Macedonians (religious group)
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- This article is about the Byzantine Greek Christian sect of the 4th century AD. For other meanings of the word "Macedonians," see the Macedonian disambiguation page.
The Macedonians were a Christian sect of the 4th century AD, named after Bishop Macedonius I of Constantinople. They professed a belief similar[1][disputed] to that of Arianism, but apparently denying the divinity of the Holy Spirit,[2] and regarding the substance of Jesus Christ as being the same in kind as that of God the Father. They were regarded as a heretical sect and were suppressed by the mainstream Church. The sect's members were also known as pneumatomachians, the “spirit fighters.”
Macedonius, and the Macedonians, held that God the Son was of "similar substance" (homoiousion) to God the Father,[3][4] but not of the "same substance" (homoousion), which has come to be the accepted definition of Christian orthodoxy.
The Macedonians continued to support the Homoiousian creeds of Antioch and Seleucia and condemn the Homoian creeds of Ariminum and Constantinople,[5] calling new synods to support their views and condemn their opponents.[6]
The nature of the connection between the Macedonians and Bishop Macedonius I is unclear; most scholars today believe that Macedonius had died (around 360) before the sect emerged. The writings of the Macedonians have all been lost, and their doctrine is known mainly from refutations by church leaders. Two prominent 4th century saints, Athanasius of Alexandria and Basil of Caesarea, wrote polemics against Macedonianism (Letters to Serapion and On the Holy Spirit respectively).
Their teachings were formally condemned in 381 by the First Council of Constantinople. The Council responded to the theological challenge of the Macedonians by revising the Nicene Creed into present form used in the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches and prohibited any further alteration of the Creed without the assent of an Ecumenical Council. The Macedonian heresy was subsequently suppressed by the emperor Theodosius I.
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[edit] Notable Macedonians
- Macedonius, bishop of Constantinople (342-346 and 351-360).[7][8]
- Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem (350-386).[9]
- Marathonius, bishop of Nicomedia (c. 351-?).[10]
- Eleusius, bishop of Cyzicus (c. 351-360).[11][12]
- Sophronius, bishop of Pompeiopolis (?-360).[13]
- Eustathius, bishop of Sebastia.[14]
- Sabinus, bishop of Heraclea.[15]
[edit] References
- ^ Elwell, Walter A. ed. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2ed. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001. pp.291.
- ^ Socrates Scholasticus, Church History, book 2, chapter 45.
- ^ Philostorgius, recorded in Photius, Epitome of the Ecclesiastical History of Philostorgius, book 4, chapter 9 and book 8, chapter 17.
- ^ Socrates Scholasticus, Church History, book 2, chapter 45.
- ^ Socrates Scholasticus, Church History, book 2, chapter 45 and book 3, chapter 10.
- ^ Socrates Scholasticus, Church History, book 3, chapter 10.
- ^ Philostorgius, in Photius, Epitome of the Ecclesiastical History of Philostorgius, book 4, chapter 9 & book 8, chapter 17.
- ^ Socrates Scholasticus, Church History, book 2, chapters 16, 27, 38 & 42.
- ^ Socrates Scholasticus, Church History, book 2, chapters 38 & 42.
- ^ Socrates Scholasticus, Church History, book 2, chapters 38 & 45.
- ^ Philostorgius, in Photius, Epitome of the Ecclesiastical History of Philostorgius, book 8, chapter 17.
- ^ Socrates Scholasticus, Church History, book 2, chapters 38, 42 & 45.
- ^ Socrates Scholasticus, Church History, book 2, chapters 39, 40, 42 & 45.
- ^ Socrates Scholasticus, Church History, book 2, chapter 45.
- ^ Socrates Scholasticus, Church History, book 1, chapter 8 and book 2, chapter 15.
