View source for Apollinarism

{{Short description|Christian heretical belief}}
{{Christology}}

'''Apollinarism''' or '''Apollinarianism''' is a [[Christological]] position proposed by [[Apollinaris of Laodicea]] that argues that [[Jesus]] had a human body and sensitive soul, but not a human rational mind, the Divine [[Logos (Christianity)|Logos]] taking the place of the latter.<ref name=CE>{{Catholic Encyclopedia|wstitle=Apollinarianism |volume=1 |first=Joseph Francis |last=Sollier |inline=1}}</ref> It was deemed [[Christian heresy|heretical]] by the [[First Council of Constantinople]] in 381 and virtually died out within the following decades.<ref name=Sollier>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01615b.htm  Sollier, Joseph. "Apollinarianism." The Catholic Encyclopedia] Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 8 February 2019</ref>
==History==
The [[Trinity]] had been recognized at the [[First Council of Nicaea]] in 325, but debate about exactly what it meant continued. A rival to the more common belief that [[Dyophysitism|Jesus Christ had two natures]] was [[monophysitism]] ("one nature"), the doctrine that Christ had only one nature. Apollinarism and [[Eutychianism]] were two forms of monophysitism. Apollinaris's rejection of Christ having a human mind was considered an over-reaction to [[Arianism]] and its teaching that Christ was a lesser god.<ref>McGrath, Alister. 1998. ''Historical Theology, An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought.'' Oxford: Blackwell Publishers. Chapter 1.</ref>

[[Theodoret]] charged Apollinaris with confounding the persons of the [[Godhead (Christianity)|Godhead]] and giving in to the heretical ways of [[Sabellius]]. [[Basil of Caesarea]] accused him of abandoning the literal sense of the scripture, and taking it up wholly with the allegorical sense. His views were condemned in a [[Synod]] at [[Alexandria]], under [[Athanasius of Alexandria]], in 362, and later subdivided into several different heresies, the main ones of which were the Polemians and the [[Antidicomarianite]]s.

Apollinaris, considering the rational soul and spirit as essentially liable to sin and capable, at its best, of only precarious efforts, saw no way of saving Christ's impeccability and the infinite value of Redemption, except by the elimination of the human spirit from Jesus' humanity, and the substitution of the Divine Logos in its stead.<ref name=CE/> Apollinarism was declared to be a [[Christian heresy|heresy]] in 381 by the [[First Council of Constantinople]].<ref name=Sollier/>

== Neo-Apollinarianism ==
Christian philosopher [[William Lane Craig]] has proposed a neo-Apollinarian Christology in which the divine Logos completes the human nature of Christ. Craig says his proposal is tentative and he welcomes critique and interaction from other scholars.<ref>William Lane Craig and J.P. Moreland. 2003. ''Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview.'' InterVarsity Press. 608.</ref>

Craig also clarifies "what I called a Neo-Apollinarian Christological model" by stating that {{blockquote|What I argue in my Neo-Apollinarian proposal is that the ''Logos'' brought to the human body just those properties which would make it a complete human nature – things like [[rationality]], [[self-consciousness]], freedom of the will, and so forth. Christ already possessed those in his divine nature, and it is in virtue of those that we are created in the [[image of God]]. So when he brought those properties to the animal body – the human body – it completes it and makes it a human nature. Against Apollinarius, I want to say that Christ did have a complete human nature. He was truly God and truly man. Therefore his death on our behalf as our representative before God was efficacious.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.reasonablefaith.org/media/reasonable-faith-podcast/does-dr.-craig-have-an-orthodox-christology/| title = Does Dr. Craig Have an Orthodox Christology? {{!}} Podcast {{!}} Reasonable Faith}}</ref>}}

==List of Christians accused of Apollinarianism==

# [[William Lane Craig]] – Proposed a “Neo-Apollinarian” Christological model, in which the divine Logos completes or supplies the rational faculties of Christ, while explicitly affirming that Christ possesses a full human nature.<ref>{{cite web |title=Does Dr. Craig Have an Orthodox Christology? |url=https://www.reasonablefaith.org/media/reasonable-faith-podcast/does-dr.-craig-have-an-orthodox-christology/}}</ref>

# Godlogic ([https://www.youtube.com/@GodLogicApologetics GodLogic Apologetics]) – During a March 2026 debate at the Bless God Summit on the Trinity with Latter-day Saint apologist Jacob Hansen ([https://www.youtube.com/@thoughtfulfaith2020 Thoughtful Faith]), rejected the view that Christ possesses both a divine and a human mind, and instead stated that Christ has only one, divine mind. This formulation was interpreted by critics as Apollinarian. In a subsequent livestream, he stated that he had made a mistake and offered clarification of his position.<ref>{{cite web |title=Godlogic Commits the Apollinarianism Heresy (Then Corrects Himself) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDVKoVsGCXQ}}</ref>

==See also==
*{{annotated link|Dyophysitism}}
*{{annotated link|Miaphysitism}}
*{{Annotated link|Nestorianism}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
*{{1728}}
*Artemi, E., «Mia physis of God Logos sesarkomeni» a)The analysis of this phrase according to  Cyril of Alexandria b)The analysis of this phrase according to Apollinaris of Laodicea», Ecclesiastic Faros t. ΟΔ (2003), 293 – 304.
*Chan, Joyce (2021). ''[https://wiki.ubc.ca/Course:Carey_HIST501/Project_1/Apollarianism/Apollinarianism Apollinarianism]'', Carey Theological College, University of British Columbia.  
*[[Alister McGrath|McGrath, Alister]]. 1998. ''Historical Theology, An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought.'' Oxford: Blackwell Publishers. Chapter 1.
* {{Cite book|last=Edwards|first=Mark|year=2009|title=Catholicity and Heresy in the Early Church|publisher=Ashgate|isbn=9780754662914|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z9acTl-jAkAC}}

{{Heresies condemned by the Catholic Church|state=collapsed}}
{{Subject bar |portal1= Catholicism |portal2= Christianity}}
[[Category:4th-century Christianity]]
[[Category:Christian terminology]]
[[Category:Heresy in ancient Christianity]]
[[Category:Nature of Jesus Christ]]