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The word "heresy" comes from the Greek αιρεσιςαἵρεσις, ''hairesis'' (from αιρεομαι, ''haireomai'', "choose"), which means either a ''choice'' of beliefs or a ''faction'' of dissident believers. It was given wide currency by [[Irenaeus of Lyons]] in his tract ''The Detection and Refutation of False Knowledge'' (commonly known by the title of the Latin translation, ''Contra Haereses'' (''Against Heresies'') to describe and discredit his opponents in the early Christian Church. He described his own position as orthodox (from ''ortho-'' "straightright" + ''doxa'' "thinkingglory" or "belief") and his position eventually evolved into the position of the early Christian Church.

In the middle of the 2nd century, three unorthodox groups of Christians adhered to a range of doctrines that divided the Christian communities of Rome: the teacher [[Marcion]], the pentecostal outpourings of ecstatic Christian prophets of a continuing revelation, in a movement called "[[Montanism]]" because it had been initiated by [[Montanus]] and his female disciples, and the [[Gnosticism|gnostic]] teachings of Valentinus. Early attacks upon alleged heresies formed the matter of [[Tertullian]]'s ''Prescription Against Heretics'' (in 44 chapters, written from Rome), and of [[Irenaeus of Lyons|Irenaeus]]' ''Against Heresies'' (''ca'' 180, in five volumes), written in Lyon after his return from a visit to Rome. The letters of [[Ignatius of Antioch]] and [[Polycarp of Smyrna]] to various churches warned against false teachers, and the ''[[Epistle of Barnabas]]'' accepted by many Christians as part of Scripture in the 2nd century, warned about mixing Judaism with Christianity, as did other writers, leading to decisions reached in the [[First Ecumenical Council]], which was convoked by the Emperor Constantine at Nicaea [[Nicea]] in 325, in response to further disruptive polemical controversy within the Christian community, in that case [[Arianism|Arian]] disputes over the nature of the Trinity.

Before 325 AD, the "heretical" nature of some beliefs was a matter of much debate within the churches. In the early church, heresies were sometimes determined by a selected council of bishops, or [[ecumenical council]], such as the [[First Ecumenical Council|First Council of NicaeaNicea]]. After 325 AD, some opinion was formulated as [[dogma]] through the ''canons'' promulgated by the councils. Each phrase in the [[Nicene Creed]], which was hammered out at the Council of NicaeaNicea, addresses some aspect that had been under passionate discussion and closes the books on the argument, with the weight of the agreement of over 300 carefully selected bishops from around the empire. However, that did not prevent the [[Arianism|Arians]] who were defeated at the council of 325 from dominating most of the church for the greater part of the fourth century, often with the aid of Roman emperors who favored them. In the East, the successful party of [[Cyril of Jerusalem|Cyril]] cast out [[Nestorius]] and his followers as heretics and collected and burned his writings.

The church had little power to actually punish heretics in the early years, other than by [[excommunication]], a spiritual punishment, or, as in the case of [[Arius]], assassination (Though this would me a matter of contention, as he was supported by the Royalty, and his end was rather strange. It is described as thus: As Arius was journeying to cocelebrate the [[Divine Liturgy]] with the Bishop, who had be pressured into doing such as a sign to the people that there wasn't really any difference between Arian and Church belief, tradition tell us Arius stopped to use the facilities. Some short time later his follower went in to check on him, as he had taken a long time. Apparently, his intestines had passed out of him.). To those who accepted it, an excommunication was the worst form of punishment possible, as it separated the individual from the body of Christ, his Church, and prevented [[salvation]]. Excommunication, or even the threat of excommunication, was enough to convince many a heretic to renounce his views. The Hispanic ascetic [[Priscillian of Avila]] was the first person to be executed for heresy, only sixty years after the First Council of NicaeaNicea, in 385. He was executed at the orders of Emperor [[Magnus Maximus]], over the procedural objections of bishops [[Ambrose of Milan]] and [[Martin of Tours]].

*[[BogomilsBogomilism]]

*[[Caesaro-papismCaesaropapism]]

*[[Macedonian HeresyMacedonianism]]

Heretics usually do not define their own beliefs as heretical. Heresy is a value-judgment and the expression of a view from within an established belief system. For instance, Roman Catholics held Protestantism as a heresy while some non-Catholics considered Catholicism the "Great Apostasy."