Later Gnosticism


Though Gnosticism was expelled from the Church as it perfected its

organization and institutions on the basis of the episcopate, the Canon of

Scripture, and the creeds, outside the Catholic Church, or the Church as

thus organized, Gnosticism existed for centuries, though rapidly declining

in the third century. The strength of the movement was still further

diminished by loss of many adherents to Manichaeanism (v. § 54), which

had much in common with Gnosticism. The persistence of these sects,

together with various later heresies, in spite of the very stringent laws

of the Empire against them (v. § 73) should prevent any hasty

conclusions as to the unity of the faith and the absence of sects in the

patristic age. Unity can be found only by overlooking those outside the

unity of the largest body of Christians, and agreement by ignoring those

who differed from it.





Theodoret of Cyrus, Epistulae 81, 145. (MSG, 83:1259, 1383.)





Ep. 81 was written to the Consul Nonus, A. D. 445. Ep. 145 was

written to the monks of Constantinople, A. D. 450.





Ep. 81. To every one else every city lies open, and that not only to the

followers of Arius and Eunomius, but to Manichaeans and Marcionites, and to

those suffering from the disease of Valentinus and Montanus, yes, and even

to pagans and Jews; but I, the foremost champion of the teaching of the

Gospel, am excluded from every city. I led eight villages of Marcionites

with their surrounding country into the way of truth, another full of

Eunomians and another of Arians I brought to the light of divine

knowledge, and, by God's grace, not a tare of heresy was left among us.



Ep. 145. I do indeed sorrow and lament that I am compelled by the attacks

of fever to adduce against men, supposed to be of one and the same faith

with myself, the arguments which I have already urged against the victims

of the plague of Marcion, of whom, by God's grace, I have converted more

than ten thousand and brought them to holy baptism.



More

;