Here is a table which briefly defines the errors mentioned in Article One of the Augsburg Confession.
| Error Condemned | Detailed Definition |
|---|---|
| 1. Manichaeans | A dualistic sect (founded by Mani, 216-277 AD) believing in two eternal, co-existent gods: one good (God of light) and one evil (God of darkness). They saw the material world as evil and sought spiritual enlightenment through ascetic practices. |
| 2. Valentinians | A Gnostic sect (founded by Valentinus, 100-160 AD) believing in a complex, multi-level universe with multiple divine beings (aeons). They claimed to possess secret knowledge (gnosis) necessary for salvation, which was not available through faith or scripture alone. |
| 3. Arians | Those denying Jesus’ divinity, considering Him a created being (rather than eternally begotten of the Father). Arianism, led by Arius (c. 256-336 AD), rejected the Nicene Creed’s affirmation of Jesus’ divinity, leading to the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) and the Council of Constantinople (381 AD). |
| 4. Eunomians | A sect (founded by Eunomius, c. 335-392 AD) exaggerating the difference between God’s being (ousia) and His attributes or energies. They claimed that God’s essence was unknowable, and only His attributes could be understood. This led to a diminished view of God’s knowability and accessibility. |
| 5. Muslims | Those adhering to the Islamic faith, which rejects the divinity of Jesus Christ, the Trinity, and salvation through faith in Christ alone. Islam teaches that Jesus was a prophet, but not the Son of God, and that salvation comes through submission to Allah and obedience to the Quran. |
| 6. Anti-Trinitarians | Those rejecting the doctrine of the Trinity, i.e., one God in three co-eternal, co-equal, and consubstantial persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Anti-Trinitarians often argue that the Trinity is unbiblical, irrational, or both. |
| 7. Samosatenes | Followers of Marcellus of Ancyra and Photinus of Sirmium, who denied the eternal existence of the Son and the Holy Spirit, viewing them as created beings or emanations from the Father. |
