Epiphanius, who was a highly respected fourth century bishop, was the one who named the Collyridians. But there is no explanation as to the reason for the name or how it actually described this particular heretical sect of primarily women.
What did the Collyridians Believe
Collyiridians were primarily women who honored Mary in special ways in their elaborate worship rituals.
The Mother of Jesus held special importance to Collyridians. Their practices originated in Thrace which is now in areas among the Greeks, Bulgaria and Turkey.
Apparently, the Collyrians would decorate chairs or square stools and spread linens upon them. One day out of every year, the women of the Colyridians would gather around this stool, place bread upon it and offer honor to Mary, Mother of Jesus. Epiphanius was not impressed with this ritual.
In fact, Epiphanius utilized the Collyridian heresy as a launching pad to attack any mention made regarding the ordination of women to the priesthood. As with many in that era and even up to modern day, the idea of women becoming priests didn’t sit well with the all-male clergy so used to having total control of the Holy See and the Holy Roman Catholic Church.
Epiphanius said in reference to the Collyridians, “Which of the prophets ever bade us worship a man, to say nothing of a woman? For she [Mary] is a chosen vessel, but a woman, and in no way different in nature, highly honored though she is in her will and her senses, as are the bodies of the saints?”
Heresy According to the Early Church Fathers
Many of the Early Church Fathers found the number of heresies which seemed to plague the church as to be almost ridiculous. “As Paul also says, ‘Reject a man who is a heretic, after the first and second, knowing that he who is such is subverted, and sins, being condemned of himself.” (Ireneaeus) A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers – Edited by David W. Bercot
Other heretical sects you might find interesting including the Cainites and the
Sources:
- Encyclopedia of Heresies and Heretics - By Charles S. Clifton
- A Catholic Dictionary - By William E. Addis and Thomas Arnold, M.A.
- Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma - By Dr. Ludwig Ott
- A Short History of Christian Doctrine: From the First Century to the Present - By Bernhard Lohse
- The Church in Crisis: A History of the General Councils, 325 - 1870 - By Philip Hughes
- A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers – Edited by David W. Bercot
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