Heretic – A professed member of an organization who maintains opinions contrary to those declared by the organization or rejects doctrines prescribed by the organization.
Heresy – An opinion or doctrine contrary to the orthodox tenets of a religious body.
The word heretick only appears once in Scripture, as does the word heresy. The word heresy is used in Acts 24:14 when Paul was defending himself against the Jews. The word heretick appears in Paul’s instruction to Titus regarding Church order in Titus 3:10.
These words became popular by the Catholic Church to charge and discipline people for speaking against the Church. A person did not have to be a professing member of the Church, because, beginning with Constantine, it was required that everyone adhere to the doctrine and mandates of “the Church”. Anyone that refused or rejected the “Church” or their doctrine was charged with heresy.
The penalty for heresy was death, usually by being burned at the stake. This usually occurred after a very slow and painful interrogation (torture) to invoke a confession, as detailed in Fox’s Book of Martyrs.
For a more detailed understanding of Church History and Scripture, read “The Truth According to Scripture: Book One: Basic Bible Knowledge” – get a FREE PDF copy, or buy it on Amazon.
See also Apostate, Christian, Church, Doctrine, Faith, Gospel, Infidel