Heresiography

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A heresiography is a treatise that describes heresies . The term should not be confused with heresiology , the study of heresies. Heresiographies are known from Christianity and Islam.

Many heresiographies were polemical. On the other hand, heresiographies from antiquity are an indispensable source for the life and teachings of those who describe them. For example, the fundamental credibility of Irenaeus of Lyons with regard to Gnostic teachings has been largely confirmed by the finds in Nag Hammadi . Heresiographies also often contain quotations from authors whose works have been lost.

Comparable works of Islamic literature are assigned to the genus Milal wa-Nihal (literature on religions and sects).

In Christianity there are heresiographies from antiquity, from the Middle Ages and also from Protestants and Catholics from the time after the Reformation.

Examples of heresiographies

Individual evidence

  1. Theological Real Encyclopedia : Gnosis
  2. Hava Lazarus-Yafeh: Some neglected aspects of medieval Muslim polemics against Christianity , Harvard Theological Review, 01-JAN-96

See also

Apologetics