Study Bank | Church Father Lists of Ancient Heresies

(Updated May 30, 2025)

This Study Bank on the Church Father Lists of Ancient Heresies is part of Becoming Catholic. When preparing articles, I typically engage in a substantial amount of research, and often organize it in separate documents I then use as a reference when writing the article. Sometimes these are Scripture word studies, other times they are compilations of verses or patristic and other quotes on particular subjects, etc. I have found that organizing the data often leads to a better understanding of the topic at hand.

A Study Bank, therefore, is in no way an article, or presenting an argument. It is simply a compilation of data on a particular topic.

In this Study Bank, we include the various lists of heresies provided by various Church Fathers, as these lists illustrate the fact that heresy and schism have been a common occurrence throughout the history of the Church. There have always been groups that have broken away from the Church who nonetheless called themselves “Christian.” This is an old phenomenon, a “one-niner” (referring to Ecclesiastes 1:9, which says “there is nothing new under the sun”).

This Study Bank will be constantly updated.

St. Augustine (354-430) | WEST

St. Augustine, The Heresies (§§1-88)¹

1. Simonians
2. Menandrians
3. Saturninians
4. Basilidians
5. Nicolaites
6. Gnostics
7. Carpocratians
8. Cerinthians or Merinthians
9. Nazarenes
10. Ebionites
11. Valentinians
12. Secundiani
13. Ptolemaei
14. Marcosians
15. Colorbasii
16. Heracleonites
17. Ophites
18. Cainites
19. Sethians
20. Archontics
21. Cerdonians
22. Marcionites
23. Apellitae
24. Severians
25. Tatiana or Encratites
26. Cataphyrgians
27. Pepuzians or Quintillians
28. Artotyrites
29. Tessarescedecatitae
30. Alogi
31. Adamites
32. Elcesaites and Sampsaeans
33. Theodotians
34. Melchisedechians
35. Bardesanists
36. Noetians
37. Valesians
38. Cathari or Novatians
39. Angelici
40. Apostolici
41. Sabellians or Patripassianists
42. Origenists
43. Other Origenists
44. Paulianists
45. Photinians
46. Manicheans
47. Hieracites
48. Meletians
49. Arians
50. Vadiani or Anthropomorphitae
51. Semi-Arians
52. Macedonians
53. Aerians
54. Aetians or Eunomians
55. Apollinarists
56. Antidicomarianites
57. Massalians or Euchites
58. Metangismonites
59. Seleucians or Hermians
60. Proclianitae
61. Patriciani
62. Ascitae
63. Passalorynchitae
64. Aquarians
65. Coluthiani
66. Floriniani
67. Those who disagree on the condition of the universe
68. Those who walk barefoot
69. Donatists or Donatians
70. Priscillianists
71. Those who do not eat with men
72. Rhetoriani
73. Those who maintain that Christ’s Divinity was possible
74. Those who believe that God is of three natures
75. Those who maintain that water is co-eternal with God
76. Those who maintain that the soul is not the image of God
77. Those who believe that there are innumerable worlds
78. Those who believe that souls are changed into demons and certain animals
79. Those who believe in the liberation of all souls in hell by the descent of Christ
80. Those who ascribe a temporal beginning to the Nativity of Christ from the Father
81. Luciferians
82. Jovinianists
83. Arabici
84. Helvidians
85. Paterniani or Venustiani
86. Tertullianists
87. Abelites
88. Pelagians, who are also called the Celestines

St. Isidore of Seville (c. 560-636) | WEST

St. Isidore of Seville, Etymologies (Book 8, Ch. 5, §§2-68)²

In addition to those listed below, he said there were “other heresies without a founder and without names” (§69).

1. Simonians
2. Menandrians
3. Basilidians
4. Nicolaites (Nicholatians)
5. Gnostics
6. Carpocratians
7. Cerinthians
8. Nazarenes
9. Ophites
10. Valentinians
11. Apellites
12. Archontics
13. Adamites
14. Cainites
15. Sethians
16. Melchizedechians
17. Angelics
18. Apostolics
19. Cerdonians
20. Marcionites
21. Artotrites
22. Aquarians
23. Severians
24. Tatianites
25. Alogi
26. Cataphrygians
27. Cathars
28. Paulians
29. Hermogenians
30. Manichees (Manichaeans)
31. Anthropomorphites
32. Heraclites
33. Novatians
34. Montanists
35. Ebionites
36. Photinians
37. Aerians
38. Aetians (Eunomians)
39. Origenians
40. Noetians
41. Sabellians
42. Arians
43. Macedonians
44. Apollinarists
45. Antidicomarites
46. Metangismonites
47. Patricians
48. Coluthians
49. Florians
50. Donatists
51. Bonosiacs
52. Circumcellians
53. Priscillianists
54. Luciferians
55. Jovinianists
56. Elvidians
57. Paternians
58. Arabics
59. Tertullianists
60. Tessarescaedecatites
61. Nyctages
62. Pelagians
63. Nestorians
64. Eutchians
65. Acephalites
66. Theodosians
67. Agnoites
68. Tritheites

Footnotes

1. St. Augustine, Roland J. Teske, SJ, trans., The Works of Saint Augustine, Vol. 18: Arianism and Other Heresies (Hyde Park: New City Press, 1995), 34-56). ↩︎
2. St. Isidore of Seville, Stephen A. Barney, W.J. Lewis, J.A. Beach, Oliver Berghof, trans., The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011), 175-78. ↩︎