Definition:
Heresy is used to describe a doctrine that is unacceptable to the established Christian church and is considered false. Schism is distinct from heresy in that a schism creates a division in the church. Excommunication has been the traditional method of dealing with heretics. In Roman Catholicism, the term heresy has been used to refer to the denial of a religious truth by a baptized member of the Church.
At the time of Theodosius II, the Byzantine Emperor of Theodosian Law Code fame who had Bishop Nestorius installed in Constantinople in 428, the following heresies were observed in the Roman Empire:
- Macedonians (pneumatomachians)
- Apollinarians
- Novationists
- Sabbatians
- Euomians
- Valentinians
- Montanists (Priscillianists)
- Phrygians
- Marcionites
- Borborites
- Messalians
- Euchites (Enthusiasts)
- Donatists
- Audians
- Hydroparastates
- Tascodrogites
- Photinians
- Paulians
- Marcellians
Source:
428 AD, by Giusto Traina. Princeton University Press: 2009.
