Reno911,
"So tell me Ampu, was Hippolytus a heretic?"
Yes, after years of faithful opposition to heresies, he fell for the
opposite and his pride did not allow him to repent. Read below.
"Were his writings on this subject completely nonsensical?"
He was right to oppose some heresies and wrong to fall for
others. Unlike Mormonism, which is wrong through and through
on more topics than can be posted here. Nonsensical has nothing
to do with it.
Some more on Hippolytus... (from Catholic Encyl.)
"Hippolytus was a presbyter of the Church of Rome at the
beginning of the third century. ... In the reign of Pope
Zephyrinus (198-217) he came into conflict with that pontiff
and with the majority of the Church of Rome, primarily on
account of the christological opinions which for some time
had been causing controversies in Rome. [...decade after
decade after decade of one new heresey after another.
Mormonism isn't even original to Joseph Smith! He stole
all the earlier heresies and combined them into Mormonism
along with his fanciful tales of early America.]
Hippolytus had combated the heresy of Theodotion and the Alogi;
in like fashion he opposed the false doctrines of Noetus,
of Epigonus, of Cleomenes, and of Sabellius, who emphasized
the unity of God too one-sidedly (Monarchians) and saw in the
concepts of the Father and the Son merely manifestations (modi)
of the Divine Nature (Modalism, Sabellianism).
[Hippolytus went so far in combatting these first heresies,
he set himself up for falling for the heresey of Ditheism and
Subordinationism. After arguing so strongly against unity that
didn't allow Personhood, he couldn't come back far enough to
the Biblical balance and find the truth.]
Hippolytus, on the contrary, stood uncompromisingly for a real
difference between the Son (Logos) and the Father, but so as to
represent the Former as a Divine Person almost completely separate
from God (Ditheism) and at the same time altogether subordinate
to the Father (Subordinationism). [Mormon Error also - Satan's
Fashion Show always brings back old heresies wrapped up in
something to look fresh.]
As the heresy in the doctrine of the Modalists was not at first
clearly apparent, Pope Zephyrinus declined to give a decision.
[It took years and decades to work through every single heresey
to hit the early church. I don't blame him for waiting until it was
sorted out by the larger Church before ruling.]
For this Hippolytus gravely censured him, representing him as an
incompetent man, unworthy to rule the Church of Rome and as a
tool in the hands of the ambitious and intriguing deacon Callistus,
whose early life is maliciously depicted (Philosophumena, IX, xi-xii).
[sounds like a Mormon here! His anger didn't allow humility to
restore him to truth. ]
Consequently when Callistus was elected pope (217-218) on the
death of Zephyrinus, Hippolytus immediately left the communion
of the Roman Church and had himself elected antipope by his
small band of followers. These he calls the Catholic Church and
himself successor to the Apostles..."
[sounds like Joseph Smith, the Mormon false prophet and
founder - right down to the claim of Apostolic Authority for
himself!]
Reno, did you ever get a good systematic theology volume
to help sort through Christian theology? To that, I'd suggest
a very good volume on Church history.
Best,
AMPU