Church Fathers against Docetism the Pagan Philosophy which embraces Deity Concept from Ancient Mythology
Their name is derived from dokesis, "appearance" or "semblance", because they taught that Christ only "appeared" or "seemed to be a man, to have been born, to have lived and suffered. Some denied the reality of Christ's human nature altogether, some only the reality of His human body or of His birth or death. Docetism taught that Jesus Christ is more than a Deity who has human body appearance but not a real human. The word Δοκηταί Dokētaí ("Illusionists") referring to early Heretic groups on 1st Century who denied Jesus's humanity, first occurred in a letter by Bishop Serapion of Antioch (197–203),
Eusebius writes in it that Bishop Serapion of Antioch had been informed that a Christian community in Rhosus was using the Gospel of Peter in their liturgy and had sent a letter authorising them to do so, while also denying that such a Gospel was actually written by Saint Peter. Serapion was later taught, however, that the Gospel of Peter "hid a heresy" that he attributed to Marcian and that he was leader of a sect which followed docetism. Bishop Serapion condemned Docetism in Rhosus as a Gnostic group which was influenced by Pagan Philosophy which taught that Jesus was only deity or Chief of Aeons who manifested on human body shape or appeared as man, but not a man.
The mention of the demiurgic angels stamps this passage as a piece of Gnosticism. Soon after a Syrian Gnostic of Antioch, Saturninus or Saturnilus (about 125) made Christ the chief of the Aeons, but tried to show that the Savior was unborn (agenneton) and without body (asomaton) and without form (aneideon) and only apparently (phantasia) seen as man (Irenaeus, Adv. Haer., XXIV, ii). Irenaeus on his book (Adversus Haereses) explained that Saturninus on his life was born as Hellenistic Pagan who became a Gnostic and taught the Antichrist Teachings which contradicted against True Gospels.
Another Syrian Gnostic, Cerdo, who came to Rome under Pope Hyginus (137) and became the master of Marcion, taught that "Christ, the Son of the Highest God, appeared without birth from the Virgin, yea without any birth on earth as man". Tertullian fought against this Heresy and used The Gospel of John for rebuke this Pagan Heretic like Cerdo who taughy Christ is only seems as Human shape but He is not Human. Cerdo copied his teaching from Simon Magnus who was condemned by St. Ignatius of Antioch and St. Augustine of Hippo.
Simon Magus first spoke of a "putative passion of Christ and blasphemously asserted that it was really he, Simon himself, who underwent these apparent sufferings. "As the angels governed this world badly because each angel coveted the principality for himself he [Simon of Cyrene] came to improve matters, and was transfigured and rendered like unto the Virtues and Powers and Angels, so that he appeared amongst men as man though he was no man and was believed to have suffered in Judea though he had not suffered" (passum in Judea putatum cum non esset passus — Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. I, xxiii sqq.).
This heresy developed easily and rapidly in one form or another because of the pagan philosophic emphasis of the time that matter is inherently evil. This being so, it was blasphemous to maintain that the spiritual Christ could have, in any sense at all, a physical body. Basilides, an early Gnostic, held to a relatively human Christ with whom the divine nous became united in baptism, but his followers became true Docetae. With other words, Docetism has taught that Christ is only a Deity who has human shape and not real human.
The name further occurs in Clement of Alexandria (d. 216), Stromata III.13 and VII.17, where these sectaries are mentioned together with the Haematites as instances of heretics being named after their own special error. The heresy itself, however, is much older, as it is combated in the New Testament. Clement mentions a certain Julius Cassianus as ho tes dokeseos exarchon, "the founder of Illusionism". This name is known also to St. Jerome and Theodoret; and Cassianus is said to be a disciple of Valentinian, but nothing more is known of him. The idea of the unreality of Christ's human nature was held by the oldest Gnostic sects and can not therefore have originated with Cassianus. As Clement distinguished the Docetae from other Gnostic sects, he problably knew some sectaries the sum-total of whose errors consisted in this illusion theory; but Docetism, as far as at present known, as always an accompaniment of Gnosticism or later of Manichaeism. The Docetae described by Hippolytus (Philos., VIII, i-iv, X, xii) are likewise a Gnostic sect; these perhaps extended their illusion theory to all material substances.
Marcionism is also influenced by Docetism
Tertullian remarks: "All these tricks about a putative corporeality Marcion has adopted lest the truth of Christ's birth should be argued from the reality of his human nature, and thus Christ should be vindicated as the work of the Creator [Demiurge] and be shown to have human flesh even as he had human birth" (Adv. Marc., III, xi). Tertullian further states that Marcion's chief disciple, Apelles, slightly modified his master's system, accepting indeed the truth of Christ's flesh, but strenuously denying the truth of His birth. He contended that Christ had an astral body made of superior substance, and he compared the Incarnation to the appearance of the angel to Abraham. This, Tertullian sarcastically remarks, is getting from the frying pan into fire, de calcariâ in carbonariam.
How Docetism influenced a view about " two persona "
Valentinus the Egyptian attempted to accommodate his Pagan Ancient Egyptian system still more closely to Christian doctrine by admitting not merely the reality of the Saviour's body but even a seeming birth, saying that the Saviour's body passed through Mary as through a channel (hos dia solenos) though he took nothing from her, but had a body from above (from Highest Level of Aeon) . This approximation to orthodoxy, however, was only apparent, for Valentinus distinguished between Christ and Jesus. Christ and the Holy Ghost were emanations from the Aeons together proceeded Jesus the Saviour, who became united with the Messias of the Demiurge.
From what we can look, Valentinus the Egyptian was Semi-Docetist who taught that Jesus has two persons, Jesus the Savior who was human and Christ the Deity from Highest Aeon. (Note: For sect which has similarity with it, you can look Nestorianism and How Catholic Church condemned it)
Docetism as precursor of Monophisitism
In the East, Marinus and the school of Bardesanes, though not Bardesanes himself, held similar views with regard to Christ's astral body and seeming birth. In the West, Ptolemy reduced Docetism to a minimum by saying that Christ was indeed a real man, but His substance was a compound of the pneumatic and the psychic (spiritual and ethereal). The pneumatic He received from Achamoth or Wisdom, the psychic from the Demiurge, His psychic nature enabled him to suffer and feel pain, though He possessed nothing grossly material. (Irenaeus, Adv. Haer., I, xii, II, iv). As the Docetae objected to the reality of the birth, so from the first they particularly objected to the reality of the passion. Hence the clumsy attempts at substitution of another victim by Basilides and others. According to Basilides, Christ seemed to men to be a man and to have performed miracles. It was not, however, Christ, who suffered but Simon of Cyrenes who was constrained to carry the cross and was mistakenly crucified in Christ's stead. Simon having received Jesus' form, Jesus returned Simon's and thus stood by and laughed. Simon was crucified and Jesus returned to his father (Irenaeus, Adv. Char., 1, xxiv). According to some apocrypha it was Judas, not Simon the Cyrenean, who was thus substituted. Hippolytus describes a Gnostic sect who took the name of Docetae, though for what reason is not apparent, especially as their semblance theory was the least pronounced feature in their system. Their views were in close affinity to those of the Valentians. The primal Being is, so to speak, the seed of a fig-tree, small in size but infinite in power; from it proceed three Aeons, tree, leaves, fruit, which, multiplied with the perfect number ten, become thirty. These thirty Aeons together fructify one of themselves, from whom proceeds the Virgin-Saviour, a perfect representation or Manifestation of Achamoth, the Highest god. The Saviour's task is to hinder further transference of souls from body to body, which is the work of the Great Archon, the Creator of the world. The Saviour enters the world unnoticed, unknown, obscure. An angel announced the glad tidings to Mary. He was born and did all the things that are written of him in the Gospels. But in baptism he received the figure and seal of another body besides that born of the Virgin. The object of this was that when the Archon condemned his own peculiar figment of flesh to the death of the cross, the soul of Jesus--that soul which had been nourished in the body born of the Virgin--might strip off that body and nail it to the accursed tree. In the pneumatic body received at baptism Jesus could triumph over the Archon, whose evil intent he had eluded. Archon on Bardesanes or Basilidean School is a High Deity who contradicted with Highest god Achamoth who is Merciful god on their school.
Docetism has taught dualistic views which copied from Ancient Greek polytheistic and Iranian polytheistic which predates Zoroastrianism. With other words, Jesus on Docetism is manifestation of Achamoth where Achamoth want to be a Human with fallen into Earth and changed himself like human apparently. From this conclusion that Docetism taught that Human body of Jesus is godly, Deity, and not real human. This is familiar with many pagan in the world like Ancient Greek, Ancient Egyptian, Hindus, Ancient Persian, and many more.
This heresy, which destroyed the very meaning and purpose of the Incarnation, was combated even by the Apostles. Possibly St. Paul's statement that in Christ dwelt the fullness of the Godhead corporaliter (Colossians 1:19, 2:9) has some reference to Docetic errors. Beyond doubt St. John (1 John 1:1-3, 4:1-3; 2 John 7) refers to this heresy; so at least it seemed to Dionysius of Alexandria (Eusebius, Church History VII.25) and Tertullian (De carne Christi, xxiv). In sub-Apostolic times this sect was vigorously combated by St. Ignatius and Polycarp. The former made a warning against Docetists the burden of his letters; he speaks of them as "monsters in human shape" (therion anthropomorphon) and bids the faithful not only not to receive them but even to avoid meeting them. Pathetically he exclaims: If, as some godless men [atheoi], I mean unbelievers, say, He has suffered only in outward appearance, they themselves are nought but outward show. why am I in bonds? Why should I pray to fight with wild beasts? Then I die for nothing, then I would only be lying against the Lord" (Trallians 10; Ephesians 7 and 18; Smyrnæans 1-6).
St. John the Evangelist condemned Docetism on his epistles :
" For many seducers are gone out into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh: this is a seducer and an antichrist. " ( 2 John 7)
" Who is a liar, but he who denieth that Jesus is the Christ? This is Antichrist, who denieth the Father, and the Son. " (1 John 2:22)
St. Paul taught the Incarnation as a resistance against Docetism on his epistles :
For there is one God, and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus: Who gave himself a redemption for all, a testimony in due times.Whereunto I am appointed a preacher and an apostle, (I say the truth, I lie not,) a doctor of the Gentiles in faith and truth. (1 Timothy 2:5-7)
But He emptied Himself,
taking upon Himself the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in the form of a man,
He humbled Himself
and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore God highly exalted Him
and gave Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. " (2 Philippians 5-11)
