late 2nd – early 3rd century

Modalistic Monarchianism: Noetus, Praxeas, Sabellius and the response of Hippolytus

Monarchianism, according to Berkhof, arose as a recoil from the Logos doctrine: some feared for the unity of God, others for the full deity of Christ; the name was given by Tertullian. The dynamic branch saw in Christ an impersonal power of God (see the article in the Christology section), while the modalistic branch regarded the Father, the Son and the Spirit as manifestations of one Person: in the West it was called Patripassianism, in the East Sabellianism. Noetus of Smyrna taught that the Father himself was born, suffered and died; Sabellius called God "Son-Father" and compared the Son and the Spirit to the rays of the sun. In Rome Hippolytus denounced Noetus and accused Bishop Callistus of modalism, while Callistus accused Hippolytus of ditheism and excommunicated Sabellius. Pelikan sees modalism as a systematization of popular faith reflected in liturgical language.