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Was Collyridianism Formally Condemned?

Question:

Has the Church ever formally condemned the heresy of Collyridianism? All I can find is that it was vigorously fought by Epiphanius of Salamis, but I can’t find any evidence that the Church ever formally condemned it.

Answer:

Collyridianism was an obscure Early Christian heretical movement whose adherents apparently worshipped the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, as a goddess. It probably was not formally condemned because it was such a local Arabian phenomenon and never reached the level to generate a universal controversy. Even so, it is clear from the Church’s teaching that the veneration offered to Our Lady is offered with the full awareness that she is still a creature of God, not God himself in person, nor does the Church know of any order of priestesses who serve the Virgin. It is clear this cult had an impact on early Islam, and there is even a sect of Sufi Islam today that especially venerates the Virgin Mary.

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