apocalyptic movement that claimed new revelation through the prophets Montanus, Priscilla, and Maximilla, often rejecting Church authority and institutional discipline.
Sabellianism (Modalism): Taught that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were not distinct persons but merely modes or aspects of one God, undermining Trinitarian doctrine.
Arianism (4th century): Claimed that the Son was a created being and not co-eternal with the Father. This heresy spread rapidly and necessitated imperial and ecclesiastical intervention.
The First Seven Ecumenical Councils
The early ecumenical councils were convened to combat heresy, clarify doctrine, and preserve unity. Their decisions were considered binding on the universal Church:
First Council of Nicaea (325 AD) – Condemned Arianism; affirmed that Christ is homoousios (“of the same substance”) with the Father; produced the original Nicene Creed.⁵
First Council of Constantinople (381 AD) – Expanded the Creed to include a fuller articulation of the Holy Spirit; condemned Macedonianism and Apollinarianism.
Council of Ephesus (431 AD) – Condemned Nestorianism, which taught that Christ was two persons; affirmed Mary as Theotokos (“God-bearer”).
Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) – Defined the two natures of Christ (divine and human) as united in one person without confusion or division.
Second Council of Constantinople (553 AD) – Condemned certain Nestorian writings and reaffirmed Chalcedonian orthodoxy.
Third Council of Constantinople (680–681 AD) – Condemned Monothelitism, the belief that Christ had only one will; affirmed he had both a divine and human will.
Second Council of Nicaea (787 AD) – Affirmed the veneration (not worship) of icons against Iconoclasm, emphasizing the incarnation’s implications for material representation.⁶
Each council not only responded to theological error but reinforced the principle that the Church, through its bishops gathered in unity, had authority to bind doctrine for the faithful—a reflection of Christ’s words in Matthew 18:18.
The Theological Consequences of Heresy
Heresy, in its essence, is not merely theological error but a willful departure from the apostolic faith and communion with the Church. The result is spiritual and ecclesial division. As Paul wrote, “Avoid those who cause divisions contrary to the doctrine you have been taught” (Rom. 16:17). The Church Fathers, from Irenaeus to Augustine, consistently maintained that unity in doctrine and authority was essential to being in Christ. Division was not simply unfortunate—it was a sign of disobedience to the Spirit of God who brings unity.
The Church, therefore, insisted on fidelity not just to Scripture but to the regula fidei (“rule of faith”), preserved through apostolic succession and interpreted in the Church. As Augustine wrote, “I would not believe the Gospel if not moved by the authority of the Catholic Church.”⁷
Conclusion
The history of heresy and doctrinal error reveals the Church’s enduring effort to preserve the unity and purity of the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 1:3). The early Church understood that deviation from truth was not merely a private mistake, but a communal wound—one that could only be healed by returning to the teaching authority established by Christ. Heresy remains a call to vigilance: to study, teach, and live the faith with integrity, in communion with the Church that Christ founded and to which He promised His Spirit would lead into all truth (John 16:13).
Footnotes
Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrnaeans, 8.2.
Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, Book I, Preface and Book III.
See Galatians 2:14; Acts 15.
Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Books I–V.
Eusebius of Caesarea, Life of Constantine, Book III, for context of Nicaea.
Norman Tanner, Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, Vol. 1 (Georgetown University Press, 1990).
Augustine, Contra Epistolam Manichaei quam vocant Fundamenti, 5.6.
Bible Verses:
The Gospel of Matthew 18:17
If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
The Gospel of Matthew 24:10-13
Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Galatians 1:8-9:
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”
2 Peter 2:1:
“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.”
1 Timothy 4:1:
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.”
1 Corinthians 1:10
Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose.
Hebrews 13:7-9, 17
Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings;
2 Thessalonians 3:6
Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us.
1 Timothy 3:15
But if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth.
2 Peter 1:20
First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,
2 Peter 3:15-16
So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures.
Church Father Quotes:
Ignatius of Antioch (35-107 A.D.)
“Be not deceived, my brethren: If anyone follows a maker of schism [i.e., is a schismatic], he does not inherit the kingdom of God; if anyone walks in strange doctrine [i.e., is a heretic], he has no part in the passion [of Christ]. Take care, then, to use one Eucharist, so that whatever you do, you do according to God: For there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup in the union of his blood; one altar, as there is one bishop, with the presbytery and my fellow servants, the deacons” (Letter to the Philadelphians 3:3–4:1 [A.D. 110]).
Justin Martyr (100-165 A.D.)
“We have been taught that Christ is the first-begotten of God, and we have declared him to be the Logos of which all mankind partakes [John 1:9]. Those, therefore, who lived according to reason [Greek, logos] were really Christians, even though they were thought to be atheists, such as, among the Greeks, Socrates, Heraclitus, and others like them. . . . Those who lived before Christ but did not live according to reason [logos] were wicked men, and enemies of Christ, and murderers of those who did live according to reason [logos], whereas those who lived then or who live now according to reason [logos] are Christians. Such as these can be confident and unafraid” (First Apology 46 [A.D. 151]).
Irenaeus of Lyons (130-202 A.D.)
“In the Church God has placed apostles, prophets, teachers, and every other working of the Spirit, of whom none of those are sharers who do not conform to the Church, but who defraud themselves of life by an evil mind and even worse way of acting. Where the Church is, there is the Spirit of God; where the Spirit of God is, there is the Church and all grace” (Against Heresies 3:24:1 [A.D. 189]).
“[The spiritual man] shall also judge those who give rise to schisms, who are destitute of the love of God, and who look to their own special advantage rather than to the unity of the Church; and who for trifling reasons, or any kind of reason which occurs to them, cut in pieces and divide the great and glorious body of Christ, and so far as in them lies, destroy it—men who prate of peace while they give rise to war, and do in truth strain out a gnat, but swallow a camel. For they can bring about no ‘reformation’ of enough importance to compensate for the evil arising from their schism” (ibid., 4:33:7–8).
“All these heretics are of much later date than the Bishops to whom the Apostles handed over the Churches; this fact I pointed out most carefully in the third book. It is of necessity, then, that these heretics, because they are blind to truth, walk in various and devious paths; on this account the vestiges of their doctrine are scattered about without agreement or connection.
The path of those who belong to the Church, however, goes around the whole world; for it has the firm tradition of the Apostles, enabling us to see that the faith of all is one and the same.” – Against Heresies 5:20:1
Origen of Alexandria (184-253 A.D.)
“If someone from this people wants to be saved, let him come into this house so that he may be able to attain his salvation. . . . Let no one, then, be persuaded otherwise, nor let anyone deceive himself: Outside of this house, that is, outside of the Church, no one is saved; for, if anyone should go out of it, he is guilty of his own death” (Homilies on Joshua 3:5 [A.D. 250]).
Cyprian of Carthage (200-258 A.D.)
“Whoever is separated from the Church and is joined to an adulteress [a schismatic church] is separated from the promises of the Church, nor will he that forsakes the Church of Christ attain to the rewards of Christ. . . . He cannot have God for his Father who has not the Church for his mother” (The Unity of the Catholic Church 6, 1st ed. [A.D. 251]).
“Let them not think that the way of life or salvation exists for them, if they have refused to obey the bishops and priests, since the Lord says in the book of Deuteronomy: ‘And any man who has the insolence to refuse to listen to the priest or judge, whoever he may be in those days, that man shall die’ [Deut. 17:12]. And then, indeed, they were killed with the sword . . . but now the proud and insolent are killed with the sword of the Spirit, when they are cast out from the Church. For they cannot live outside, since there is only one house of God, and there can be no salvation for anyone except in the Church” (Letters 61[4]:4 [A.D. 253]).
“When we say, ‘Do you believe in eternal life and the remission of sins through the holy Church?’ we mean that remission of sins is not granted except in the Church” (ibid., 69[70]:2 [A.D. 253]).
“Peter himself, showing and vindicating the unity, has commanded and warned us that we cannot be saved except by the one only baptism of the one Church. He says, ‘In the ark of Noah a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water. Similarly, baptism will in like manner save you” [1 Peter 3:20-21]. In how short and spiritual a summary has he set forth the sacrament of unity! In that baptism of the world in which its ancient wickedness was washed away, he who was not in the ark of Noah could not be saved by water. Likewise, neither can he be saved by baptism who has not been baptized in the Church” (ibid., 73[71]:11).
“[O]utside the Church there is no Holy Spirit, sound faith moreover cannot exist, not alone among heretics, but even among those who are established in schism” (Treatise on Rebaptism 10 [A.D. 256]).
Firmilian of Caesarea (Died 269 A.D.)
“And other heretics as well, if they have parted themselves from the Church, can have nothing to do with power and grace, since all power and grace is settled in the Church, where preside presbyters, who possess the power of both baptizing and imposing of hands, and of ordaining.” – Letter to Cyprian (Written in 255 A.D.)
Lactantius (250-325 A.D.)
“It is, therefore, the Catholic Church alone which retains true worship. . . . Whoever does not enter there or whoever does not go out from there, he is a stranger to the hope of life and salvation. . . . Because, however, all the various groups of heretics are confident that they are the Christians and think that theirs is the Catholic Church, let it be known that this is the true Church, in which there is confession and penance and which takes a health-promoting care of the sins and wounds to which the weak flesh is subject” (Divine Institutes 4:30:11–13 [A.D. 307]).
Hilary of Poitiers (310-367 A.D.)
“The Church, instituted by the Lord and confirmed by the Apostles is one and universal; but the frantic folly of diverse impious sects have cut themselves off from her. It cannot be denied that this tearing asunder of the faith has arisen from poor intelligence which twists what it reads to conform to its opinion, rather than adjusting its opinion to the meaning of what is read.” –The Trinity, Against the Arian Heresy 7:4 (Written 355 A.D.)
“All heretics, therefore, come against the Church; but while all the heretics can conquer each other, they can win nothing for themselves… One heresy struggles against the teaching of another, which the faith of the Church has already condemned -for there is nothing which the heretics hold in common-and the result is that they affirm our faith while fighting among themselves.” -The Trinity, Against the Arian Heresy 7:4 (Written 355 A.D.)
“They are excluded from the promises of the Gospel, who have no faith in those promises; and the crime of perverse understanding utterly destroys hope. That you believe what is unknown deserves not so much pardon as it does reward, because the greatest recompense of faith is to have hope in what you do not know. But it is absolute madness of a wicked kind, to either not believe what is understood or to corrupt the meaning of what ought to be believed.” –The Trinity, Against the Arians 8:10 (Written 355 A.D.)
Basil the Great (330-379 A.D.)
“It seemed best to men of former times -Cyprian, Firmillian, and their colleagues, I mean- to subject all of these, whether Cathari, Encratites, or Hydroparastates, to a like judgment, because their separation had been initiated through schism, and because those who separated themselves from the Church, no longer had in themselves the grace of the Holy Spirit, when His being imparted ceased through their breach in continuity. For those who first withdrew and had their ordination from the Fathers and, through imposition of hands, had the spiritual charism, but, having broken away, they became laymen, having power to neither baptize nor ordain…” –Letter to Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium 188:1 (Written 374 A.D.)
Rufinus of Aquileia (344-411 A.D.)
“As for me, I declare in Christ’s name that I never held, nor ever will hold, any other faith but that which I have set forth above, that is, the faith which is held by the Church of Rome, by that of Alexandria, and by my own church of Aquileia; and which is also preached at Jerusalem; and if there is any one who believes otherwise, whoever he may be, let him be Anathema. But those who through mere ill will and malice engender dissensions and offenses among their brethren, and cause them to stumble, shall give account of it in the day of judgment.”-Apology of Rufinus to Anastasius, Bishop of Rome, chap 8 (Written 400 A.D.)
Pope Innocent I (Died 417 A.D.)
“To presbyters and deacons, and all the clergy and people of the Church of Constantinople, the brethren beloved who are subject to the bishop John (Chrysostom), greetings. . . From the letters of your love which you have sent by the hands of Germanus the presbyter, and Casianus the deacon, I have studied with anxious care the scene of calamity which you have placed before my eyes. . . Not only therefore do we say that these ought not to be followed, but rather that they should be condemned among heretical and schismatic decrees, as was formerly done in the Council of Sardica by the bishops who were before us.” –The Letter of Pope Innocent I to John Chrysostom (Written ca 416 A.D.)
Jerome of Stridon (347-420 A.D.)
“Heretics bring sentence upon themselves since they by their own choice withdraw from the Church, a withdrawal which, since they are aware of it, constitutes damnation. Between heresy and schism there is this difference: that heresy involves perverse doctrine, while schism separates one from the Church on account of disagreement with the bishop. Nevertheless, there is no schism which does not trump up a heresy to justify its departure from the Church” (Commentary on Titus 3:10–11 [A.D. 386]).
Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.)
“We believe also in the holy Church, that is, the Catholic Church. For heretics violate the faith itself by a false opinion about God; schismatics, however, withdraw from fraternal love by hostile separations, although they believe the same things we do. Consequently, neither heretics nor schismatics belong to the Catholic Church; not heretics, because the Church loves God; and not schismatics, because the Church loves neighbor” (Faith and the Creed 10:21 [A.D. 393]).
“I do not hesitate to put the Catholic catechumen, burning with divine love, before a baptized heretic. Even within the Catholic Church herself we put the good catechumen ahead of the wicked baptized person . . . For Cornelius, even before his baptism, was filled up with the Holy Spirit [Acts 10:44–48], while Simon [Magus], even after his baptism, was puffed up with an unclean spirit [Acts 8:13–19]” (On Baptism, Against the Donatists4:21[28]).
“The apostle Paul said, ‘As for a man that is a heretic, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him’ [Titus 3:10]. But those who maintain their own opinion, however false and perverted, without obstinate ill will, especially those who have not originated the error of bold presumption, but have received it from parents who had been led astray and had lapsed . . . those who seek the truth with careful industry and are ready to be corrected when they have found it, are not to be rated among heretics” (Letters 43:1 [A.D. 412]).
“Whoever is separated from this Catholic Church, by this single sin of being separated from the unity of Christ, no matter how estimable a life he may imagine he is living, shall not have life, but the wrath of God rests upon him” (ibid., 141:5).
John Cassian (360-435 A.D.)
“Thus also heresies in the churches bear some likeness to that hydra which the poets’ imagination invented; for they too hiss against us with deadly tongues; and they too cast forth their deadly poison, and spring up again when their heads are cut off. . . For these shoots of an unnatural seed are no new thing in the churches. The harvest of the Lord’s field has always had to put up with burrs and briars, and in it the shoots of choking tares have constantly sprung up. For hence have arisen the Ebionites, Sabellians, Arians, as well as Eunomians and Macedonians, and Photinians and Apollinarians, and all the other tares of the churches, and thistles which destroy the fruits of good faith.” -On the Incarnation Book I: Chapter 1-2
“And of these the earliest was Ebion, who while over-anxious about asserting our Lord’s humanity robbed it of its union with Divinity. But after him the schism of Sabellius burst forth out of reaction against the above mentioned heresy, and as he declared that there was no distinction between the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. . . Next after him whom we have mentioned there followed the blasphemy of Arian perversity, which, in order to avoid the appearance of confounding the Sacred Persons, declared that there were different and dissimilar substances in the Trinity. . . Macedonius also blaspheming against the Holy Ghost with unpardonable wickedness, while allowing that the Father and the Son were of one substance, termed the Holy Ghost a creature, and so sinned against the entire Divinity. . . But Photinus, though allowing that Jesus who was born of the Virgin was God, yet erred in his notion that His Godhead began with the beginning of His manhood; while Apollinaris through inaccurately conceiving the union of God and man wrongly believed that He was without a human soul. . . And so one after another out of reaction against heresies they give rise to heresies, and all teach things different from each other, but equally opposed to the faith.” -On the Incarnation Book I: Chapter 2
“For Leporius, then a monk, now a presbyter, who followed the teaching or rather the evil deeds of Pelagius, as we said above, and was among the earliest and greatest champions of the aforesaid heresy in Gaul, was admonished by us and corrected by God. . .
This confession of his therefore, which was the faith of all Catholics was approved of by all the Bishops of Africa, whence he wrote, and by all those of Gaul, to whom he wrote. Nor has there ever been anyone who quarrelled with this faith, without being guilty of unbelief: for to deny what is right and proved is to confess what is wrong.” –On the Incarnation Book I: Chapter 4-6
“Why then, you heretic, did you not in this way quote the whole and entire passage which you had read? . . . Why then, you heretic, did you not in this way quote what you had read in the Apostle, entire and unmutilated? But you insert part, and omit part; and garble the words of truth in order that you may be able to build up your false notions by your wicked act. I see who was your master. We must believe that you had his instruction, whose example you are following. For so the devil in the gospel when tempting the Lord said: If You are the Son of God, cast Yourself down. For it is written that He shall give His angels charge concerning You to keep You in all Your ways. Luke 4:9-10 And when he had said this, he left out the context and what belongs to it.” -On the Incarnation of Christ Book VII: Chapter 16 (Written in 429 A.D.)
Isidore of Pelusium (360-440 A.D.)
“Just as the fishermen hide the hook with bait and covertly hook the fish, similarly, the crafty allies of the heresies cover their evil teachings and corrupt understanding with pietism and hook the more simple, bringing them to spiritual death.” -Letter to Timothy the Reader, Patrologia Graeca (PG) 78:252.
Fulgentius of Ruspe (465-530 A.D.)
“Anyone who receives the sacrament of baptism, whether in the Catholic Church or in a heretical or schismatic one, receives the whole sacrament; but salvation, which is the strength of the sacrament, he will not have, if he has had the sacrament outside the Catholic Church [and remains in deliberate schism]. He must therefore return to the Church, not so that he might receive again the sacrament of baptism, which no one dare repeat in any baptized person, but so that he may receive eternal life in Catholic society, for the obtaining of which no one is suited who, even with the sacrament of baptism, remains estranged from the Catholic Church” (The Rule of Faith 43 [A.D. 524]).
Non-Catholic Quotes:
John Calvin, Protestant Reformer & Founder of the Calvinist Reformed Evangelical Tradition
His complaints about factionalism and “denominations” were as follows: “Every state [of life] has its own Gospel, which they forge for themselves according to their appetites, so that there is as great a diversity between the Gospel of the court, and the Gospel of the justices and lawyers, and the Gospel of merchants, as there is between coins of different denominations.” -John Calvin’s short work Advertissement contre l’astrologie 1549.
“Herman has, if I am not mistaken, in good faith returned to the fellowship of the Church. He has confessed that outside the Church there is no salvation, and that the true Church is with us. Therefore, it was defection when he belonged to a sect separated from it.” –Letters of John Calvin, trans. M. Gilchrist, ed. J.Bonnet, New York: Burt Franklin, 1972, I: 110-111.
“I am persuaded that it is not without the special will of God that, apart from any verdict of the judges, the criminals have endured protracted torment at the hands of the executioner.” – Calvin’s letter to Farel on 24 July (for more words directly from Calvin’s pen, read Selected Works of John Calvin)
When Jacques Gruet, a theologian with differing views, placed a letter in Calvin’s pulpit calling him a hypocrite, he was arrested, tortured for a month and beheaded on July 26, 1547. Gruet’s own theological book was later found and burned along with his house while his wife was thrown out into the street to watch.
Michael Servetus, a Spaniard, physician, scientist and Bible scholar, suffered a worse fate. He was Calvin’s longtime acquaintance who resisted the authority of the Roman Catholic Church. However, he angered Calvin by returning a copy of Calvin’s Institutes with critical comments in the margins. So what did Calvin do? You can read his resolution from a personal letter he wrote to a friend:
“Servetus offers to come hither, if it be agreeable to me. But I am unwilling to pledge my word for his safety, for if he shall come, I shall never permit him to depart alive, provided my authority be of any avail.” – Letter to Farel, 13 February 1546
The next time Servetus attended Calvin’s Sunday preaching service on a visit, Calvin had him arrested and charged with heresy. The 38 official charges included rejection of the Trinity and infant baptism. The city magistrates condemned him to death. Calvin pleaded for Servetus to be beheaded instead of the more brutal method of burning at the stake, but to no avail.
On October 27, 1553, green wood was used for the fire so Servetus would be slowly baked alive from the feet upward. For 30 minutes he screamed for mercy and prayed to Jesus as the fire worked its way up his body to burn the theology book strapped to his chest as a symbol of his heresy. Calvin summarized the execution this way:
“Servetus . . . suffered the penalty due to his heresies, but was it by my will? Certainly his arrogance destroyed him not less than his impiety. And what crime was it of mine if our Council, at my exhortation, indeed, but in conformity with the opinion of several Churches, took vengeance on his execrable blasphemies?” – Calvin
How could such torture be condoned? In November 1552 the Geneva Council declared Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion to be a “holy doctrine which no man might speak against.” Disagreeing with Calvin’s view of God was a violation warranting the death penalty according to the way John Calvin interpreted Leviticus 24:16. The Geneva city council records describe one verdict where a man who publicly protested against John Calvin’s doctrine of predestination was flogged at all the city’s main intersections and then expelled (“The Minutes Book of the Geneva City Council, 1541-59,” translated by Stefan Zweig, Erasmus: The Right to Heresy). You did not get to disagree with Calvin in this town.
John Calvin argued:
“Whoever shall now contend that it is unjust to put heretics and blasphemers to death, knowingly and willingly incur their guilt. It is not human authority that speaks, it is God who speaks and prescribes a perpetual rule for His Church.”