Everything about Socinianism totally explained
Socinianism is a form of
Antitrinitarianism, named for
Laelius Socinus (died
1562 in
Zürich) and of his nephew
Faustus Socinus (died
1604 in
Poland). The former was one of the founders of a religious society that had to operate secretly in order to avoid persecution. The Socinian sect became far more widespread after Faustus Socinus, Laelius Socinus's nephew, became a valued member. In 1574 the Socinians, who referred to themselves as
Unitarians, issued a "Catechism of the Unitarians," in which they laid out their views of the nature and perfection of the Godhead, as well as other principles of their group.
The group became more widely known in Poland and began to prosper, opening colleges and publishing literature, until 1638, when the Socinians were banished from Poland by the Catholics. Until that time it was widely believed that Socinianism would become a dominant belief in Europe.
Socinians held views rooted in
rationality only and rejected orthodox teachings on the
Trinity and on the divinity of
Jesus, as summarised in the
Racovian Catechism. They also believed that God's omniscience was limited to what was a
necessary truth in the future (what would
definitely happen), and didn't apply to what was a
contingent truth (what
might happen). They believed that, if God knew every possible future, human
free will was impossible; and as such rejected the "hard" view of omniscience. They are to be differentiated from Arians, who believed in a preexistent Christ. The Socinians held that the Son of God didn't exist until he was born a man.
The Socinians congregated especially in
Transylvania, in
Poland (see
Polish brethren) and in the
Netherlands. They were driven from their seat at
Raków in
1643.
Socinianism is considered to be an antecedent or early form of
Unitarianism and the term 'socinian' is still used today to refer to the belief that Jesus didn't preexist his life as a human.
Note: In Christianity, Socinianism is also called
Psilanthropism, the presumed etymology of "psilanthropism" stems from the Greek psilo (merely, only) and anthropos (man, human being).
Psilanthropism was rejected by the ecumenical councils, especially in the
First Council of Nicaea, which was convened to deal directly with this. Beliefs similar to those of Socinianism continue today in Christian groups such as the
Christadelphians and the
Church of the Blessed Hope.
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