Docetism

American  

[doh-see-tiz-uhm, doh-si-tiz-] / doʊˈsi tɪz əm, ˈdoʊ sɪˌtɪz- /

noun

1. an early Christian doctrine that the sufferings of Christ were apparent and not real and that after the crucifixion he appeared in a spiritual body.

2. Roman Catholic Church. an ancient heresy asserting that Jesus lacked full humanity.

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Docetism British  

/ ˈdəʊsɪˌtɪzəm /

noun

1. (in the early Christian Church) a heresy that the humanity of Christ, his sufferings, and his death were apparent rather than real

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Other Word Forms

• Docetic adjective
• Docetist noun

Etymology

Origin of Docetism

First recorded in 1840–50; Docet(ae) + -ism

Example Sentences

If Ephesian Christianity had never come to Rome, and met its complement in the Adoptionists, it might, in spite of the Fourth Gospel, have degenerated into thorough-going Docetism, or have been represented only by Gnostics.

From Landmarks in the History of Early Christianity by Lake, Kirsopp

Docetism was elaborated by Valentinus, Manes and other gnostics and adopted into their systems, while ebionitism provided the basis for the Christologies of Paul of Samosata, of the Photinians and Adoptionists.

From Monophysitism Past and Present A Study in Christology by Luce, A. A. (Arthur Aston)

Docetism, Nicolaism, Gnosticism, Chiliasm, Manichaism, Monatism, Monarchism, Monophysitism, Monotheletism, Arianism, Nestorianism—every one of these terms means both a theory and a drama.

From The Agony of the Church (1917) by Velimirović, Nikolai

In "Philippians" especially, many expressions seem to verge upon Docetism, the extreme form of Gnosticism, according to which the human body of Jesus was only a phantom.

From The Unseen World and Other Essays by Fiske, John

By calling Himself 'Son of Man,' Epiphanius says, our Lord asserts His proper manhood and repels Docetism, and, by claiming 'power upon earth,' He declares that earth not to belong to an alien creation.

From The Gospels in the Second Century An Examination of the Critical Part of a Work Entitled 'Supernatural Religion' by Sanday, William