Roger Pearse

Origen, Contra Celsum 5:63, quotes Titus 3:10. Chadwick renders it "A man that is heretical after a first and second admonition..." because it follows Origen saying "If the heretics (heterodoxai) are not won over, we observe the word which directed..." which in turn follows a discussion of the heresies in early Christianity.

Just above that is the use of haereses explicitly to refer to infighting sects in philosophy and medicine.

Ben C Smith

There is no doubt in my mind that this is what the word group wound up meaning in the great theological debates. Heresy as sect morphed into heresy as the wrong sect (because, after all, our group has stood firm on the first principles all along, never wavering).

What is less clear to me is when exactly this change of definition set in to the point where we can practically assume its meaning.

Ben.

ETA: Here is a Unicode rendering (but without accents) and a quickie translation:

�*αντες αναθεματιζομεν την επιστολην και τα δογματα Νεστοριου. Τον αιρετικον Νεστοριον παντες αναθεματιζομεν. Τους κοινωνουντας Νεστοριωι παντες αναθεματιζομεν. Την ασεβη πιστιν Νεστοριου παντες αναθεματιζομεν. Το ασεβες δογμα Νεστοριου παντες.

We all anathemetize the epistle and the dogma of Nestorius. We all anathemetize the heretic Nestorius. We all anathemetize those participating with Nestorius. We all anathemetize the irreligious faith of Nestorius. We all [anathemetize?] the irreligious dogma of Nestorius.

There may be a verb missing in that last sentence. And presumably the text goes on to anathemetize his cat, his house, and his favorite recipe, too.

andrewcriddle

Presumably the adjective developed this meaning after the noun developed the meaning sect or faction, which seems to be in the late Hellenistic period.

(As well as the references already cited Diogenes Laertius uses the noun to refer to philosophic sects.)

Andrew Criddle

spin

Josephus is earlier than Diogenes Laertius, but I see Polybius uses airesis. L&S. And more importantly I've just noticed it in 1 Cor 11:19 with the notion of divisiveness.


spin

Roger Pearse

Thank you for this. You didn't retype that, did you? Is there some better way to get the text?

Yes, I grasped what the text meant; the anathema, anathema came over even to me. ('impious' rather than 'irreligious', perhaps?) It meant HERETIC, in the Spanish Inquisition sense of the word.

I agree, tho; this is the end meaning of the word. We need to establish what it mean when Paul wrote it.

All the best,

Roger Pearse