adoptionism

Adoptianism

Adoptianism.
1. The heresy, originating in Spain in the 8th cent., according to which Christ, in His humanity, is not the true, but only the adopted, Son of God. Elipandus, Abp. of Toledo, arguing against Migetius, drew a sharp distinction between the humanity of Christ (‘of the seed of David’) and His Divine Sonship, and maintained that the human Jesus was only the adopted Son of God. Elipandus was supported by the Spanish bishops, especially Felix of Urgel, but after he died the heresy disappeared. It was revived in a modified form in the 12th cent. by Abelard, Gilbert de la Porrée, and others.

2. The term (usually spelt ‘Adoptionism’) has also been used of the heretical stream in early Greek theology which regarded Christ as a man gifted with Divine powers.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Adoptianism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Adoptianism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Adoptianism.html

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Adoptianism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Adoptianism.html

Learn more about citation styles

adoptionism

adoptionism A theory about the Person of Christ associated with the heretic Nestorius (d. 451 CE) that Jesus was a man gifted with divine powers. It was a view held by the Ebionites and it has sometimes been suggested that the quotation of Ps. 2: 7 and Isa. 42: 1 (‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased’) in Mark 1: 11 is a coronation or adoption formula: Jesus is at that moment being ‘adopted’ as the divine Son. However, there seems to be no implication here at all about Jesus' status before his baptism; the words simply affirm God's act in Jesus; the beginning of the gospel is now and not at the end (the Resurrection).

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

W. R. F. BROWNING. "adoptionism." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

W. R. F. BROWNING. "adoptionism." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-adoptionism.html

W. R. F. BROWNING. "adoptionism." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-adoptionism.html

Learn more about citation styles

adoptionism

adoptionism Christian heresy taught in Spain after 782 by Elipandus, archbishop of Toledo, and Felix, bishop of Urgel (Seo de Urgel). They held that Jesus at the time of his birth was purely human and only became the divine Son of God by adoption when he was baptized. Variations of this doctrine had been held as early as the 3d cent. by the Theodotians , Paul of Samosata , and by the Nestorians. It reappeared in the neo-adoptionist heresy among the followers of Peter Abelard. Elipandus and Felix were condemned at Frankfurt (794). The vigorous refutation of Alcuin had much to do with the sect's disappearance in the early 9th cent. See also monarchianism .

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"adoptionism." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"adoptionism." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-adoptnsm.html

"adoptionism." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-adoptnsm.html

Learn more about citation styles

Adoptianism

Adoptianism. A Christian heresy in 8th-cent. Spain: the Logos, as true Son of God, must be distinguished from Christ, who is Son in a different sense, as a consequence of the Word ‘adopting’ humanity.

More generally, the term, usually spelt adoptionism, refers to the view that Jesus was a man whom God adopted as his son.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

JOHN BOWKER. "Adoptianism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Adoptianism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Adoptianism.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Adoptianism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Adoptianism.html

Learn more about citation styles

Adoptionism

Adoptionism: see ADOPTIANISM.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

JOHN BOWKER. "Adoptionism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Adoptionism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Adoptionism.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Adoptionism." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Adoptionism.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

The Last Christology of the West: Adoptionism in Spain and Gaul, 785-820.
Magazine article from: Theological Studies; 6/1/1994
State courts adopting federal constitutional doctrine: case-by-case...
Magazine article from: William and Mary Law Review; 2/1/2005
The Crucified God in the Carolingian Era.(Book Review)
Magazine article from: Church History; 12/1/2004

Pictures from Google Image Search

Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture
Click to see an enlarged picture

See more pictures of adoptionism