Cerdo (gnostic)
Encyclopedia
Cerdo was a Syria
n gnostic who was deemed a heretic
by the Orthodox Church around the time of his teaching, circa 138 AD.
Cerdo started out as a follower of Simon Magus
. He taught at about the same time as Valentinus
and preceded Marcion. According to Irenaeus
, he was a contemporary of the Roman bishop Hyginus
, residing in Rome
as a prominent member of the Church until his forced expulsion therefrom.
He taught that there were two gods, one that demanded obedience while the other was good and merciful. According to Cerdo, the former was the god of the Old Testament
who had created the world. He also said that the latter god was superior but became only known through his son, Jesus
. Like later gnostics, he was a docetist who rejected the resurrection
of the dead.
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n gnostic who was deemed a heretic
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
by the Orthodox Church around the time of his teaching, circa 138 AD.
Cerdo started out as a follower of Simon Magus
Simon Magus
Simon the Sorcerer or Simon the Magician, in Latin Simon Magus, was a Samaritan magus or religious figure and a convert to Christianity, baptised by Philip the Apostle, whose later confrontation with Peter is recorded in . The sin of simony, or paying for position and influence in the church, is...
. He taught at about the same time as Valentinus
Valentinus (Gnostic)
Valentinus was the best known and for a time most successful early Christian gnostic theologian. He founded his school in Rome...
and preceded Marcion. According to Irenaeus
Irenaeus
Saint Irenaeus , was Bishop of Lugdunum in Gaul, then a part of the Roman Empire . He was an early church father and apologist, and his writings were formative in the early development of Christian theology...
, he was a contemporary of the Roman bishop Hyginus
Pope Hyginus
Pope Saint Hyginus was bishop of Rome from about 136 or 138 to about 140 or 142. Tradition holds that during his papacy he determined the various prerogatives of the clergy and defined the grades of the ecclesiastical hierarchy...
, residing in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
as a prominent member of the Church until his forced expulsion therefrom.
He taught that there were two gods, one that demanded obedience while the other was good and merciful. According to Cerdo, the former was the god of the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
who had created the world. He also said that the latter god was superior but became only known through his son, Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
. Like later gnostics, he was a docetist who rejected the resurrection
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
of the dead.