A History of Heresy

by David Christie-Murray

With the changes in Christian orthodoxy over the centuries, the term heretic has come to hold a wide range of meanings. Society condemned the first Christians, themselves, as heretics because they defied the doctrines of Judaism. Focusing specifically on Christian heresy, David
Christie-Murray's cogent and lucid study surveys minority believers from the early Judaizers, who believed that salvation depended purely on the observation of Christian versions of "the law," through Gnosticism, Montanism, Monarchianism, Arianism, Apollinarianism, Nestorianism, Pelagianism,
Lutheranism, Anglicanism, and other movements and minorities, to the bewildering variety of heresies in the twentieth century.
Based on extensive scholarship, and yet compulsively readable, Christie-Murray's book explains the differences between different shades of Christian thought, and also provides an exciting, continuous narrative of the development of Christianity through the ages.

Genres: History, Religion, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

David Hugh Arthur Christie-Murray was born in London and attended school in Ramsgate, Kent. He studied journalism at University College, London, then worked as a journalist and briefly as a schoolteacher, before training for the priesthood at the Anglican Theological College at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. He was ordained in 1942 and in 1946 was appointed an assistant master and chaplain at Harrow School.

Reviews

[Brian Griffith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fascinating study of the shifting boundaries between required and banned religious expression. Naturally, those who condemned others had a tendency to violate their own rules. For example, Christie-Murray explores what happened when the Western Church moved toward reversing its rule on marriage for priests -- from forbidding divorce for priests (as ruled at the Council of Nicaea), to denouncing marriage for priests as a sin. While upholders of the new doctrine expressed dismay at the married clergy's moral depravity, the Eastern Church took an opposite view. In 867, Patriarch Photius of Constantinople accused the Roman Church of heresy for repeatedly ordering celibacy in church families. For Photius, the Western Church was succumbing to a Manichaean belief that matter and flesh were evil.

[Tony Gualtieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A splendid book, part burlesque and part tragedy, documenting the variety of the Christian experience as well as Catholic intolerance and trepidation.

[Ed Belding · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read an earlier hardback edition that I purchased off of the bargain shelf at a mall bookstore. It covers heresies from the earliest days of Christianity to modern times and explains that heretics were seldom driven my malicious intent. Rather their motives were more often than not good even if misguided. The author tries to explain the point of view of the heretics and heresies within their historic and theological context of the day. I consider it a treasure as a resource and it helped me avoid demonizing individuals, even though most held serious flaws in their theology, and better understand what caused their error. I certainly do not consider ALL the heresies listed in this volume as being in error. I am very sympathetic to the Waldensians and the Donatists for example, especially when considered within their historic context. I recommend this book to any Christian who is solid in their faith and not afraid to consider that wrong theological outcomes were not always malicious and were often driven by a love for God, albeit misguided or ill-informed at the time.

[Tyler Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book really just dips its toe in this short list of heterodox thought, it does a pretty good job at introducing the basics of each. Did you know that I'm a Pelagianist? Well, neither did I until I read Christie-Murray's chapter on the subject.

Bear in mind that Heresy is in the eye of the beholder, necessarily. The author, himself and ex-Anglican and possibly a Quaker, seems to be writing from a position relative to the Big Churches; so that he offers discussion of Arianism, Gnosticism and Nestorianism just down the road from bits on Lutherans, Mormons, and Pentacostals. Of course, absolutely everybody is a heretic except for you if you belong to [insert conservative orthodox church name here:].

For those interested in learning about this sort of stuff without devoting 2 years to rumbling through heavy theological texts, this is a fast and quick primer. Who knows, you might be a Monarchianist and not even kow it.

[Mark Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and well written, Christie-Murray's book covers a range of heretical groups and beliefs. What I found particularly commendable was that he did not stop, as others do, at the reformation, but continued to look at heretical groups within both protestantism and catholicism right up to the twentieth century

[Robert Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, but also so annoying to think these people killed one another over silly religious beliefs.

[Patrick Lacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent historical survey of Christian heresy’s

[Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I found this book to be a much better read than I originally anticipated. First of all, Murray’s tone was perfect. I had been apprehensive of reading this book because I assumed that it would be quite condemning in its tone, but I found that Murray is simply telling the history of the development of Christian theology. He makes this plain in his first chapter and it allows the reader to be not have to be on the defensive the whole time. Lastly, although I found his explanations of the early “heresies” much more compelling – perhaps because they were easier to follow in their ramifications – his explanation of the different denominations following the Protestant Reformation were quite succinct and readily highlighted the main theological differences. I would certainly recommend the book to anyone who wants to delve deeper into the how different theological positions developed in the history of Christianity.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good general reader on heresy. Got a little long at times. The best part of the book was at the end of each chapter. AT the end the author would share with the reader who the heresy is live and well today in The Faith.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

So aggressively condensed it is confusing to read, this book is nevertheless a valuable resource.