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The Refutation of All Heresies, Book 1 (Paperback) - Common
This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.
44 pages, Unknown Binding
First published June 30, 2004
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About the author
Hippolytus of Rome
80 books10 followersHippolytus of Rome (170 – 235 AD) was the most important 3rd-century theologian in the Christian Church in Rome, where he was probably born. He came into conflict with the popes of his time and seems to have headed a schismatic group as a rival Bishop of Rome. He opposed the Roman bishops who softened the penitential system to accommodate the large number of new pagan converts. However, he was very probably reconciled to the Church when he died as a martyr.
Starting in the 4th century AD, various legends arose about him, identifying him as a priest of the Novatianist schism or as a soldier converted by Saint Lawrence. He has also been confused with another martyr of the same name. Pius IV identifies him as "Saint Hippolytus, Bishop of Pontus" who was martyred in the reign of Alexander Severus through his inscription on a statue found at the Church of St. Lawrence in Rome and kept at the Vatican as photographed and published in Brunsen.
Starting in the 4th century AD, various legends arose about him, identifying him as a priest of the Novatianist schism or as a soldier converted by Saint Lawrence. He has also been confused with another martyr of the same name. Pius IV identifies him as "Saint Hippolytus, Bishop of Pontus" who was martyred in the reign of Alexander Severus through his inscription on a statue found at the Church of St. Lawrence in Rome and kept at the Vatican as photographed and published in Brunsen.
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August 24, 2019
The interesting thing about this author is he makes such a thoroughly detailed layout of every 1st century gnostic teaching (and acts so illogical in refuting them) one almost feels this work was actually written by a real gnostic releasing information through “faux” refutation of everything! I’m not saying this is so, and there is early mention by other authors on Hippolytus showing such theory couldn’t be; but it may as well be is the point.
It is a great first-hand, original, source-repository for learning all things gnostic, for learning the details and landscapes of the gnostic systems of those whom I believe to be the disciples of the disciples (per a lot of the early apologists’ own testimony).
The key thing to remember about early gnosticism is what the initiate Clement of Alexandria said: the differences in early Christianity, at first, were just variations and not anathemetized heresies for awhile. Early on Christianity was interfering with the Pharisee enlistments in their revolt against Rome so they killed many per Eusebius; then a pseudo-Rome (co-opted augustinian household) was failing in ability to get conscriptions for their army, mostly cause this new rage of Christianity (per Gurdjieff’s researches and letters we have of the emperors), so they co-opted it, some say, through Tertullian whose father was head of the roman military in Alexandria and started killing those in Alexandria and Palestine who wouldn’t give up their esoteric scriptures to be manipulated (the Donatists & etc).
But “heresy hunting” formally against gnosticism did not really get going till the early 300’s when thousands of Origenist monks in the Thebaid desert were murdered (Origen until recently was always considered Christianities’ first theologian after John). And that occured in Constantinian days - Constantine being one who formed the first fully anathematizing councils and grew up in the household of Galerius, Galerius being the principal persecutor of Christians, worst of all the 7 waves of martyrdom of the early Christians per Eusebius and others...After that, with such blood guilt on these new fake Christians’ hands who now ruled the faux church, they just came out of the woodwork fully and started openly persecuting those anti-militarist mystics and neo-platonists. By the burning of the Priscillians in the 400’s they already had almost fully formed Roman Pontifical ideas that anything gnostic before or then was now a heresy; even though over 3/4ths of the first 12 disciples’ students extant teachings were all gnostic per the early apologists own writings!
So this is the point in all this and that Hippolytus shows so clearly: Gnosticism *is* early Christianity before it was betrayed, twisted and co-opted by the wolf father militarists (forefathers of the later opponents of quite gnostic islam) then Galerius’s bedfellow. Gnosticism is early Christianity and the Christianity we know today that is in any way anti-gnostic is heresy (not the we gnostics go on blood bath witch hunts though like they). They came in and removed Originist and Platonist (Arian) Christianity even by end of the 300’s as if it weren’t enough to remove Gnosticism’s even hints or whiffs. Thank God then for Hippolytus’ gnostic preserving raves.
It is a great first-hand, original, source-repository for learning all things gnostic, for learning the details and landscapes of the gnostic systems of those whom I believe to be the disciples of the disciples (per a lot of the early apologists’ own testimony).
The key thing to remember about early gnosticism is what the initiate Clement of Alexandria said: the differences in early Christianity, at first, were just variations and not anathemetized heresies for awhile. Early on Christianity was interfering with the Pharisee enlistments in their revolt against Rome so they killed many per Eusebius; then a pseudo-Rome (co-opted augustinian household) was failing in ability to get conscriptions for their army, mostly cause this new rage of Christianity (per Gurdjieff’s researches and letters we have of the emperors), so they co-opted it, some say, through Tertullian whose father was head of the roman military in Alexandria and started killing those in Alexandria and Palestine who wouldn’t give up their esoteric scriptures to be manipulated (the Donatists & etc).
But “heresy hunting” formally against gnosticism did not really get going till the early 300’s when thousands of Origenist monks in the Thebaid desert were murdered (Origen until recently was always considered Christianities’ first theologian after John). And that occured in Constantinian days - Constantine being one who formed the first fully anathematizing councils and grew up in the household of Galerius, Galerius being the principal persecutor of Christians, worst of all the 7 waves of martyrdom of the early Christians per Eusebius and others...After that, with such blood guilt on these new fake Christians’ hands who now ruled the faux church, they just came out of the woodwork fully and started openly persecuting those anti-militarist mystics and neo-platonists. By the burning of the Priscillians in the 400’s they already had almost fully formed Roman Pontifical ideas that anything gnostic before or then was now a heresy; even though over 3/4ths of the first 12 disciples’ students extant teachings were all gnostic per the early apologists own writings!
So this is the point in all this and that Hippolytus shows so clearly: Gnosticism *is* early Christianity before it was betrayed, twisted and co-opted by the wolf father militarists (forefathers of the later opponents of quite gnostic islam) then Galerius’s bedfellow. Gnosticism is early Christianity and the Christianity we know today that is in any way anti-gnostic is heresy (not the we gnostics go on blood bath witch hunts though like they). They came in and removed Originist and Platonist (Arian) Christianity even by end of the 300’s as if it weren’t enough to remove Gnosticism’s even hints or whiffs. Thank God then for Hippolytus’ gnostic preserving raves.
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