Monarchianism
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Monarchianism, or Monarchism as it is sometimes called, is a set of beliefs that emphasize God as being one, that God is the single and only ruler. Their name came from their defense of the "Monarchy" or unity of God. Some of the earliest Monarchists were called alogoi because they opposed the doctrine of the logos, as explained in the Biblical Gospel of John.
This emphasis conflicted with the doctrine of the Trinity, of God as the Heavenly Father, Resurrected Son, and Holy Spirit. Models of resolving the tension between the two principles in favour of God's oneness were proposed in the 2nd century, but rejected as heretical by the Church.
Monarchianism in-and-of itself is not a complete theory of the relation of the Heavenly Father, Resurrected Son, and Holy Spirit, but a simple tenet that requires further extension. There are basically two contradicting models of Monarchianism:
- Modalism(or Modal Monarchianism) considers God to be one person appearing and working in the different "modes" of the Heavenly Father, the Resurrected Son, and the Holy Spirit. The chief proponent of Modalism was Sabellius, hence the view is also called Sabellianism. It has also been labeled Patripassianism by its opponents because it purports that God the Heavenly Father suffered on the cross.
- Adoptionism(or Dynamic Monarchianism) holds that God is one being, above all else and wholly indivisible and of one nature, it reconciles the "problem" of the Trinity (or at least Jesus) by holding that the Resurrected Son was not co-eternal with the Heavenly Father, and that Jesus the Christ essentially was granted deity-hood (adopted) for the plans of God and his own perfect life and works. Different flavors of Adoptionism hold that Jesus was "adopted" either at the time of his baptism, or ascension. An early exponent of this belief was Theodotus of Byzantium. It is related to docetism, which holds that Jesus was a human who was "possessed" by a spiritual entity (which may or may not itself be Trinitarian).
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Natalius was an early Patripassianite. He was an Antipope (rival bishop of Rome) just before Antipope Hippolytus. According to Eusebius' EH5.28.8-12, quoting the Little Labyrinth of Hippolytus, after being "scourged all night by the holy angels", covered in ash, dressed in sackcloth, and "after some difficulty", he tearfully submitted to Pope Zephyrinus.
Another proponent of Monarchianism was Paul of Samosata, who however does not neatly fit in either of the two models.
The New Church (often called Swedenborgian) has also been seen as a proponent of Monarchianism. However, it does not quite see God as appearing in three modes; rather, it sees God as One Divine Person, Jesus Christ, who has a Divine Soul of Love, Divine Mind of Truth, and Divine Body of Energy.
