The Refutation Of All Heresies, Book 1

by Hippolytus of Rome

The Refutation of All Heresies, Book 1 is a comprehensive work by the early Christian theologian Hippolytus. The book is a detailed analysis and refutation of various heretical beliefs and practices that were prevalent in the early Christian Church. The work is divided into ten chapters, each of which examines a different heresy and provides a detailed critique of its beliefs and practices. Some of the heresies that Hippolytus examines in the book include the teachings of the Gnostics, the Valentinians, the Marcionites, and the Montanists. He also refutes various pagan beliefs and practices that were prevalent at the time. Throughout the book, Hippolytus draws on his extensive knowledge of Scripture and Christian tradition to provide a compelling argument against these heretical beliefs. He also provides insights into the early Christian Church's understanding of theology and doctrine, making this book a valuable resource for scholars and students of early Christian history. Overall, The Refutation of All Heresies, Book 1 is a significant work of early Christian theology and an essential resource for understanding the development of Christian thought and doctrine in the early years of the Church.And he admits natures (such as those) of demons, and says that some of them are good, but others worthless. And some affirm that he states the soul to be uncreated and immortal, when he uses the following words, ""Every soul is immortal, for that which is always moved is immortal;"" and when he demonstrates that the soul is self-moved, and capable of originating motion. Others, however, (say that Plato asserted that the soul was) created, but rendered imperishable through the will of God.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. 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 their original work.

44 pages, Paperback

First published June 30, 2004

About the author

Hippolytus 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.

Reviews

[The Esoteric Jungle · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.