apostasy & heresy

Two related but different concepts that come up when we talk about our faith are apostasy and heresy. In recent years, we tend to hear much more about heresy in Catholic circles, but it may be more appropriate for us to be talking about apostasy. Let’s look at the roots of these two concepts.

Apostasy comes from the ancient Greek verb ἀφίστημι (aphistemi), meaning “I stand,” and a preposition meaning “from.” As a noun, it appears as ἀπόστασις (apostasis). Combined, the separate parts literally mean something like “I stand apart from” and refer more abstractly to revolt or departure. In the context of the faith, apostasy is a renunciation or an abandoning of the principals of the faith.

The word heresy comes from the Greek αἱρέω (haireo), a verb meaning “I take.” Ancient Greek has not only an active and a passive voice but also a middle voice that suggests something like doing the action for and/or to oneself. Heresy comes from an abstraction of the middle voice of this verb in which taking for oneself comes to mean something like “making a choice.” So being a heretic highlights choosing some aspects of belief for oneself rather than accepting the teaching authority put in place by Jesus.

Which of these two concepts do you think is most prevalent in our society today? Which is worse?

you also may like our two-part study of the psalms
Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church provides an in-depth look at all 150 psalms based on The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, a translation prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and endorsed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). This translation is being included in new Liturgy of the Hours books. Volume I currently is available only in a digital format. Click on these links to view a sample first lesson from Volume I and another from Volume II.