Heretical Christian Writings

The following list is part of an attempt on my part to distinguish worthy, substantial Church writings throughout the ages from those that are unworthy (at best heterodox, at worst heretical). These lists are meant to guide Christians who want to broaden their theological horizons and strengthen their understanding of Christian thought. The "Heretical" list contains, to the best of my knowledge, the writings of those sects who have distorted the historically orthodox understanding of Christian teaching to suit their own needs.

I use three primary criteria in deciding what is worthy and what is unworthy. In descending order of precedence, they are as follows: first, the writing must conform to the plain words of Scripture. As scripture is not always plain (and as our God is by nature mysterious), where a debate may come up about the scriptural conformity of a writing, we look to the second and third criteria for guidance. The second criterion that I use is conformity to the Ecumenical Councils (in order of rank or precedence: 1 & 2, then 3 & 4, and finally 5 through 7). But as even these are debated from one group of Christians to the next, I primarily use the First Council of Nicaea (325 AD), the First Council of Constantinople (381 AD) and the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem (c. 50 AD). The final criterion I use is Church tradition. Those teachings generally held to be influential through the ages, written by the apostles or those who knew them (i.e. the Apostolic Fathers) or those attested by accepted orthodox historians are included in the Worthy Church Writings list (assuming they meet the first two criteria, of course).

Those teachings which meet none of the above criteria are generally considered worthless and should not be used in Christian discipleship. It is the Heretical List that I enumerate below.

I. Nag Hammadi Library – Gnostic (51 Readings)

A. Codex I (Jung Foundation Codex)

1. Prayer of the Apostle Paul

2. Apocryphon of James/Secret Book of James

3. Gospel of Truth

4. Treatise on the Resurrection

5. Tripartite Tractate

B. Codex II

1. Apocryphon of John

2. Gospel of Philip

3. Hypostasis of the Archons

4. On the Origin of the World

5. Exegesis on the Soul

6. Book of Thomas the Contender

C. Codex III

1. Apocryphon of John

2. Gospel of the Egyptians

3. Eugnostos the Blessed

4. Sophia of Jesus Christ

5. Dialogue of the Saviour

D. Codex IV

1. Apocryphon of John

2. Gospel of the Egyptians

E. Codex V

1. Eugnostos the Blessed

2. (Coptic) Apocalypse of Paul

3. First Apocalypse of James

4. Second Apocalypse of James

5. Apocalypse of Adam

F. Codex VI

1. Acts of Peter and the Twelve Apostles

2. The Thunder, Perfect Mind

3. Authoritative Teaching

4. The Concept of Our Great Power

5. Republic by Plato (Gnostic Edition)

6. Discourse on the Eighth and Ninth

7. Prayer of Thanksgiving

8. Asclepius 21 – 29

G. Codex VII

1. Paraphrase of Shem

2. Second Treatise of the Great Seth

3. Gnostic Apocalypse of Peter

4. Teachings of Silvanus

5. Three Steles of Seth

H. Codex VIII

1. Zostrianos

2. Letter of Peter to Philip

I. Codex IX

1. Melchizedek

2. Thought of Norea

3. Testimony of Truth

J. Codex X

1. Marsanes

K. Codex XI

1. Interpretation of Knowledge

2. A Valentinian Exposition, On the Anointing, On Baptism (A and B), and On the Eucharist (A and B)

3. Allogenes

4. Hypsiphrone

L. Codex XII

1. Sentences of Sextus

2. Gospel of Truth

3. Fragments

M. Codex XIII

1. Trimorphic Protennoia

2. On the Origin of the World

II. Other Gnostic Writings (22 Readings)

A. Valentinian

1. Ptolemy’s Letter to Flora

2. Liturgical Readings

3. Round Dance of the Cross

B. Sethian

1. Reality of the Rulers

2. Vision of the Foreigner

C. Syrian

1. Songs of Solomon

2. Hymn of the Pearl

3. Book of Thomas

D. Hermetic

1. Poimandres

2. Prayer of Thanksgiving

E. Mandaean

1. The Ginza

2. Hibil’s Lament From the Book of John

3. Liturgical Songs

F. Manichaean

1. On the Origin of His Body

2. Story of the Death of Mani

3. Kephalaia

4. Coptic Songbook

5. Parthian Songs

6. The Great Song to Mani

G. Cathar

1. Gospel of the Secret Supper

2. Book of the Two Principles

3. A Nun’s Sermon

III. Apocryphal (28 Readings)

A. Gospels

1. Gospel of the Nazareans Fragment

2. Gospel of Judas Read

3. Infancy Gospel of Thomas

4. Gospel of Peter Fragment, Orthodox

5. Gospel of Nicodemus

6. Gospel According to the Hebrews (c. 150) Fragment, Orthodox

7. Gospel of the Egyptians Fragment

8. The Unknown Gospel – Papyrus Egerton 2 Fragment

9. Gospel of Mary

10. Gospel of the Savior

11. Secret Gospel of Mark

12. Coptic Gospel of Thomas (c. 40 – 200) Read

B. Dialogues

1. Dialogue of the Redeemer

C. Leucian Acts

1. Acts of Peter

2. Acts of John

3. Acts of Andrew

4. Acts of Thomas

D. Epistles

1. St. Paul to the Laodiceans

2. Epistle of the Apostles

3. Correspondence Between Paul and Seneca

4. Letter of Peter to James & Its Reception

5. Pseudo-Titus

E. Apocalypses

1. Apocalypse of Paul

2. Apocalypse of Peter (c. 100 – 200) Orthodox *

F. Homilies

1. Homilies of Clement

G. Other Works

1. Protoevangelium of James (c. 150) Orthodox *

2. History of Joseph the Carpenter

3. Testament of Our Lord in Galilee (c. 150) Fragment, Orthodox

4. Preaching of Peter Fragment, Orthodox

IV. Neo-Platonism (1 Reading)

A. The Six Enneads by Porphyry (c. 270)

V. Mormonism (8 Readings)

A. The Book of Mormon

B. Pearl of Great Price

1. Selections From the Book of Moses

2. Book of Abraham

3. Joseph Smith – Matthew

4. Joseph Smith – History

5. Articles of Faith

C. Doctrine and Covenants

D. Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible

VI. Cerdonianism and Marcionism (2 Readings)

A. Gospel of Marcion

B. Apostolicon

VII. Modern Pseudepigrapha (23 Readings)

A. Acts Chapter 29

B. Aquarian Gospel of Jesus Christ or Aquarian Age Gospel of Jesus, the Christ of the Piscean Age by Levi H. Dowling (1908)

C. Archko Volume “transcribed” by Rev. W. D. Mahan (1887)

D. Gospel of Barnabas (c. 1550)

E. Letter of Benan

F. Description of Christ

G. Life of Issa “discovered” by Nicolas Notovitch

H. Book of Jasher (Pseudo-Jasher)

I. Gospel of Josephus

J. Letter From Heaven

K. Confessions of Pontius Pilate

L. Nazarene Gospel

M. Kolbrin

1. Book of Creation (from Great Book of the Sons of Fire)

2. Book of Gleanings

3. Book of Scrolls

4. Book of the Sons of Fire

5. Book of Manuscripts

6. Book of Morals and Precepts

7. Book of Origins/Ferilbook

8. Book of the Silver Bough

9. Book of Lucius

10. Book of Wisdom

11. Britain Book

VIII. Ebionite Writings (6 Readings)

A. Recognitions of Clement

B. Clementine Homilies

C. Gospel of the Ebionites Fragment

D. Circuits of Peter

E. Ascents of James

F. Works of Symmachus the Ebionite

1. Hypomnemata/De Distinctione Præceptorum (Lost)

IX. Protestant Heresies (2 Readings)

A. Thomas Müntzer Priest, M.A.

1. Prague Manifesto (1521) Read

2. Sermon to the Princes (1524)

X. Jehovah’s Witnesses (1 Reading)

A. The Watchtower Magazine

XI. Christian Science (2 Readings)

A. Mary Baker Eddy

1. Science and Health

2. Key to the Scriptures

147 Readings Total

3 Readings Read

See (Docetism, Apollinarianism, Nestorianism, Monophytism, Monothelitism – Christological Heresies), (Monarchianism, Tritheism, Subordinationism – Trinitarian Heresy) & Arianism – encompassing both, also Pneumatomachi. Also Arsinous, Miltiades, and the Cataphrygians.

Middle Ages: Bogomils, Cathari, Waldensians, Henry the Lausanne, Peter de Bruys.

* These writings teeter on the edge between worthy and spurious. Though it is doubtful that either was written by Peter or James, their use is attested (and disputed) in the earliest orthodox canon lists.

This list only deals with Christian heresies, and even at that, doesn’t include Islam. While Islam might be considered a ‘Christian heresy’ as it twists and denies essential aspects of Christian faith, it is a type of faith that needs to be addressed separately, due both to its scope and age.

Sermon III: The Advent of Deliverance

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The Advent of Deliverance

Ian “Ivan” Hyde

Nov. 30, 2008 – Youth Sunday/First Sunday of Advent, Year B

First Southern Baptist Church of Pasadena, CA

Introduction

• Good Morning! I hope you all will excuse me if I have a gruff voice this morning; I’ve had a pretty decent sore throat the last couple of days. Also, if I sit down halfway through this sermon it’s ‘cause I’m being weighed down by the 20 lbs. of turkey I ate on Thursday.

• Now that Thanksgiving is finished, people begin to look toward the next big holiday, Christmas. Many of you have already started dragging your Christmas trees and decorations out of garages, basements and attics and a few of you have probably spent a super frustrating half hour untangling Christmas lights. But in the midst of scrambling for gifts and digging up old recipes, there’s a church tradition that often goes overlooked, but in the last couple of years since my wife and I first started celebrating it, it has been one that I’ve found is a great way to prepare for the celebration of Christ’s birth. This is the tradition of Advent.

Crying Out for a Messiah

• Christians began celebrating Advent around 1700 years ago as a time of preparation, repentance and fasting before Christmas. It was meant to represent the long Jewish history of waiting for the Messiah to come, to deliver Israel from its enemies and oppressors. It represents a period of groaning and lament over the strains of this life, the injustices we see and feel. During this time, Christians are called to open their eyes to the suffering of the people around them, the suffering in their own lives, and the consequences of their own sin. We are called to see that even Creation groans under the weight of our sins and calls out to its God for help.

• And believe me, our sins are many. We lust, covet, take what we haven’t earned and bind ourselves to addictions. I don’t just mean addictions to drugs or alcohol (although they are major problems in our society), I also mean addictions to sex, tv and trends, anything that will give us instant gratification and keep us from having to engage relationships with those around us, relationships that take a lot of work and self sacrifice. We live in a world where we devastate the natural beauty God entrusted to us and instead of loving each other, we enslave our brothers and sisters. In fact, there are more slaves in the world now than there have ever been. And I am sure in the midst of all this, that my sins have been the worst of all.

The First Advent

• So, in the midst of our bondage we cry out to God the same words Isaiah wept 2,500 years ago, “Oh that you would tear open the heavens and come down!” [Is. 64:1] But here is the good news in all this, and not just good news, great news! God has ripped apart the heavens on our behalf. He broke the wall down that separated us from Him. The God of Heaven is also the Savior of the Earth; because, as John says, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.” [John 1:14] This Word that became flesh is our Deliverer.

Example: This actually reminds me of something that happened to me a number of years ago. I was with a group of guys trekking in New Mexico. We were hiking from campsite to campsite each day, and on this particular day we had an especially long hike in front of us. I was the leader of our group and I had a different guy read the map each day. Well this time, we lost the trail and when we found it again we followed along for hours but without finding any campsite. As the day wore on, we scrambled over rocks and through streams as we climbed mountains, ridges and valleys.

Day turned to night and it began to rain… hard. Our hands became like clay and our fingers were numb. Our legs ached and burned and we had run out of food and clean water long ago. When I had called a two-minute standing break, I walked forward a little bit to gather my thoughts. Then, in the distance I saw the faint glow of some lights, but when I looked down my head spun and I thought I was gonna puke. I wasn’t three inches from a good 40 ft. drop straight down. The glow was still far away, and there was no way I could see to get down the precipice. In desperation I crumpled to the ground and deep inside, cried out to God for help.

Just then I saw another glow in the woods, but from a different direction. As I looked, I saw it was moving closer and I jumped up and down, hollering at the light as it came. The other guys musta thought I was crazy, ‘cause they hadn’t seen it yet. But one by one their eyes brightened and they began yelling too. It turns out, the people at the campsite we were supposed to go to sent out a search party after we didn’t show up at dark. They led us safely back along a trail we had missed and when we got back, they took our packs off our tired shoulders, set up our tents for us and led us into their cabin. There they fed us as much spaghetti, meatballs and garlic bread we could eat and as much cold Kool-Aid we could drink. It was by far the best meal I’ve ever eaten. And then we were able to lay down to sleep in peace.

• The point of that story is that even in the midst of impossible challenges, when we are the most tired, the most worn through and we feel there is no way out, we can still cry out to God and He will deliver us. I am a living testament to this. Whether battling heat exhaustion in the jungles of Honduras, weeping over the victims of AIDS and malaria we prayed for in Africa and over the homeless and forgotten ones God has let me care for in my own country, or facing the threat of death as we snuck bibles under the noses of armed soldiers in Pakistan, God has always been there and is always the Faithful Deliverer.

• And this brings us to the true heart of Advent. Advent isn’t just a time of groaning and lament, because God hasn’t left us to wallow and die. God has become flesh and delivered us from the consequences of our own sin. God removed the nails of sin that pierced us and bound us to our own death and instead placed them in His own hands and feet. When we remember this, we realize that Advent isn’t just preparing us to celebrate Christ’s birth, but just as integral to its meaning is the importance of Christ’s Death and Resurrection. God has heard our cries and smashed to pieces the enemy of death that would keep us from Him.

The Second Advent

• But Advent isn’t just a time to remember our sins and how God delivered us from them at the Cross, it is also a time to look forward to the promise we have that He will come again. In fact, this is what the Latin word “adventus” means. It is a translation of the Greek word “parousia” which means “the arrival” or “the coming” of God. God didn’t simply do the job at the Cross, then leave us to our own fates. He has promised that the Resurrection of Jesus is a foretaste of what is in store for all who will believe. Just as John the Baptist was commissioned by the Word of God through Isaiah when he said, “A voice cries out: In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” So we are also called to be voices for the Gospel in the spiritual wasteland of our culture, ever ready and prepared like a soldier standing guard.

• Because I promise you this, God is coming very soon and the Kingdom of God is already here. [Luke 17:21] We, as the Church, should not be caught sleeping, lazy or undisciplined. Just like soldiers we are to train ourselves: in the Word of God, in prayer and fasting, and in living the Gospel by loving each other and our enemies, even as we love ourselves. In this way, we will be ready for Christ’s sudden return, and in the meantime we will be prepared to face any trouble, suffering, injustice or persecution that comes our way. So let us prepare ourselves, train hard and fight the injustices we see enslaving the weak and helpless in society, all as we carry the light of the Gospel, the truth that Our God is the Only One who truly delivers, who truly gives freedom.

Conclusion

• As we conclude, let me draw your attention to the Advent wreath I’ve placed on the altar. Each candle represents a Sunday during Advent, today being the first, which is why we only have one candle lit so far. The candles are purple to represent the royalty of the Christ that has been given to us and who we are waiting for again, but the purple is also meant to represent the robe Jesus was forced to wear as the soldiers beat Him before nailing Him to the Cross, and as such it is meant to draw us into repentance for the sins He redeemed us from. The fourth candle is a candle of joy as we draw ever closer to the second Advent we await, and the last candle in the middle represents both the day of Christ’s birth as the first Advent and the day of the final Resurrection as the second. Surrounding all this is the wreath, which represents the ever present encircling of God’s grace and deliverance, which is made readily available to us.

• Now, as we sing the hymn, “Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” on page [ ] of your hymnals, if you haven’t yet come to Christ to lay down your burdens and the things that make you tired, deeply and to the bone, then please come forward and do it now. You have no idea the freedom Jesus brings until you experience it yourself. Jesus himself makes a promise to us when he says in Matthew, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” [Mt. 11:28]

• And even if you have come before God before, believing that Jesus’ death and Resurrection are enough to save from the punishment of sin, but you still feel tired and worn down, or frustrated that your life seems out of control, then come forward and believe that Jesus will fulfill His promise and shoulder the burden for you.

Sermon II: Salt and Light

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Salt and Light

August 31, 2008 – Youth Sunday/Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, Year A

Ian “Ivan” Hyde

First Southern Baptist Church of Pasadena, CA

Matthew 5:13-15

· What does it mean to be salt and light; why these two images?

· When Jesus preached to crowds, he liked to use images and ideas that everybody could identify with, but whenever he told his stories and sayings, they always had a deeper meaning.

Salt

· In this passage, the first image he uses is that of salt. In Roman society, salt was invaluable and had many applications. They even used it to pay soldiers’ wages, it’s where we get the word “salary”, but for our purposes, I’m only going to focus on three of its attributes, two of them good, and one bad.

· First, salt preserves. Lev. 2:13. Here we see that every offering had to be sprinkled with salt as a reminder that God’s Covenant was permanent. Just as the sacrifices themselves prophetically pointed to the eventual sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, the salt they used showed that this future covenant would never pass away. No matter what happened, when people sprinkled the salt on their sacrifices, they knew God would never abandon them; just as we who trust in the sacrifice at the cross know that God will never abandon us. Just like the sacrifices Israel gave, as God gives us the ability to become salt and light, when we fully act as these, we are offering ourselves back to God. That’s why I put the salt and the candle on the altar here.

· Not only does the salt represent the eternal covenant God made for us at the cross, it also represents the truth that God will preserve us in every time of trouble, and even as our bodies age or wear out, we know that the life God will give us is eternal, as well.

· Second, salt seasons. We put salt on food to add flavor, to make what would otherwise be bland into something we can enjoy, something we’re willing to eat. Since I’ve been with this congregation, I’ve been blessed to experience Filipino cooking; and I’ve observed that in this style of cooking salt is mixed with sweet, or sour or spicy to get the desired taste (and in my experience it always turns out pretty good). It’s the same with the Gospel. While the message of the Gospel never changes, different people take it in different ways. Some people hear it through preaching, others directly from God’s Word, still others might hear it in the lyrics of our music or through video (or a mix of these). As our world changes from one that used paper and pen to communicate to one that uses text messages and youtube, the Church must adapt the way it delivers its message as well.

· It used to be that people would preach for hours at a time. In the early church there was even a pastor named John Chrysostom who was described as “silver tongued” and who would preach for four hours at a time, enthralling anybody who was listening. That just doesn’t fly anymore. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna preach for four hours today and I doubt anybody sitting here will be enthralled either. And I know most guys my age can barely pay attention for 10 minutes, let alone four hours: But let’s face it, people also don’t want to be preached at in general. In the culture we live in today, people want truth that cuts to the point, isn’t dummied down, and answers the hard questions people are asking. But people also want relationship. They want real community. People in my generation don’t want an easy Gospel, prepackaged on tracts; they need to know that God loves them and we show them that by loving them ourselves. We live in a postmodern culture and that means our methods must be postmodern to match the taste of those we’re giving the Gospel to. The message that Christ died for our sins and rose so that we can live doesn’t change, but our ability to deliver that message effectively shows that we are well seasoned for the job.

· Finally, salt can make barren. This is what Jesus means when he says that when we lose our saltiness, we’re not good for anything but to be trampled on. Throughout the bible, salt is used to represent barrenness and emptiness. Lot’s wife is turned into a pillar of salt, and the Dead Sea was a prominent reminder that nothing can grow where the ground is covered in salt. Sometimes, after a battle salt was sown in a field to ensure it would never grow crops again. And there’s even a Greek story where the hero Odysseus sowed his own field with salt, while pretending to be crazy to avoid having to go to war.

· For us, our work as disciples becomes barren when we grow complacent, tired. We might speak the words of the Gospel, going through the motions, or hand out tracts and put bumper stickers on our cars; but if we don’t exhibit the love of the Gospel, or we lose our effectiveness in its presentation, then people won’t be convinced and they won’t be convicted either. It’s like when you step into the ocean with a cut on your foot, the saltwater warns you of the wound. Without the salt to warn people of their wound, they’ll never know that they even have it or are in need of care.

Example: Waffle Stop Tracts (& no tip!) When I was working in Iowa, at the Waffle Stop as a cook, I remember on Sunday afternoons that every once in a while Christians would come in, and instead of leaving a tip, they’d leave a Gospel tract. Now, the words of the Gospel were all there and were true to the Message, but the salt that was needed wasn’t. This caused the waitresses and cooks to make fun of the tracts and the Christians that brought them, because they hadn’t taken the time to present the Gospel in a relevant way; instead the hearts they tried to reach were more tightly shut to God’s words.

Light

· Now we can move on to light. Just like salt, it also has three attributes, and like salt we want to exhibit two of them, while avoiding the third one.

· First, Light illuminates. And it does so through our actions. As we share the Gospel, the Message itself speaks to the deepest part of who people are, and nothing is hidden from it. Is. 9:2. At the same time, when we live in a state of truly loving everyone, even our enemies, we reflect the way God loves them and the true nature of what we believe shines through. This is why our words must absolutely be backed up by our actions and our light must be genuine.

· Secondly, Light warms. The message of the Gospel that we hold melts our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. At the same time, the light that Christ gives comforts us when we feel alone.

Example: Survival Training. When I was in Boy Scouts, we received survival training to know what to do if we ever got separated from the group while in the woods, or even if we were in a situation like a plane or car crash. We were told that the number one thing that killed people in these situations wasn’t a lack of food, water or shelter; it was panic. So, we were always told to build a fire as one of the first steps, before finding the other necessities. When a person is alone and scared, fire has the unique ability to almost seem like another person. It calms, allowing us to collect our thoughts. We see the light that it gives and feel its warmth, and we feel a little less alone.

· It’s the same with the light that we’re supposed to embody as disciples. We trust our God to be the warmth in the darkness and the calm confidence that we can trust, even when we want to despair or feel alone. And that warmth radiates out from us as well, as Christ dwells in us, to give warmth to everybody and anybody that comes into contact with us.

· Finally, Light scorches. This is, of course, the attribute we want to avoid; as I’m sure you’re all aware, especially during California’s wildfire season. Fire can be great; when I approach this candle, I can feel its warmth and on a cold day that’d be way useful. But if I get too close, it’ll burn my hand and then we’d have a real problem. When we become prideful or boastful, angry or impatient (even if the person we’re dealing with is pretty annoying), then we completely sabotage our own message, burning those we were trying to save. And the deep wounds we cause when we reject others don’t just reflect badly on us; as Christians, people judge our God by how we act. It’s never right to make fun of God, but one of the reasons people feel they can in popular culture, is because they see so much of our hypocrisy without seeing the grace that God gives or the love that He’s placed in us and so they think our God is a hypocritical one.

Conclusion

· Really when it comes down to it, what are the salt and light that we bear, that we are supposed to embody?

· It’s the message of the Gospel: that we’ve all messed up and need God’s forgiveness, that He’s provided for that forgiveness by taking our punishment on His own shoulders, dying on the Cross and rising again.

· And it’s the love that we show one another. John 13:35.

· Just as it takes only a little salt to season the whole dish or a little light to brighten the entire room, in the same way, through this little church, God can completely transform Pasadena and L.A., bringing the whole community into new life. We are told in Matthew that with the tiniest amount of faith, a mountain can be moved. It would be an easy thing for God to take the mountain behind me here and chuck it into the sea. And it would be just as easy for God to turn 80 disciples into 2 million. We can trust that God is able to do that.

At the end, instruct people to feel free to take a little salt from the altar in the spoons provided and taste it, and to feel the warmth of the candle as a reminder of how we are called to live.