The ''Refutation of All Heresies'' ( grc-gre, Φιλοσοφούμενα ή κατὰ πασῶν αἱρέσεων ἔλεγχος; la, Refutatio Omnium Haeresium), also called the ''Elenchus'' or ''Philosophumena'', is a compendious Christian polemical work of the early third century, whose attribution to

Hippolytus of Rome Hippolytus of Rome (, ; c. 170 – c. 235 AD) was one of the most important second-third century Christian theologians, whose provenance, identity and corpus remain elusive to scholars and historians. Suggested communities include Rome, Palestin ...

or an unknown " Pseudo-Hippolytus" is disputed. It catalogues both pagan beliefs and 33

gnostic Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...

Christian systems deemed

heretical Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

by Hippolytus, making it a major source of information on contemporary opponents of Christian orthodoxy as understood today. The first book, a synopsis of

Greek philosophy Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BC, marking the end of the Greek Dark Ages. Greek philosophy continued throughout the Hellenistic period and the period in which Greece and most Greek-inhabited lands were part of the Roman Empi ...

, circulated separately in several manuscripts and was known as the ''Philosophoumena'' ( grc-gre, Φιλοσοφούμενα "philosophical teachings"), a title which some extend to the whole work. Books IV-X were recovered in 1842 in a manuscript at Mount Athos, while books II and III remain lost. The work was long attributed to the early Christian theologian

Origen Origen of Alexandria, ''Ōrigénēs''; Origen's Greek name ''Ōrigénēs'' () probably means "child of Horus" (from , "Horus", and , "born"). ( 185 – 253), also known as Origen Adamantius, was an early Christian scholar, ascetic, and theo ...

Hippolytus's work is divided into ten books, 8 of which have survived more or less intact. Books II and III, however, have not been unearthed, and their contents remain the subject of conjecture Book I offers a summary of the thought of various ancient Greek philosophers. Catherine Osborne identifies Book I as being an important source of information on

Pre-Socratic Philosophy Pre-Socratic philosophy, also known as early Greek philosophy, is ancient Greek philosophy before Socrates. Pre-Socratic philosophers were mostly interested in cosmology, the beginning and the substance of the universe, but the inquiries of the ...

. Hippolytus's most extensive treatment is given to the works of

Pythagoras Pythagoras of Samos ( grc, Πυθαγόρας ὁ Σάμιος, Pythagóras ho Sámios, Pythagoras the Samian, or simply ; in Ionian Greek; ) was an ancient Ionian Greek philosopher and the eponymous founder of Pythagoreanism. His politi ...

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

, and

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...

. An outline of the philosophies of the

Brahmins Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests ( purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...

of India, Zamolxis of

Thrace Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...

and the Celtic

druids A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Whi ...

and also of the mythological poetry of

Hesiod Hesiod (; grc-gre, Ἡσίοδος ''Hēsíodos'') was an ancient Greek poet generally thought to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer. He is generally regarded by western authors as 'the first written poet ...

is given here. Book IV details and seeks to refute the various beliefs and practices of various diviners and magicians, ''i.e.'', the Chaldeans, the Metoposcopists, the

Magicians Magician or The Magician may refer to: Performers * A practitioner of magic (supernatural) * A practitioner of magic (illusion) * Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context Entertainment Books * ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...

, and those who practice divination by astronomy. Hippolytus closes this book by explaining the connection he perceives between the

Gnostic Gnosticism (from grc, γνωστικός, gnōstikós, , 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems which coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized pe ...

heresies of Valentinus and

Simon Magus Simon Magus (Greek Σίμων ὁ μάγος, Latin: Simon Magus), also known as Simon the Sorcerer or Simon the Magician, was a religious figure whose confrontation with Peter is recorded in Acts . The act of simony, or paying for position, is ...

and certain ideas Hippolytus ascribes to Pythagoras, thus linking his discussion of Greek philosophy in Book I with his later arguments against Gnosticism. Book V concerns itself with the Ophite heresies. Hippolytus in particular identifies the Naassenes, the

Peratae The Perates or Peratae ( el, Περατής, "to pass through"; Wikt:πέρας, πέρας, "to penetrate") were a Gnostic sect from the 2nd century AD. The ''Philosophumena'' of Hippolytus of Rome, Hippolytus is our only real source of informati ...

, the Sethians, and the beliefs of the heretic Justinus. Once again, Hippolytus identifies the source of the Ophite error as being rooted in the philosophy of the ancients. In Chapter 2 of this book, he accuses the Naassenes of believing that the pagan god "

Attis Attis (; grc-gre, Ἄττις, also , , ) was the consort of Cybele, in Phrygian and Greek mythology. His priests were eunuchs, the ''Galli'', as explained by origin myths pertaining to Attis castrating himself. Attis was also a Phrygian v ...

has been emasculated, that is, he has passed over from the earthly parts of the nether world to the everlasting substance above, where...there is neither female nor male, but a new creature, a new man, which is hermaphrodite" rans. J. H. McMahonand of conflating Jesus and Attis based on the

Gospel of Thomas The Gospel of Thomas (also known as the Coptic Gospel of Thomas) is an extra-canonical sayings gospel. It was discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945 among a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library. Scholars speculate ...

and the Gospel according to the Egyptians. In Book VI, Hippolytus resumes his attack begun at the end of Book IV against Simon Magus and Valentinus. He sketches out their ideas, again affirming the source of their error to be the teaching of Pythagoras. Hippolytus devotes the remainder of the book to discussing the heresies of Valentinus' supposed followers. Book VII challenges the teachings of such heretics as Basilides and his disciple Saturnilus,

Marcion of Sinope Marcion of Sinope (; grc, Μαρκίων ; ) was an early Christian theologian in early Christianity. Marcion preached that God had sent Jesus Christ who was an entirely new, alien god, distinct from the vengeful God of Israel who had created ...

, and Carpocrates of Alexandria, among others. These

heresiarch In Christian theology, a heresiarch (also hæresiarch, according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary''; from Greek: , ''hairesiárkhēs'' via the late Latin ''haeresiarcha''Cross and Livingstone, ''Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' 1974) ...

s all held varying opinions on the God of the Old Testament, from Saturnilus, who Hippolytus states believed that "the God of the Jews is one of the angels", directly opposed by Christ, to Carpocrates who asserted that the Father was for the most part aloof from physical creation, which had been formed by his angels. A discussion of the heretical Docetae begins Hippolytus's Book VIII. Who exactly the Docetae were is unclear, though Hippolytus seems to make a distinction between this group and others who considered Jesus to exist merely in appearance, the latter being the doctrine to which the term "

Docetism In the history of Christianity, docetism (from the grc-koi, δοκεῖν/δόκησις ''dokeĩn'' "to seem", ''dókēsis'' "apparition, phantom") is the heterodox doctrine that the phenomenon of Jesus, his historical and bodily existence, a ...

" is now affixed. Hippolytus associates this heresy with a misinterpretation of the Parable of the Sower of Matthew's Gospel and a belief that Christ's soul was separated from his body at his

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagi ...

. Hippolytus proceeds to explain and argue against the Gnostics Monoimus,

Tatian Tatian of Adiabene, or Tatian the Syrian or Tatian the Assyrian, (; la, Tatianus; grc, Τατιανός; syc, ܛܛܝܢܘܣ; c. 120 – c. 180 AD) was an Assyrian Christian writer and theologian of the 2nd century. Tatian's most influential w ...

, and Hermogenes, before digressing from the Gnostic theme to refute the practices of the Quartodecimans. He likewise condemns the "Phrygians", ''i.e.'', the followers of Montanus and the Gnostic heresy of the

Encratites The Encratites ("self-controlled") were an ascetic 2nd-century sect of Christians who forbade marriage and counselled abstinence from meat. Eusebius says that Tatian was the author of this heresy. It has been supposed that it was these Gnostic Enc ...

. Book IX begins with a refutation of the heresy of

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 ...

. In this particular error, Hippolytus implicates the now-canonised popes

Zephyrinus Zephyrinus is a Latin masculine name (derived from the Greek , the name of the west wind). The name has related forms in modern languages: * Zéphyrin or Zéphirin (French); feminine: Zéphyrine * Zephyrin or Zephirin (German); feminine Zephryine ...

and Callixtus I. This theme of Hippolytus' conflict with the papacy is expanded upon in the second chapter of Book IX, which deals in particular with the errors of Pope Callixtus, whom Hippolytus identifies as a "sorcerer". He then attacks the Elcesaites, who he says had a different baptismal practice than that of orthodox Christians. Book IX concludes with a summary of the heresy of the

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, whom Hippolytus divides into Pharisees,

Sadducees The Sadducees (; he, צְדוּקִים, Ṣədūqīm) were a socio- religious sect of Jewish people who were active in Judea during the Second Temple period, from the second century BCE through the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. T ...

, and

Essenes The Essenes (; Hebrew: , ''Isiyim''; Greek: Ἐσσηνοί, Ἐσσαῖοι, or Ὀσσαῖοι, ''Essenoi, Essaioi, Ossaioi'') were a mystic Jewish sect during the Second Temple period that flourished from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st ce ...

. Book X concludes the work with Hippolytus' summary of what he has written.

Legacy

The ''Refutation'' has been a significant source for contemporary scholars on various subjects since its discovery. The compendious breadth of the ''Refutation'' illuminates for the reader not only various Gnostic beliefs, but is also a source of "valuable information on the thinking of the Presocratics." The text is also an important source of Pythagorean and

Neopythagorean Neopythagoreanism (or neo-Pythagoreanism) was a school of Hellenistic philosophy which revived Pythagorean doctrines. Neopythagoreanism was influenced by middle Platonism and in turn influenced Neoplatonism. It originated in the 1st century BC ...

teachings, with which Hippolytus frequently relates the heresies he describes.Johan C. Thom, "'Don't walk on the highways': The Pythagorean akousmata and early Christian literature." ''Journal of Biblical Literature'' 113, no. 1 (Spring 1994): 93.

Notes

Bibliography

* Miroslav Marcovich, (ed.), ''Refutatio Omnium Haeresium'', Berlin, Walter de Gruyter, 1986 (critical edition of the Greek text). * ''Refutation of All Heresies'', translated with an Introduction and notes by M. David Litwa, Atlanta, SBL Press, 2016. *''Réfutation de de toutes les hérésies'', intr. and transl. by Hans van Kasteel, Grez-Doiceau, Beya, 2019.

External links

Online text (English)Refutation of all Heresies
English from archive {{Authority control 3rd-century books Christian anti-Gnosticism 3rd-century Christian texts Athos manuscripts Early Christianity and Gnosticism Works by Hippolytus of Rome Elcesaites

Contents

Legacy

Notes

Bibliography

External links