Early attacks upon alleged heresies formed the matter of Tertullian's Prescription Against Heretics (in 44 chapters, written from Rome), and of Irenaeus' Against Heresies ( ca 180, in five volumes), written in Lyon after his return from a visit to Rome. 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 gnostic teachings of Valentinus. "fools," "wild dogs," "servants of Satan"), so the word "heretic" had negative associations from the beginning, and intentionally so. However, those called "heretics" were also called a number of other things (e.g. Consequently, when the Church labeled its enemies as heretics and cast them out of its congregations or severed ties with dissident churches, it remained without the power to persecute them. The epistles of John and Jude also warn of false teachers, as does the writer of the Book of Revelation.ĭuring the first three centuries, Christianity was effectively outlawed by requirements to worship the Roman emperor and Roman gods. On many occasions in Paul's epistles, he defends his own apostleship, and urges Christians in various places to beware of false teachers, or of anything contrary to what was handed to them by him.
The process of establishing orthodox Christianity was in full swing by middle to late first century when Paul wrote the epistles that comprise a large part of the New Testament. Urgent concerns with the uniformity of belief and practice have characterized Christianity from the outset. He described his own position as orthodox (from ortho- "right" + doxa "glory" or "belief"). 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 has walked the path all his life, yet he has no faith in the gifts the Mystic Caste supposedly possesses-and he is running out of time.įor Kisho is about to be sent into battle with his warrior brethren to fight alongside the forces of the controversial Warlord Katana Tormark-and the faith he has so long denied may be the only thing that can save them.The word "heresy" comes from the Greek αἵρεσις, hairesis (from αιρεομαι, haireomai, "choose"), which means either a choice of beliefs or a faction of dissident believers. But Kisho's great pride masks a great deception: He does not believe any of it. Now he has been chosen by the Oathmaster himself to be his protege and possible successor.
Centuries ago, Minoru Kurita abandoned his noble name and heritage when he was adopted by Clan Nova Cat, who utilized Minoru's psychic abilities to create a powerful new breed of warrior: the Mystic Caste, a secretive spiritual branch of the Clan led by their exalted Oathmaster.įrom the moment Kisho left the Iron Womb, he has been trained in the Mystic Caste with one goal in mind: to forge his entire being into a tool-not simply as a weapon to fight the Clan's enemies, but as an instrument of strength to bring glory to Clan Nova Cat through his visions.