Patripassianism
Encyclopedia
In Christian theology
, patripassianism is the view that God the Father
suffers (from Latin patri- "father" and passio "suffering"). Its adherents believe that God the Father was incarnate and suffered on the cross and that whatever happened to the Son happened to the Father and so the Father co-suffered with the human Jesus on the cross. This view is opposed to the classical theological doctrine of divine apathy
. According to classical theology it is possible for Christ to suffer only in virtue of his human nature. The divine nature is incapable of suffering. Classical theology is heavily influenced by Greek metaphysics and especially Neo-Platonic
and Stoic
conceptions of God. As a result, there is considerable debate among Christian theologians as to how much of classical theology is actually required for Christian orthodoxy. The early church
considered patripassianism to be heresy
.
, is problematic because they maintain, according to Biblical references concerning Jesus Christ as speaking to God the Father, while he was on the cross, as proof that the two are separate. It is also problematic for any that hold to the impassibility and immutability of the divine, as it implies that God the Father can suffer.
, after its founder Sabellius
, especially by the chief opponent Tertullian
. Sabellius, considered a founder of an early movement, was a priest who was excommunicated from the Church by Pope Callixtus I
in 220 and lived in Rome
. Sabellius advanced the doctrine of one God sometimes referred to as “economic Trinity” and he opposed the Orthodox
doctrine of the “essential Trinity”. Praxeus and Noetus were some major followers. Tertullian
may have authored the term Patripassionism but was certainly a chief opponent of Modalism or the belief in one God with different modes. Therefore, opponents such as Tertullian advanced the idea that the Father co-suffers with the human Jesus.
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
, 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.
Cyprian and Tertullian famously accused the Modalistic Monarchians
of patripassianism. 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, eds., The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford: Oxford University Press). Accessed via Oxford Reference Online August 21, 2009. to describe other Oneness religions.
has been associated with patripassianism. According to Dr. Gary Reckart, Sr. an Apostolic Messianic
: "If as Oneness believe, that God the Father was incarnate in Christ, which Jesus confessed ("it is the Father in me that doeth the work"), the Father was in Christ during all of the sufferings and being nailed to the cross. Thus the Father did suffer or experience the sufferings of the Son up to the time the Father departed from the body". Oneness Pentecostals have the belief that those that make statements like Dr. Reckart, the assumption that God the Father, a divine spirit becoming flesh (Jesus Christ the Son), would have to feel pain, is advancing a supposition much like Tertullian
and other opponents of a Oneness doctrine. Dr. Reckart emphasizes that Oneness do not believe (as also the ancient patripassians did not) that the Father died on the cross as the Son, nor that the Father died to replace the death of the Son.
There are no known examples of any direct writings of Oneness Pentecostals ascribing to the belief of Patripassianism.
Christian theology
- Divisions of Christian theology :There are many methods of categorizing different approaches to Christian theology. For a historical analysis, see the main article on the History of Christian theology.- Sub-disciplines :...
, patripassianism is the view that God the Father
God the Father
God the Father is a gendered title given to God in many monotheistic religions, particularly patriarchal, Abrahamic ones. In Judaism, God is called Father because he is the creator, life-giver, law-giver, and protector...
suffers (from Latin patri- "father" and passio "suffering"). Its adherents believe that God the Father was incarnate and suffered on the cross and that whatever happened to the Son happened to the Father and so the Father co-suffered with the human Jesus on the cross. This view is opposed to the classical theological doctrine of divine apathy
Divine apathy
Divine apathy is the doctrine that the divine nature is incapable of suffering, passivity or modification. This doctrine is a common feature of Platonist, Aristotelian, and Stoic philosophical theology and was held by most Jewish, Christian, and Muslim thinkers prior to the twentieth century....
. According to classical theology it is possible for Christ to suffer only in virtue of his human nature. The divine nature is incapable of suffering. Classical theology is heavily influenced by Greek metaphysics and especially Neo-Platonic
Neoplatonism and Christianity
Neoplatonism was a major influence on Christian theology throughout Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages in the West notably due to St. Augustine of Hippo, who was influenced by the early Neoplatonists Plotinus and Porphyry, and the works of the Christian writer Dionysius the Pseudo-Areopagite, who...
and Stoic
Stoicism
Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium in the early . The Stoics taught that destructive emotions resulted from errors in judgment, and that a sage, or person of "moral and intellectual perfection," would not suffer such emotions.Stoics were concerned...
conceptions of God. As a result, there is considerable debate among Christian theologians as to how much of classical theology is actually required for Christian orthodoxy. The early church
Early Christianity
Early Christianity is generally considered as Christianity before 325. The New Testament's Book of Acts and Epistle to the Galatians records that the first Christian community was centered in Jerusalem and its leaders included James, Peter and John....
considered patripassianism to be heresy
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...
.
Trinitarian
Patripassianism, to those that adhere to a belief in the TrinityTrinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
, is problematic because they maintain, according to Biblical references concerning Jesus Christ as speaking to God the Father, while he was on the cross, as proof that the two are separate. It is also problematic for any that hold to the impassibility and immutability of the divine, as it implies that God the Father can suffer.
History
Patripassionism began in the third century AD. Patripassionism was referred to as a belief ascribed to those following SabellianismSabellianism
In Christianity, Sabellianism, is the nontrinitarian belief that the Heavenly Father, Resurrected Son and Holy Spirit are different modes or aspects of one God, as perceived by the believer, rather than three distinct persons in God Himself.The term Sabellianism comes from...
, after its founder Sabellius
Sabellius
Sabellius was a third century priest and theologian who most likely taught in Rome, but may have been an African from Libya. Basil and others call him a Libyan from Pentapolis, but this seems to rest on the fact that Pentapolis was a place where the teachings of Sabellius thrived, according to...
, especially by the chief opponent Tertullian
Tertullian
Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian , was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He is the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and...
. Sabellius, considered a founder of an early movement, was a priest who was excommunicated from the Church by Pope Callixtus I
Pope Callixtus I
Pope Saint Callixtus I or Callistus I was pope from about 217 to about 222, during the reigns of the Roman Emperors Elagabalus and Alexander Severus...
in 220 and lived 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...
. Sabellius advanced the doctrine of one God sometimes referred to as “economic Trinity” and he opposed the Orthodox
Orthodox Christianity
The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:* the Eastern Orthodox Church and its various geographical subdivisions...
doctrine of the “essential Trinity”. Praxeus and Noetus were some major followers. Tertullian
Tertullian
Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian , was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He is the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and...
may have authored the term Patripassionism but was certainly a chief opponent of Modalism or the belief in one God with different modes. Therefore, opponents such as Tertullian advanced the idea that the Father co-suffers with the human Jesus.
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
Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed , sometimes titled Symbol of the Apostles, is an early statement of Christian belief, a creed or "symbol"...
, recorded by Rufinus
Tyrannius Rufinus
Tyrannius Rufinus or Rufinus of Aquileia was a monk, historian, and theologian. He is most known as a translator of Greek patristic material into Latin—especially the work of Origen.-Life:...
, 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.
Cyprian and Tertullian famously accused the Modalistic Monarchians
Monarchianism
Monarchianism is a set of beliefs that emphasize God as being one person. The term was given to Christians who upheld the "monarchy" of God against the Logos theology of Justin Martyr and apologists who had spoken of Jesus as a second divine person begotten by God the Father before the creation of...
of patripassianism. 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, eds., The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (Oxford: Oxford University Press). Accessed via Oxford Reference Online August 21, 2009. to describe other Oneness religions.
Association of Patripassianism
Oneness PentecostalismOneness Pentecostalism
Oneness Pentecostalism refers to a grouping of denominations and believers within Pentecostal Christianity, all of whom subscribe to the nontrinitarian theological doctrine of Oneness...
has been associated with patripassianism. According to Dr. Gary Reckart, Sr. an Apostolic Messianic
Apostolic Messianic
Apostolic Messianic is a movement that considers itself a restoration of the early Christian faith to its Jewish identity. It is also referred to as Apostolic Messianic Judaism.-Overview:...
: "If as Oneness believe, that God the Father was incarnate in Christ, which Jesus confessed ("it is the Father in me that doeth the work"), the Father was in Christ during all of the sufferings and being nailed to the cross. Thus the Father did suffer or experience the sufferings of the Son up to the time the Father departed from the body". Oneness Pentecostals have the belief that those that make statements like Dr. Reckart, the assumption that God the Father, a divine spirit becoming flesh (Jesus Christ the Son), would have to feel pain, is advancing a supposition much like Tertullian
Tertullian
Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicised as Tertullian , was a prolific early Christian author from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He is the first Christian author to produce an extensive corpus of Latin Christian literature. He also was a notable early Christian apologist and...
and other opponents of a Oneness doctrine. Dr. Reckart emphasizes that Oneness do not believe (as also the ancient patripassians did not) that the Father died on the cross as the Son, nor that the Father died to replace the death of the Son.
There are no known examples of any direct writings of Oneness Pentecostals ascribing to the belief of Patripassianism.
See also
- HeresyChristian heresyChristian heresy refers to non-orthodox practices and beliefs that were deemed to be heretical by one or more of the Christian churches. In Western Christianity, the term "heresy" most commonly refers to those beliefs which were declared to be anathema by the Catholic Church prior to the schism of...
- NontrinitarianismNontrinitarianismNontrinitarianism includes all Christian belief systems that disagree with the doctrine of the Trinity, namely, the teaching that God is three distinct hypostases and yet co-eternal, co-equal, and indivisibly united in one essence or ousia...
- Trinitarianism
- TrinityTrinityThe Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...