Adoptionist refers to a belief system that emerged in the early Christian Church, which held that Jesus was not the Son of God from the beginning of time, but rather was “adopted” as God’s son at some point in his life. This belief system was eventually deemed heretical by the Church, but it has continued to hold some influence in certain Christian denominations.
Definitions
Adoptionist is a noun that refers to a person who believes in the adoptionist heresy, or who follows a Christian doctrine that holds that Jesus was not divine from birth but was adopted by God as his son at some point in his life.
Origin
The term adoptionist comes from the Latin word adoptio, which means “adoption.” The adoptionist belief system emerged in the early Christian Church, likely in the second century CE, and was associated with a number of different groups and individuals.
Meaning in different dictionaries
The term adoptionist is not commonly found in most dictionaries, but it is defined in some theological dictionaries and encyclopedias. For example, the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church defines adoptionism as “the doctrine that Christ was not the Son of God from eternity but was ‘adopted’ by God at some point in his life, usually at his baptism.”
Associations
Adoptionist beliefs were associated with a number of different groups and individuals in the early Christian Church, including the Ebionites, the Elkasaites, and the followers of Theodotus of Byzantium. These groups rejected the idea of the Trinity and believed that Jesus was a human being who was chosen by God to be his son.
Synonyms
There are no commonly used synonyms for adoptionist, as the term is specific to the belief system described above.
Antonyms
The opposite of adoptionist would be someone who believes in the orthodox Christian doctrine of the Trinity, which holds that Jesus is one of three persons in one God and has always been divine.
The same root words
The root word of adoptionist is “adoption,” which refers to the act of legally taking on a child as one’s own. This word has a broader usage outside of the context of the adoptionist heresy.
Example Sentences
- The adoptionist belief system was eventually deemed heretical by the Church.
- Some Christian denominations still hold to adoptionist beliefs today.
- The adoptionist heresy emerged in the early Christian Church.
- The Ebionites were one of the groups associated with adoptionist beliefs.
- The opposite of adoptionist would be someone who believes in the orthodox Christian doctrine of the Trinity.