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Glite Dictionary
Sabellianism

Sabellianism

1 9.9
A Christian belief that God is one person who appears as Father, Son, or Holy Spirit
  • noun
  • /səˈbɛliənˌɪzəm/
  • Specialized
: sabelianismo
  • The controversy surrounding Sabellianism centers on the belief that God is one being who reveals himself in different forms.

Examples

  • Some argue that Sabellianism undermines the traditional understanding of the Trinity in Christianity.

  • For the orthodox, Sabellianism—named for the third-century Roman theologian Sabellius—was a Christian heresy.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Bushnell had set the stage for the accusations of Sabellianism that would hound him.

    Academic text (2010)

  • Historically, Sabellianism was considered a significant challenge to orthodox Christian beliefs about the nature of God.

Synonyms

modalism
vsSabellianism
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A belief that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are different forms of the same God rather than three persons

is the same doctrine expressed under an alternative theological name

Surface Forms

Sabellianism singular
Sabellianisms plural

Morphology

Sabellianism = Sabellian (opaque) = Sabellius + ian + ism

The final step is a regular formation using '-ism' to name a doctrine associated with a base adjective ('Sabellian').

Etymology

Sabellianism is named after the early teacher Sabellius, and the ending -ism means 'a belief'. It is also called modalism, from the word mode meaning 'form', so the name points to the idea that God is a single person who appears in different 'forms' rather than three separate persons.