Quote:
Originally Posted by Amanah
Thomas Weisser, an OP, in his book "After the way called heresy," (page 24 and 25) could only say this about Sabellius
"Sabellius was a presbyter of the pentapolis in North Africa. He influenced this area greatly by teaching the truth of one person in the the Godhead. He took this truth to Rome in 215 AD, while the Pentapolis continued to be a stronghold for the truth . . .
Sabellius became the successor of Cleomenes in Rome. He asserted that Father, Son, and Holy Ghost were not distinict persons but modes of on divine person (hence the term modalistic monarchianism.) God was Father in creation, Son in redemption, and Holy Ghost in regeneration.
In the following generations the doctrine of one person in the Godhead became associated with the man (Sabellianism.) the men of later times that were condemned for believing in one person in the Godhead were referred to as Sabellians."
that' it, that's what we know about him.
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Weisser makes a classic OP mistake here. He takes Sabellius' "Modalism" and tries to make it out that Sabellius preached the "Dispensational Modalism" of most OPs today (the part that I have bolded above).
Sabellius was said by Tertullian (ANTE Nicene, Steve) to have taught that our sun in the sky was a good illustration of God's "Tri-Unity." We can feel the sun's warmth (the Holy Ghost) we can see by the sun's light (the Son) and we can discern, difficultly at times, the round shape or form of the sun (the "Form answering to the Father"). Tertullian actually says that he agreed with Sabellius here.
We can "see the light" and feel the warmth and discern the form or shape of the sun - all three SIMULTANEOUSLY. Thus, God is SIMULTANEOUSLY Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The modern OP refrain of "
God was Father in creation, Son in redemption, and Holy Ghost in regeneration" is a type of Dispensational Modalism. That is, God cannot fulfill all three roles at once.
John 16:7, and other verses are used to substantiate this idea.
If Sabellius were alive today, he certainly would never be allowed to preach conference or teach in a Bible School because he refused to adopt NA Urshan's pet refrain of "
Father in creation, Son in redemption, and Holy Ghost in the Church!" Even the "Modalism" of Sabellius was not akin to modern OP doctrine.