In modern society, the problem of religious choice remains a matter of controversy. Heresy is a deliberate deviation of a person from religion, which is officially accepted by society. Initially, this concept did not have anything negative under it, meaning, if translated from Greek, "flow", "direction". But already at the time of the New Testament its coloring became extremely negative. This state of affairs was dictated by the conditions of that world and the important role of the official church, which had not only spiritual, but also secular authority.
The causes of heresies
The real problem of separation of believers from the church began to manifest itself in the XI century, expressed in the emergence in Western Europe of teachings that were in conflict with the Catholic Church.
Such teachings had to be eradicated for the rule of the one church. Since the 15th century, the Inquisition has been involved in this. Now there are many martyrs who have suffered from this brutal organization. The reasons for the appearance of heresies lie in the following:
1. The growth of cities.
2. The allocation of citizens in a special estate.
3. The sharp struggle of feudal lords and vassals.
Early directions
The centers of heresy in Europe were precisely those countries in which urban life was most developed. These include France, Italy, Germany, Holland. What were the first medieval heresies? Firstly, they were distinguished by poor organization of groups. So, the most famous heretics of that period were the Albigensians. Their split from the church was called the heresy of the Cathars. Their sudden heyday was most likely associated with the crusaders. Initially, the teaching arose in the East, from where it was cultivated by Europeans. The Albigensians claimed that everything around them is evil, which should be abandoned. Thus, they insisted on an ascetic lifestyle in which it was possible to free oneself from everything material. For them, heresy is not just a teaching, but a way of life.
In their views, one can immediately note a kind of dualism, duality: there is always a struggle between good and evil, life and death, poverty and wealth. However, despite the desire for money-grubbing, in practice of this theory only the leaders of the doctrine adhered. In addition to the middle class, the Cathars and rich feudal lords supported the idea of secularizing the lands of the church. When the albigenee was approaching the end of his life, he performed the rite of purification, after which he became "perfect."
Waldenses and their teachings
Heresy is the emergence of new trends in religion. So, the heresy of the Waldensians became the real scourge of society of the XII century. It got its name thanks to the name of the merchant, who gave everything acquired to the poor. Insisting on absolute poverty, this teaching became so popular among plebeians that it created enormous problems for the official church. The Waldenses fought with the inequality and injustice of life, associated primarily with the excesses of the feudal lords. Initially, the followers of this teaching were called the Lyon poor, although they spread throughout the south of Germany and France.
Heretics in the Christian Faith
Christianity is one of the largest strata of theism. Therefore, the number of various breakaways from him was and will be the largest. Christian heresies can be divided into groups. The largest branches are trinitarian, gnostic and christological.
The Gnostic heresy was a whole worldview, which was based on faith in the divine origin of man, the sacrament of his kinship with the Almighty. Trinitarian teachings were based on a distortion of the common understanding of the Holy Trinity for all believers. For example, they tried to generalize it using the doctrine of the "dialectical logos" of the ancient Hellenes, which led to even greater confusion. Christological heresies, on the contrary, affected only the position of Jesus Christ in the system of biblical tales.
Deviations in Orthodoxy
The Orthodox Church was not bypassed by the phenomenon of heresy. Mostly strigolniks and Judaizers are distinguished in it. Strigolniki appeared in Pskov in the fifteenth century. They insisted on the abolition of bribery among churchmen and completely criticized the fact of hierarchy. As a result, they separated from the official Orthodox Church, because they did not want to recognize the current bishops as their teachers and pastors. They denied going to temples. It was replaced by its own meetings, since the principle of the community where the elder was elected acted.
The heresy of the Judaizers initially expressed the collective name of the various splitters from Orthodoxy. Later, by the eighteenth century, it acquired a more accurate interpretation, hinting at the followers of Sharia and the “Subbotniks”. The latter considered only the Old Testament true and waited for the arrival of the savior all their lives.
Thus, heresy is a very multifaceted concept, which includes various types of beliefs. Over time, it has changed more and more, in the modern world, becoming only part of a huge cauldron of worldviews.