Definition:
The term heresy comes from the Greek haireisthai, which means to
choose. It came to refer to the act of holding very unorthodox and/or unpopular
religious opinions.
In the Acts of the Apostles it is used to refer to a sect, but without reference to its character. In Paul's epistles, however, it acquires a more negative character. Paul lists "heresies"with other crimes and seditions (Gal. 5:20.
As the Christian Church became more organized and doctrine becomes a more imporant means for identifying Christians, the concept of heresy comes to be used to denote divisions or schisms within the church (1 Cor. 11:19). In Titus 3:10 a "heretical person" is described as one who chooses to follow his own self-willed "questions," and is therefore to be avoided. Heresies in Christianity thus came to refer to self-chosen doctrines not emanating from God (2 Pet. 2:1).
Early Christianity treated heresy negatively and the punishment was usually some sort of reproof or, at most, excommunication. So long as Christianity itself was persecuted or powerless, greater freedom of thought was tolerated. However, once Chrisitanity became the state religion, disagreements over doctrine became threats to political and social stability in the empire. As a consequence, those who failed to uphold orthodoxy and fell into heresy were treated as enemies of the social order and tolerance of differences of opinion was no longer very great.
As Christianity became more powerful and more responsible for the workings of society, its doctrines also grew more comples. One consequence of this was that the ways in which a person could fall into either heresy or apostasy grew in number - and, so, Christain authorities also had to improve upon their abilities to detect and punish both. A primary tool for the detection and punishment of both heresy and apostasy was the Inquisition.
Although heresy and apostasy 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 not be described as apostasy.
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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.
