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  3. The Cambridge Companion to Christian Heresy
  • Cited by 3
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    • Publisher:
      Cambridge University Press
      Publication date:
      17 July 2025
      31 July 2025
      ISBN:
      9781108556620
      9781108470476
      9781108454858
      DOI:
      https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108556620
      Dimensions:
      (229 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.869kg, 472 Pages
      Dimensions:
      (229 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.25kg, 472 Pages
      • Subjects:
      Area Studies, History, Religion, European Studies, European History 450-1000, Church History, Philosophy, Religion: General Interest
      Series:
      Cambridge Companions to Religion
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    Subjects:
    Area Studies, History, Religion, European Studies, European History 450-1000, Church History, Philosophy, Religion: General Interest
    Series:
    Cambridge Companions to Religion
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    Book description

    The concept of heresy has played a major role across Christian history. Traditionally, heretical sects have been regarded as distinct, real-life groups of people who had departed from the stable orthodox traditions of Christianity and who posed a threat that needed to be addressed, sometimes through violent repression. More recently, scholarship has focused on the notion of heresy as discourse, placing particular emphasis on its literary construction and the social and cultural contexts in which it was deployed. This literature has generated significant debates about the nature and historicity of many heresies. The Cambridge Companion to Christian Heresy provides a systematic and up-to-date guide to the study of this topic and its methodological challenges. The opening chapters explore different forms of written material that have played vital roles in historical disputes and in modern scholarly accounts. These are followed by case studies of thirteen notable heresies, ranging from the Gnostics through to the Hussites at the dawn of the Reformation.

    Reviews

    ‘This Cambridge Companion to Christian Heresy constitutes the state of the question on the major Late Antique and Medieval Christian heresies c. 300–1500 CE, despite a title suggesting a wider chronological range. Though editor Flower modestly claims it is not a history, he understates its value. … The contributors, all heavy hitters in their fields, not only explain theologically complex doctrines in relatively simple terms but also offer crucial historiographical discussion of how modern scholars have explained, debated, and fought over what these heresies were, how they were perceived in the eras in which they flourished, and how that has changed in modern scholarship up to the present moment. Students and scholars will find this companion ideal for an introduction, refresher, or update on pre-modern Christian heretical movements. … Essential.’

    L. W. Marvin Source: Choice

    ‘This study (and sometimes reinterpretation) of historical heresies is an engaging read, and, with its impressive list of scholarly contributors, does not disappoint. Its particular strength lies in its up-to-date presentation of contemporary heresiological debate, in which even the non-specialist enthusiast can find him or herself taking sides.’

    Matthew Thiessen Source: Irish Theological Quarterly

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