Bible Dictionary: Sect

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Easton's Bible Dictionary

(Gr. hairesis, usually rendered "heresy", Acts 24:14; 1 Chronicles 11:19; Galatians 5:20, etc.), meaning properly "a choice," then "a chosen manner of life," and then "a religious party," as the "sect" of the Sadducees (Acts 5:17), of the Pharisees (15:5), the Nazarenes, i.e., Christians (24:5). It afterwards came to be used in a bad sense, of those holding pernicious error, divergent forms of belief (2 Peter 2:1; Galatians 5:20).

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (n.) A cutting; a scion.

2. (n.) Those following a particular leader or authority, or attached to a certain opinion; a company or set having a common belief or allegiance distinct from others; in religion, the believers in a particular creed, or upholders of a particular practice; especially, in modern times, a party dissenting from an established church; a denomination; in philosophy, the disciples of a particular master; a school; in society and the state, an order, rank, class, or party.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

SECT

sekt (hairesis): "Sect" (Latin, secta, from sequi, "to follow") is in the New Testament the translation of hairesis, from haireo, "to take," "to choose"; also translated "heresy," not heresy in the later ecclesiastical sense, but a school or party, a sect, without any bad meaning attached to it. The word is applied to schools of philosophy; to the Pharisees and Sadducees among the Jews who adhered to a common religious faith and worship; and to the Christians. It is translated "sect" (Acts 5:17, of the Sadducees; Acts 15:5, of the Pharisees; Acts 24:5, of the Nazarenes; Acts 26:5, of the Pharisees; Acts 28:22, of the Christians); also the Revised Version (British and American) Acts 24:14 (the King James Version and the English Revised Version margin "heresy"), "After the Way which they call a sect, so serve I the God of our fathers" (just as the Pharisees were "a sect"); it is translated "heresies" (1 Corinthians 11:19, margin "sects," the American Standard Revised Version "factions," margin "Greek: `heresies' "; the English Revised Version reverses the American Standard Revised Version text and margin; Galatians 5:20, the American Standard Revised Version "parties," margin "heresies"; the English Revised Version reverses text and margin; 2 Peter 2:1, "damnable heresies," the Revised Version (British and American) "destructive heresies," margin "sects of perdition"); the "sect" in itself might be harmless; it was the teaching or principles which should be followed by those sects that would make them "destructive." Hairesis occurs in 1 Maccabees 8:30 ("They shall do it at their pleasure," i.e. "choice"); compare Septuagint Leviticus 22:18, 21.

See HERESY.

W. L. Walker

Greek

5330. Pharisaios -- a Pharisee, member of a Jewish religious sect
... a Pharisee, member of a Jewish religious sect. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: Pharisaios Phonetic Spelling: (far-is-ah'-yos) Short Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5330.htm - 7k

4523. Saddoukaios -- a Sadducee, a member of a Jewish religious ...
... a Sadducee, a member of a Jewish religious sect. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: Saddoukaios Phonetic Spelling: (sad-doo-kah'-yos) Short ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4523.htm - 7k

3532. Nikolaos -- Nicolaus, a Christian, probably not connected ...
... 3531, 3532. Nikolaos. 3533 . Nicolaus, a Christian, probably not connected
with the sect bearing the same name. Part of Speech: Noun ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3532.htm - 6k

139. hairesis -- choice, opinion
... Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: hairesis Phonetic Spelling:
(hah'-ee-res-is) Short Definition: a self-chosen opinion, a sect Definition: a self ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/139.htm - 7k

Library

Nicolaus and the Sect Named after Him.
... Book III. Chapter XXIX."Nicolaus and the Sect named after him. 1. At
this time the so-called sect of the Nicolaitans made its ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter xxix nicolaus and the sect.htm

The Sect Everywhere Spoken Against
... CHAPTER XLII THE SECT EVERYWHERE SPOKEN AGAINST. IT is very difficult to separate
truth from legend in the stories of other conversions related by Nicholas. ...
/.../bevan/three friends of god/chapter xlii the sect everywhere.htm

Another Sect of the Esseni: the Pharisees.
... Book IX. Chapter XXIII."Another Sect of the Esseni: the Pharisees. There
is then another order of the Essenes who use the same ...
/.../hippolytus/the refutation of all heresies/chapter xxiii another sect of the.htm

Sect of the Elchasaites; Hippolytus' Opposition to It.
... Book IX. Chapter VIII."Sect of the Elchasaites; Hippolytus' Opposition
to It. The doctrine of this Callistus having been noised ...
/.../the refutation of all heresies/chapter viii sect of the elchasaites.htm

Character of the Times in which the Christian Religion was ...
... THE EVIDENCES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. SECT. IV. Character of the times
in which the Christian religion was propagated. I. Character ...
/.../sect iv character of the.htm

Of God and his Attributes.
... ADDITIONAL DISCOURSES. SECT. I. OF GOD AND HIS ATTRIBUTES. Qui mare et terras
variisque mundum Temperat horis: Unde nil majus generatur ...
/.../sect i of god and.htm

The Providence of God.
... ADDITIONAL DISCOURSES. SECT. III. THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD. Tisu carentem magna pars
veri latet . Sen. in Oedip. Great part of truth is hidden from the blind. ...
/.../sect iii the providence of.htm

The Worship of God.
... ADDITIONAL DISCOURSES. SECT. IV. THE WORSHIP OF GOD. Religentem esse sportet,
religiosum nefas. Incerti autoris apuid. Aul. Gell. ...
/.../sect iv the worship of.htm

Immortality of the Soul, and a Future State.
... ADDITIONAL DISCOURSES. SECT. X. IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL, AND A FUTURE STATE.
"Inter silvas academi quærere verum. Hor. lib. II. epist.2. v.45. ...
/.../sect x immortality of the.htm

Death and Judgement.
... ADDITIONAL DISCOURSES. SECT. XI. DEATH AND JUDGEMENT. TO THE AUTHOR OF
THE GUARDIAN. Sir,. THE inclosed is a faithful translation ...
/.../sect xi death and judgement.htm

Thesaurus

Sect (10 Occurrences)
... 14; 1 Chronicles 11:19; Galatians 5:20, etc.), meaning properly "a choice," then
"a chosen manner of life," and then "a religious party," as the "sect" of the ...
/s/sect.htm - 13k

Heresy (2 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary From a Greek word signifying (1) a choice, (2)
the opinion chosen, and (3) the sect holding the opinion. ...
/h/heresy.htm - 12k

Ebionites
... OF THE PRIMITIVE CHURCH 1. Christology of the Early Church 2. Paulinism of the Early
Church LITERATURE General Statement: The Ebionites were a sect of heretics ...
/e/ebionites.htm - 34k

Ebionism
... OF THE PRIMITIVE CHURCH 1. Christology of the Early Church 2. Paulinism of the Early
Church LITERATURE General Statement: The Ebionites were a sect of heretics ...
/e/ebionism.htm - 34k

Sectarian (1 Occurrence)
... 1. (n.) Pertaining to a sect, or to sects; peculiar to a sect; bigotedly attached
to the tenets and interests of a denomination; as, sectarian principles or ...
/s/sectarian.htm - 7k

Nicolaitans (2 Occurrences)
... NICOLAITANS. nik-o-la'-i-tanz Nikolaitai): 1. The Sect: A sect or party of evil
influence in early Christianity, especially in the 7 churches of Asia. ...
/n/nicolaitans.htm - 10k

Nicolas (1 Occurrence)
... Some of the church Fathers (Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Pseudo-Tertullian) state that
he was the founder of the sect called NICOLAITANS (which see) (Revelation 2:15 ...
/n/nicolas.htm - 8k

Nicolaus (1 Occurrence)
... Some of the church Fathers (Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Pseudo-Tertullian) state that
he was the founder of the sect called NICOLAITANS (which see) (Revelation 2:15 ...
/n/nicolaus.htm - 7k

Christian (41 Occurrences)
... They are also called Disciples of Christ, and Campbellites. 4. (n.) One of a sect
(called Christian Connection) of open-communion immersionists. ...
/c/christian.htm - 29k

Wait (223 Occurrences)
... wait for the hope of righteousness" (Galatians 5:5). From various references in
the New Testament there seems to have been in the days of Jesus a sect in whose ...
/w/wait.htm - 41k

Bible Concordance

Sect (10 Occurrences)

Mark 2:16 But when the Scribes of the Pharisee sect saw Him eating with the sinners and the tax-gatherers, they said to His disciples, "He is eating and drinking with the tax-gatherers and sinners!"
(WEY)

Mark 12:18 Then came to Him a party of Sadducees, a sect which denies that there is any Resurrection; and they proceeded to question Him.
(WEY)

Luke 5:30 Their scribes and the Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, "Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?"
(See NIV)

Acts 5:17 But the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy,
(WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS)

Acts 15:5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses."
(WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS)

Acts 23:9 So there arose a great uproar; and some of the Scribes belonging to the sect of the Pharisees sprang to their feet and fiercely contended, saying, "We find no harm in the man. What if a spirit has spoken to him, or an angel----!"
(WEY)

Acts 24:5 For we have found this man to be a plague, an instigator of insurrections among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 24:14 But this I confess to you, that after the Way, which they call a sect, so I serve the God of our fathers, believing all things which are according to the law, and which are written in the prophets;
(WEB ASV DBY YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Acts 26:5 having known me from the first, if they are willing to testify, that after the strictest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
(WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Acts 28:22 But we desire to hear from you what you think. For, as concerning this sect, it is known to us that everywhere it is spoken against."
(WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Sect

Related Terms

Heresy (2 Occurrences)

Ebionites

Ebionism

Sectarian (1 Occurrence)

Nicolaitans (2 Occurrences)

Nicolas (1 Occurrence)

Nicolaus (1 Occurrence)

Christian (41 Occurrences)

Wait (223 Occurrences)