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The First Christian Executed For Heresy
The first case of Christians murdering fellow Christians in the name of theology
Christianity has a long and fraught history of heresy. Ideas of who God is, who Jesus is, and how the church should be organized have caused no end of strife between various groups and denominations. While it has not happened in quite some time, there were periods in which heresy was punishable by death. From Jan Hus, an early progenitor of the Protestant movement, to the countless people killed in the wars between Protestants and Catholics, which roiled Europe, and those targeted by various Inquisitions, there have been numerous cases in which a person was killed for theological differences labeled as heresy.
But this was not always the case. In the early church, heresy was dealt with via excommunication and penance, not violent execution. In fact, the early church was admirably dedicated to the pacifism that Jesus and his closest followers preached and practiced during their lifetimes. That all changed with the execution of a man by the name of Priscillian.
Priscillian was an ascetic who lived during the Fourth Century and held a number of beliefs that were contrary to the doctrine of the time. Priscillian taught that apostles, prophets, and “doctors” were divinely appointed persons who had…
