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Bible Dictionaries
Heresy
Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words
or denotes (a) "a choosing, choice" (from haireomai, "to choose"); then, "that which is chosen," and hence, "an opinion," especially a self-willed opinion, which is substituted for submission to the power of truth, and leads to division and the formation of sects, Galatians 5:20 (marg., "parties"); such erroneous opinions are frequently the outcome of personal preference or the prospect of advantage; see 2 Peter 2:1 , where "destructive" (RV) signifies leading to ruin; some assign even this to (b); in the papyri the prevalent meaning is "choice" (Moulton and Milligan, Vocab.); (b) "a sect;" this secondary meaning, resulting from (a), is the dominating significance in the NT, Acts 5:17; 15:5; 24:5,14; 26:5; 28:22; "heresies" in 1 Corinthians 11:19 (see marg.). See SECT.
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Vines, W. E., M. A. Entry for 'Heresy'. Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ved/h/heresy.html. 1940.
