Definition:
The term apostasy comes from the Greek from Greek apostasis, which means
"revolt". Originally, this term was used to refer to those who revolted against or
simply defected from a military commander; as such, the term has always carried with
it a heavy mark of criticism.
Eventually, the concept of apostasy has come to be applied to any person who completely abandons their religious faith and either embraces a different religion or simply rejects religion entirely and become irreligious. No religions look kindly upon apostates, and some have recommended the death penalty for them. The term has also been applied more broadly to someone who defects from a political party - although this usage tends to be more metaphorical in character, it still retains a very basic element.
All usages of word focus upon the idea of a person who abandons some belief or practice of a group which is considered so essential that it is vital to the well-being or even the very survival of the group. Thus, apostasy is not regarded as mere dissent or disagreement; rather, it is treated as a threat to the existence of the group, thus explaining its relatively harsh treatment.
Apostasy and Religion
One of the earliest examples of the concept of apostasy being used in a religious
context comes from the Maccabean period of Judaism. During this time, Jews were
being pressed politically by forces from neighboring Syria and culturally from the
pervasive influence of Hellenism. Both threatened to eliminate Judaism as a political
and/or cultural entity; as a consequence, Jews who defected were treated especially
harshly because their actions, if repeated by very many, threatened to hasten the
demise of the Jews as a people.
Early Christian literature adopted similar attitudes towards those who defected from the Christian community and the Christian faith. In its early years Christianity's position in the Roman empire was very precarious and its survival was very much dependent upon the interdependence of Christians in the community of faith. As a result, apostasy was not simply a renunciation of the faith which was central to Christian identity (unlike Judaism), but also a renunciation of the community itself. An apostate was not simply a person who disagreed but was, instead, a person who abandoned their brethren in their time of need.
Early on, apostasy was classified as a sin punished by perpetual penance and excommunication - in other words, something for which forgiveness by the religious community simply was not possible. Later, however, the churches adopted a more conciliatory attitude by accepting the possibility of readmittance to the community. However, things worsened when Christianitiy became the official religion of Rome because apostates where then also deprived of all civil rights in addition to being excluded from the religious community.
As Christianity became more powerful and more responsible for the workings of society, its doctrines also grew more complex. One consequence of this was that the ways in which a person could fall into either heresy or apostasy grew in number - and, so, Christian authorities also had to improve their ability to detect and punish both. A primary tool for the detection and punishment of both heresy and apostasy was the Inquisition.
Although apostasy and heresy are often treated as the same for practical reasons, there are nevertheless imporant differences. Apostasy involves deserting to an "enemy" while heresy involves creating of factions and division within the group. Apostasy depends upon conflict between religious or political groups while heresy creates conflict within the group. Once an internal conflict reaches the point where two distinct groups exist, beliefs which were once heresy may now be described as apostasy.
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Alternate Spellings: none
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Related Resources:
What is the Philosophy of Religion?
Sometimes confused with theology, the Philosophy of Religion is the philosophical study of religious beliefs, religious doctrines, religious arguments and religious history. The line between theology and the philosophy of religion isn't always sharp, but the primary difference is that theology tends to be apologetical in nature, committed to the defense of particular religious positions, whereas Philosophy of Religion is committed to the investigation of religion itself, rather than the truth of any particular religion.
