The term homoousios (from the Greek homos = same, ousia = essence), translated precisely as consubstantial or of the same essence, is viewed today as the absolute central pillar of the dogmatics upon which Christian orthodoxy rests. However, history and patristics reveal a completely different reality. The emerging early Church did not create this term; rather, it purposefully tore it out of a Gnostic context where it had evolved more than two centuries earlier.

Topic Summary

• The Divine Spark in Man: Early Gnosticism taught that humanity shares a divine essence with the Supreme God.
• The Plunder of the Term: The Council of Nicaea (325 AD) redefined the term exclusively for the relationship between the Father and the Son in order to theologically suppress the Arian heresy.
• Dogmatic Alienation: Through this step, early Christianity dogmatically denied the ontological unity of humanity with God and created an artificial abyss between the Creator and creation.