From the Great Schism to the Book of Concord (Heresy History 3: 1054-1580)

In previous posts, I discussed heresies in the church up to the Council of Constantinople in AD 381 and heresies between then and the Great Schism of AD 1054.

• Catharism was around from the 11-13th centuries and had its roots in Paulicanism and Bogomilism.
• Henriciansim was around in the 12th century and refused to recognize any form of worship or liturgy, condemned the sacrifice of the mass, the communion of the saints, Baptism of infants and the Eucharist.
• Medieval Spiritualism sprang up in the Roman Catholic church off and on after the Great Schism throughout the middle ages
• Waldensianism was a 12th century spiritual movement focusing on voluntary poverty
• Free Spiritsim was a 14th and 15th century mystical belief system that taught it is possible to reach perfection on earth through a life of austerity and spiritualism.
• Fraticellism (or Spiritual Franciscanism) taught in the 14th and 15th centuries the extreme rule of Francis of Assisi, with regards to poverty and that wealth is scandalous. They went so far as to say that the wealth of an individual church member invalidates their status.

The Eastern Orthodox Church broke into Country/Language/Ethnic groups almost 400 years after the Great Schism, in 1453, during Fall of Constantinople/ Eastern Roman Empire/ Byzantine Empire and the rise of Russia (called the third Rome). Many of the individual groups began drifting apart theologically after that. The western reformation began on October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses.

• Antinomianism began very early in the reformation and states that because of the Gospel the law is of no use and we are in no obligation to it. All Gospel, no law.
• Calvinism agreed with Lutheranism on many issues, with the notable exceptions being teaching a spiritual presence only in the Lord's Supper, along with double predestination and other issues regarding the will and election.
• Reformed Churches were the mainland European Calvinists.
• Presbyterianism was started in 1560 in the British Isles and is named after its structure of having a council of presiding elders.
• Arminianism was essentially the opposite of Calvinism and claimed that God offers us salvation and we have free will to accept or reject it. It is similar to Semi-Palagianism, in that it is synergistic, except that God makes the first step.
• Anabaptism (Means rebaptize) was an extreme version of Arminianism in that began in the middle of the 1500s, that had some influences from Waldensianism. They only believed in adult baptism and personal choices to be good. They rejected all civil authority, and were against bearing arms, or any violence.
• Mennenites were the original sub-group of Anabaptists, who focused on their belief in the mission and ministry of Jesus as our example.

With so many denominations popping up, Lutheran wrote and presented the Augsburg Confession on June 25, 1530, to really explain what Lutheran doctrine was, so as to not be confused with the other reformers.

• Anglicanism, or the Church of England separated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1536, although it had been in the works since 1529. It was essentially an issue of King Henry VIII wanting to be the head of the church instead of the Pope.
• Puritanism/Seperatists: In 1558 the puritans separated from Church of England, with a mix of Calvin and Zwingli theology and influences from Anabaptist.
• Osianderism really started in 1550 when a Lutheran theologian Osiander published some documents that argued justification by faith was instilled in humanity due to Christ's divinity inside them. Basically, he taught that we are saved by having Jesus in our heart, which was a mystical union.

On the fiftieth anniversary of the presentation of the Augsburg Confession (June 25, 1580), the Lutherans compiled and presentation of the Book of Concord, which was the definitive collection of the confessions of the Lutherans and became the symbols of the faith.