Jovinianism

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Jovinian

Jovinianism refers to an anti-ascetic movement that has its origins in the 4th-century theologian Jovinian, who criticized the monastic movement and argued for the equality of marriage and celibacy. [1] [2] Jovinianism was criticized by Saint Augustine and Jerome. [3] [4]

Contents

History

Jovinianism spread into Rome and Milan and two followers of Jovinian, Sarmatio and Barbatianus, kept preaching his ideas after Jovinian was expelled. [5] [6] [7] Other disciples of Jovinian included Auxentius, Genialis, Germinator, Felix, Prontinus, Martianus, Januarius and Ingeniosus. [8] Because Sarmatio preached anti-ascetic ideas, Ambrose started to write to defend ascetism, calling him a "foolish talker". [9] [10] [11]

Jovinianism was condemned by two synods, one in Rome and one in Milan, afterwards they were banished by Emperor Honorius, however some Jovinianists perhaps survived longer in the Alps. [12] Jovinianism was also condemned by Pope Siricus. He opposed Jovinian, because Siricus was zealously opposed to marriage of clergy. [13] [14]

Later Erasmus was accused of the heresy of Jovinianism. [15] Additionally, Martin Luther, though he did not explicitly speak in favour of Jovinian, he did not agree with Jerome's defence of ascetism. [16]

Teachings

Jovinian opposed monasticism and denied the perpetual virginity of Mary, Jovinian also taught that every believer will have an equal reward in heaven, argued that there is no difference between fasting and enjoying foods with thanksgiving, perhaps distinguished the church visible from the church invisible and limited the impossibility of relapse to the truly regenerate. [12] [17] [18] [19] [20]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tertullian</span> Roman Christian theologian and writer (c. 155 – c. 220)

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Jovinian was an opponent of Christian asceticism in the 4th century and was condemned as a heretic at synods convened in Rome under Pope Siricius and in Milan by Ambrose in 393 because of his views. Our information about him is derived principally from the work of Jerome in two books, Adversus Jovinianum. Jerome referred to him as the "Epicurus of Christianity". He was a native of Corduene, in present day Turkey. John Henry Newman called Aerius of Sebaste, Jovinian and Vigilantius the forerunners of Protestantism, likening them to the "Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli of the fourth century". Other Protestants also praise Jovinian as an early reformer or even credit him as the "first Protestant". Jovinian's teachings received much popular support in Rome and Milan and his followers Sarmatio and Barbatianus kept preaching his ideas after Jovinian was expelled.

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Against Jovinianus is a two-volume treatise by the Church Father Saint Jerome.

Heresy in Christianity denotes the formal denial or doubt of a core doctrine of the Christian faith as defined by one or more of the Christian churches.

Helvidius was the author of a work written prior to 383 against the belief in the perpetual virginity of Mary. Helvidius maintained that the biblical mention of "sisters" and "brothers" of the Lord constitutes solid evidence that Mary had normal marital relations with Joseph and additional children after the miraculous conception and birth of Jesus. He supported his opinion by the writings of Tertullian and Victorinus. Helvidius is sometimes seen as an early proto-protestant, along with Vigiliantius, Jovinian and Aerius of Sebaste.

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The church invisible, invisible church, mystical church or church mystical, is a Christian theological concept of an "invisible" Christian Church of the elect who are known only to God, in contrast to the "visible church"—that is, the institutional body on earth which preaches the gospel and administers the sacraments. Every member of the invisible church is "saved", while the visible church contains all individuals who are saved though also having some who are "unsaved". According to this view, Bible passages such as Matthew 7:21–27, Matthew 13:24–30, and Matthew 24:29–51 speak about this distinction.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church Fathers</span> Group of ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers

The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical period in which they worked became known as the Patristic Era and spans approximately from the late 1st to mid-8th centuries, flourishing in particular during the 4th and 5th centuries, when Christianity was in the process of establishing itself as the state church of the Roman Empire.

Sarmatio was a 4th-century monk in Milan and a disciple of Jovinian, who disputed the merits of the monastic and unmarried life. Sarmatio first met Jovinian when he travelled to Milan, where Jovinian found two monks of a similar mind, Sarmatio and Barbatianus. After Jovinian was expelled from Milan, Sarmatio kept doing work in Vercellae where he gathered a considerable following and public support; in response, Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, started defending ascetism. The views Sarmatio was preaching were condemned in the Synod of Milan.

Barbatinus was a 4th-century early Church theologian and a Jovinianist. Barbatianus disputed the merit of the unmarried life and opposed ascetism. Barbatianus along with Sarmatio met Jovinian when he travelled to Milan and found themselves to have similar ideas.

References

  1. ↑ Brackney, William H. (2012-05-03). Historical Dictionary of Radical Christianity. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   978-0-8108-7365-0.
  2. ↑ Altendorf, Alan Von; Altendorf, Theresa Von (1993). Isms: A Compendium of Concepts, Doctrines, Traits & Beliefs from Ableism to Zygodactylism. Mustang Publishing Company. ISBN   978-0-914457-64-0.
  3. ↑ Kust, Matthew J. (1981). Man in the Universe: Creation, Motivation, Technology & History. Plutarch Press. ISBN   978-0-89891-004-9.
  4. ↑ Weever, Jacqueline de (2014-04-08). Chaucer Name Dictionary: A Guide to Astrological, Biblical, Historical, Literary, and Mythological Names in the Works of Geoffrey Chaucer. Routledge. ISBN   978-1-135-61446-1.
  5. ↑ Greenslade, Stanley Lawrence (1956-01-01). Early Latin Theology: Selections from Tertullian, Cyprian, Ambrose, and Jerome. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN   978-0-664-24154-4.
  6. ↑ Hunter, David G. (2007-01-26). Marriage, Celibacy, and Heresy in Ancient Christianity: The Jovinianist Controversy. OUP Oxford. ISBN   978-0-19-153553-6.
  7. ↑ G. Hunter, David (1987). "Resistance to the Virginal Ideal in Late-Fourth-Century Rome: The Case of Jovinian". Theological Studies. 48: 45–64. doi:10.1177/004056398704800103. S2CID   54891999.
  8. ↑ Healy, Patrick Joseph (1910). "Jovinianus"  . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia . Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  9. ↑ "CHURCH FATHERS: Letter 63 (Ambrose)". www.newadvent.org. Retrieved 2022-06-18.
  10. ↑ Greenslade, Stanley Lawrence (1956-01-01). Early Latin Theology: Selections from Tertullian, Cyprian, Ambrose, and Jerome. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN   978-0-664-24154-4.
  11. ↑ Hunter, David G. (2007-01-26). Marriage, Celibacy, and Heresy in Ancient Christianity: The Jovinianist Controversy. OUP Oxford. ISBN   978-0-19-153553-6.
  12. 1 2 Brackney, William H. (2012-05-03). Historical Dictionary of Radical Christianity. Scarecrow Press. ISBN   978-0-8108-7365-0.
  13. ↑ "Philip Schaff: History of the Christian Church, Volume III: Nicene and Post-Nicene Christianity. A.D. 311-600 - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". ccel.org. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  14. ↑ Smith, William; Wace, Henry (1882). A Dictionary of Christian Biography, Literature, Sects and Doctrines: Hermogenes-Myensis. Little, Brown.
  15. ↑ Dixon, C. Scott (2016-03-24). The Church in the Early Modern Age. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN   978-0-85772-917-0.
  16. ↑ Hunter, David G. (2007-01-26). Marriage, Celibacy, and Heresy in Ancient Christianity: The Jovinianist Controversy. OUP Oxford. ISBN   978-0-19-153553-6.
  17. ↑ Stapert, Calvin (2007). A New Song for an Old World: Musical Thought in the Early Church. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. ISBN   978-0-8028-3219-1. Jovinian taught the complete equality between marriage and celibacy and between eating and fasting. He also taught something like the Calvin- ist doctrine of the perseverance of the saints
  18. ↑ "Philip Schaff: History of the Christian Church, Volume III: Nicene and Post-Nicene Christianity. A.D. 311-600 - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". ccel.org. Retrieved 2022-01-26.
  19. ↑ Neander, August (1849). General History of the Christian Religion and Church. Crocker & Brewster. It is plainly evident that Jovinian could only have understood by the church , here , the invisible church
  20. ↑ M ́Clintock, John Strong, James (2020-04-17). Cyclopaedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature: Volume II. BoD – Books on Demand. ISBN   978-3-8460-5024-8. As Jovinian taught the Pauline doctrine of faith, so he did the Pauline idea of the invisible Church{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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