Docetism
E24019
Docetism is an early Christian heresy that claimed Christ only seemed to have a physical body and to suffer, denying the true humanity of Jesus.
Statements (45)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Christian heresy
ⓘ
Christological doctrine ⓘ theological position ⓘ |
| affirms | full divinity of Christ ⓘ |
| associatedWith | early Christian period ⓘ |
| category | heresies concerning the nature of Christ ⓘ |
| classification | early Christological error ⓘ |
| condemnedBy |
early Church
ⓘ
proto-orthodox Christianity ⓘ |
| considered | heresy by mainstream Christianity ⓘ |
| contradicts |
doctrine of the Incarnation
ⓘ
doctrine of the hypostatic union ⓘ |
| contrastedWith | orthodox belief in Jesus as fully God and fully man ⓘ |
| coreClaim |
Christ only seemed to have a physical body
ⓘ
Christ only seemed to suffer ⓘ |
| denies | true humanity of Jesus ⓘ |
| emphasizes | appearance rather than reality of Christ’s body ⓘ |
| etymology | from Greek dokein meaning to seem or appear ⓘ |
| focusesOn |
Christ’s body
ⓘ
Christ’s death ⓘ Christ’s suffering ⓘ |
| hasConsequence |
undermines belief in the real Incarnation
ⓘ
undermines doctrine of salvation through Christ’s real suffering ⓘ |
| historicalContext | development of early Christian doctrinal controversies ⓘ |
| influencedBy | dualistic views of matter and spirit ⓘ |
| involves |
denial of Christ’s true flesh
ⓘ
denial of Christ’s true human experiences ⓘ |
| opposedBy |
Ignatius of Antioch
ⓘ
Irenaeus of Lyons ⓘ Tertullian ⓘ |
| opposedDoctrine |
real, bodily resurrection of Jesus
ⓘ
real, historical crucifixion of Jesus ⓘ |
| rejectedBy |
Roman Catholicism
ⓘ
surface form:
Catholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Christianity ⓘ
surface form:
Eastern Orthodox Church
Nicene Christianity ⓘ most Protestant traditions ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
Christology
ⓘ
Gnosticism ⓘ |
| religiousTradition | Christianity ⓘ |
| scripturalDebate | interpretation of New Testament accounts of Jesus ⓘ |
| teaches | Christ’s body was an illusion or mere appearance ⓘ |
| timePeriod |
1st century
ⓘ
2nd century ⓘ |
| viewOnCrucifixion | Christ did not truly suffer on the cross ⓘ |
| viewOnResurrection | resurrection not of a truly human body ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.