“First published in 1934, Walter Bauer’s book warned against simply equating the words ‘orthodoxy’ and ‘heresy’ with the notions of majority and minority and with the process of deviation from correct belief to wrong belief. Bauer sought to show that in the first two Christian centuries orthodoxy and heresy did not stand in relation to one another as primary and secondary. He tried to prove that in many regions what came to be known in the ecclesiastical tradition as ‘heresy’ was in fact the original manifestation of Christianity. For example according to Bauer, the major figures in earliest Christianity at Edessa were the ‘heretics’ Marcion, Bar Daisan, and Mani. In Egypt a gnostic form of Christianity appears to have been dominant before 200, and in Asia Minor ‘orthodox’ leaders such as Ignatius and Polycarp waged only moderately successful battles against gnosticism and judaizing Christianity.

In Bauer’s reconstruction of early Christian history, orthodoxy or ecclesiastical Christianity represented the type supported by the majority of Christians in Rome at the end of the first century and beginning of the second century. The Roman Church then gradually extended the boundaries of its influence to Corinth (See J Clement) Antioch and other places. It did so through its traditional associations with Peter and Paul, its successful interventions in the affairs of other churches, timely financial donations, compassionate attitude toward repentant sinners and effective leadership and tight organization under a single bishop.”

Older historians simply assumed that the orthodox view had always been the dominant one. Many historians have come to see, instead, that it was simply one view-the one that happened to win out. The older view of the relationship between heresy and orthodoxy is sometimes called the Eusebian view because it was first popularized by Eusebius, the father of church history.

One of the values of Eusebius’ work is that he often quotes sources that have not survived. The Eusebian view of church history holds that the truth was communicated through Jesus to his apostles, who communicated it to the bishops they appointed, who, in their turn, communicated it to their successors. Sometimes heretical offshoots would arise, such as Marcionism and Gnosticism. Orthodoxy goes back to Jesus; heresy is always a secondary corruption of orthodoxy, which is the view held by the majority.

The Eusebian model was exploded by Walter Bauer’s book of 1934 entitled Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity. This book claims that Eusebius gave a slanted version of what really happened in early Christianity: what was later called heresy was the original form of Christian faith. According to Bauer, early Christianity is best understood as represented by pods of believers in different regions believing different things, as for example, Gnosticism in Egypt, and Marcionism in Asia Minor.

Christ, as far back as can be traced, is characterized by wide-ranging diversity. Eventually, one of these groups managed to assert its authority over other Christian groups and grew to become the majority view, claiming that it had always been the majority view. It is no accident that the form of Christianity that took over the world is the form that was prevalent in Rome in the 2nd century. Bauer hypothesized that the reason why the Roman Church was so intent on reinstating the original presbyters in Corinth was because the Roman Church believed the new Corinthian presbyters were heretics. The Roman Church was the largest of the Christian churches and wealthy. It began using its influence and wealth to ensure that other churches and individual converts followed its beliefs and practices. After the Roman emperor converted to the Christianity of the Roman Church, other churches were outlawed. Christians writing about church history then made it appear that the Roman Church had always been favored by the majority. Bauer’s understanding of early Christianity appears to be basically correct.[1]