We usually think of heresy as something opposed to orthodoxy. Heresy, however, comes from the Greek hairesis, which means choice. Originally it was not used in a derogatory sense, but as a technical term for a philosophical school or the doctrines of a religion. In current usage heresy is a belief or opinion contrary to what is generally accepted, especially in religion, and more particularly in opposition to the orthodoxy of the Christian Church. Orthodoxy is derived from two Greek words: orthos (right or true) and doxa (opinion), so that orthodoxy means right opinion, usually in a religious sense.
Who decides what is the right opinion and what is not? For many centuries the Church in the West decided what was right in human affairs. Its claims for having the right opinion were based on its interpretation of the Bible and the Church's own traditions. These interpretations have promoted the view that Church history, Church doctrine, and the Church hierarchy are all based on an uninterrupted tradition stemming from Jesus Christ. The existence of numerous heresies, however, indicates that there are many alternative views.
The problem with tracing traditions back to Jesus is that the accounts of his life and teachings were written many years after his death. The earliest writings in the New Testament are letters by Paul, dated between 50 and 60 A.D., and Paul never met Jesus. The earliest Gospel is dated around 70 A.D. In fact, there were many other accounts of the life of Jesus than the few that were finally retained in the New Testament, for example the so-called apocryphal writings, including other gospels and epistles, which were accepted in the first four centuries but were later rejected. Discoveries such as those from Nag Hammadi have given us a wealth ...