Christian theology Christian theology is the theology of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. Such study concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theology, theologian ...

, historically patripassianism (as it is referred to in the

Western church Western Christianity is one of two sub-divisions of Christianity (Eastern Christianity being the other). Western Christianity is composed of the Latin Church and Western Protestantism, together with their offshoots such as the Old Catholic C ...

) is a version of

Sabellianism In Christianity, Sabellianism is the Western Church equivalent to Patripassianism in the Eastern Church, which are both forms of theological modalism. Condemned as heresy, Modalism is the belief that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three diff ...

in the

Eastern church Eastern Christianity comprises Christian traditions and church families that originally developed during classical and late antiquity in Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Northeast Africa, the Fertile Crescent and ...

(and a version of modalism, modalistic monarchianism, or modal monarchism). Modalism is the belief that God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit are three different ''modes'' or ''aspects'' of one monadic God, as perceived by the believer, rather than three distinct persons within the Godhead – that there are no real or substantial differences between the three, such that the identity of the Spirit or the Son is that of the Father. In the West, a version of this belief was known pejoratively as ''patripassianism'' by its critics (from Latin , "father", and , "suffering"), because the teaching required that since God the Father had become directly incarnate in Christ, the Father literally sacrificed himself on the cross.

Trinitarian perspective

From the standpoint of the doctrine of the

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

—one divine being existing in three persons—patripassianism is considered heretical, since "it simply cannot make sense of the New Testament's teaching on the interpersonal relationship of Father, Son, and Spirit." In this, patripassianism asserts that God the Father—rather than God the Son—became incarnate and suffered on the cross for humanity's redemption. This amplifies the personhood of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

as the personality of the Father, but is seen by trinitarians as distorting the ''spiritual transaction'' of atonement that was taking place at the cross, which the

Apostle Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

described: "God

he Father He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

was reconciling the world to himself in Christ

he Son He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

not counting people's sins against them. ..God

made him who had no sin

esus of Nazareth Esus, Hesus, or Aisus was a Britons (Celtic people), Brittonic and Celtic polytheism, Gaulish god known from two monumental statues and a line in Lucan's ''Pharsalia, Bellum civile''. Name T. F. O'Rahilly derives the theonym ''Esus'', as well ...

to be sin for us, so that in him

we might become the righteousness of God

" It is possible, however, to modify patripassianism so as to acknowledge the Divine Being as having feelings toward, and sharing in the experiences of, both Jesus—whom Christians regard as both human and divine—and other human beings. Full-orbed patripassianism denies Trinitarian distinctions, yet it does not contradict Christianity as defined in the Creeds to say that God feels or experiences things, including nonphysical forms of suffering. With regard to the crucifixion of Jesus, they claim it is consistent with Scriptural teaching to say that God the Father suffered—that is, felt emotional and spiritual pain as he watched his Son suffer on the cross, as it is written "The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God ..no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God ..What we have received is ..the Spirit who is from God."

History

Patripassianism is attested as early as the 2nd century; theologians such as

Praxeas Praxeas was a Monarchianism, Monarchian from Anatolia, Asia Minor who lived in the end of the 2nd century/beginning of the 3rd century. He believed in the unity of the Godhead (Christianity), Godhead and vehemently disagreed with any attempt at di ...

speak of God as unipersonal. Patripassianism was referred to as a belief ascribed to those following

, after a chief proponent,

Sabellius Sabellius (fl. ca. 215) was a third-century priest and theologian who most likely taught in Rome, but may have been a North African from Libya. Basil and others call him a Libyan from Pentapolis, but this seems to rest on the fact that Pentapolis ...

, especially by the chief opponent

Tertullian Tertullian (; la, Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus; 155 AD – 220 AD) was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He was the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of L ...

, who also opposed Praexas. Sabellius, considered a founder of an early movement, was a priest who was excommunicated from the Church by

Pope Callixtus I Pope Callixtus I, also called Callistus I, was the bishop of Rome (according to Sextus Julius Africanus) from c. 218 to his death c. 222 or 223.Chapman, John (1908). "Pope Callistus I" in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Ap ...

in 220 and lived in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. Sabellius advanced the doctrine of one God sometimes referred to as the "economic Trinity" and he opposed the orthodox doctrine of the "essential Trinity". Praxeas and

Noetus Noetus, a presbyter of the church of Asia Minor about AD 230, was a native of Smyrna, where (or perhaps in Ephesus) he became a prominent representative of the particular type of Christology now called modalistic monarchianism or patripassianism.A H ...

were some major followers. Because the writings of Sabellius were destroyed it is hard to know if he did actually believe in Patripassianism, but one early version of the

Apostles' Creed The Apostles' Creed (Latin: ''Symbolum Apostolorum'' or ''Symbolum Apostolicum''), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith". The creed most likely originated in 5th-century Ga ...

, recorded by Rufinus, explicitly states that the Father is ' impassible.' This reading dates to about 390 AD. This addition was made in response to patripassianism, which Rufinus evidently regarded as a heresy, while

Ignatius Ignatius is a male given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name Religious * Ignatius of Antioch (35–108), saint and martyr, Apostolic Father, early Christian bishop * Ignatius of Constantinople (797–877), Cath ...

believes the incarnate one is the impassible, saying "being impassible, He was in a passible body, being immortal, He was in a mortal body". Cyprian and Tertullian famously accused the Modalistic

Monarchians Monarchianism is a Christian theology that emphasizes God as one indivisible being,
at Catholic Encyclopedia, newadvent.org

of patripassianism.Williston Walker, ''History of the Christian Church'', Page 73, Charles Scribner's Sons 1949 The Monarchians taught the unity of the Godhead in Christ and that as the Son suffered the Father also experienced the sufferings. They did not teach that the Father died on the cross, though they were sometimes accused of this. This term has been used by others such as F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone to describe other Oneness religions.eds., ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press), accessed vi
Oxford Reference Online
August 21, 2009

References

{{Heresies condemned by the Catholic Church Nontrinitarianism Nature of Jesus Christ

Trinitarian perspective

History

See also

References