Sabellianism facts for kids

Sabellianism is a belief in Christianity. It teaches that God is one, but shows himself in three different ways or "masks." These ways are like roles God plays. This idea is different from the Trinity, which says God is three separate persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) who are all one God.

Sabellianism is also known as modalism, modalistic monarchianism, or modal monarchism. It means that God is a single being who appears to humans in different "modes" at different times. For example, God might act as the Father (the Creator), then as the Son (Jesus Christ), and then as the Holy Spirit (God's presence and power). But it's always the same one God.

Why Some People Liked This Idea

People who supported Sabellianism believed that the Holy Bible often talks about God as being "one." They felt that the idea of God being "three" was not clearly stated in early Christian writings. The word "Trinity" itself, which means "three-ness," is not found in the Bible.

A text called the Comma Johanneum might seem to mention God as three, but it is a part of the Bible that many scholars today believe was added later and is not in the oldest copies.

This belief was mainly connected to a person named Sabellius, who taught it in Rome in the 200s AD.

Who Disagreed with Sabellianism?

Many early Christian leaders disagreed with Sabellianism. A famous critic was Tertullian, who said that this belief made it seem like God the Father was crucified, which he thought was wrong.

It is important to know that most of what we understand about Sabellianism comes from the writings of people who were against it. This means we don't have Sabellius's own words to fully understand his teachings. Some historians think that his opponents might have misunderstood or changed his ideas a bit.

Even with the disagreements, Sabellianism was quite popular for a while. Some writings suggest that many believers in Tertullian's time liked the idea of God being one. Also, in 533 AD, a big Christian meeting decided that baptisms done by Sabellians were not valid. This shows that the belief was still around and had followers.

Sabellianism Today

Most Christian churches today do not follow Sabellianism. Instead, they believe in Trinitarianism. The Athanasian Creed, an important Christian statement of faith, clearly says that God is three distinct persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). It states that each of these three is equal and eternal.

However, some thinkers in later centuries seemed to have ideas similar to modalism. For example, Michael Servetus in the 1500s and Emanuel Swedenborg in the 1700s wrote things that suggested God is one divine person, Jesus Christ. They believed Jesus merged his human form with the divine, becoming completely one with God the Father.

A modern Christian movement called Oneness Pentecostalism also teaches that God is one. They believe the Father (who is spirit) is united with Jesus (who is man) as the Son of God. While similar in some ways, Oneness Pentecostalism is different from older Sabellianism because it teaches that God was fully God and fully man at the same time, rather than just changing roles.

Both Oneness Pentecostalism and Sabellianism are considered Nontrinitarian, meaning they do not believe in the traditional Trinity.

What Did Sabellians Really Teach?

It's hard to know exactly what Sabellius taught because his original writings were destroyed. We only have parts of what his opponents wrote about him. However, these writings give us some clues about their beliefs:

• Some early Christians said that Sabellians believed "the Father Himself is the Son." This means they thought Jesus was the Father acting in a human form.
• They were also known for baptizing people "in the name of Christ only," rather than in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as most Christians did. This showed their belief in one God, not three persons.
• Some reports suggest that Sabellians, especially those connected to a group called the Montanists, experienced things like speaking in unknown languages (glossolalia) and prophecy.

See also

In Spanish: Patripasianismo para niños