Published about a year ago, Bishop Athanasius Schneider’s Flee from Heresy: A Catholic Guide to Ancient and Modern Errors gives Catholics an excellent opportunity to equip themselves against the doctrinal ambiguities present in the post-conciliar era. While the word “heresy” is often used today to indicate an “obstinate denial or doubt after the reception of baptism of some truth which is to be believed by divine and Catholic faith,”1 the Kazakhstani prelate explains that, for centuries, “any idea that deviated from the authentic Christian teaching and practice of the Apostles” was considered heretical.2 As a result, His Excellency utilizes this broader sense of the term throughout the book, denouncing doctrinal errors from before the birth of Christ all the way to the twenty first century.
For instance, monism, a pre-Socratic school of philosophy, “denies discrete entities or real distinctions in the universe,” claiming that all beings are merely illusory manifestations of “the One”. 3 While such an idea sounds absurd, Catholics who fail to recognize monism as a threat may eventually adopt pantheism, an eighteenth-century heresy which proposes that “all things are God and have the very substance of God”.4Therefore, if we are to rebuild Christendom, it is vital that we are aware of the Enemy and his deceptions. To quote Saint Peter: “Be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8; Douay-Rheims Bible).
Moreover, not only does Flee from Heresy identify various heresies, but it also adequately explains them, as well. Using the beloved question-answer format present in the Baltimore Catechism, the book addresses the reader in a clear, concise manner, making it accessible for all ages. For instance, commenting on the American dogma of “separation of Church and State,” His Excellency emphasizes that “it promotes individualism to the harm of the common good, foments unrestricted license in speech and press, and results in attacks on the one true religion [Catholicism]”.5 Additionally, for those who are interested in learning more about Magisterial teachings on these issues, Flee from Heresy contains copious references to the documents of our forefathers, as well. To quote Pope Leo XIII on the consequences of separation of Church and State: “If the [intellect] assents to false opinions, and the will chooses and follows after what is wrong, neither can attain its native fullness, but both must fall from their native dignity into an abyss of corruption”.6
Perhaps the most impressive feature of Flee from Heresy, though—and the primary reason that Catholics across the globe have flocked under the standard of Bishop Schneider—is His Excellency’s great love, devotion, and honor for Our Lady. Titled “The Blessed Virgin Mary, Destroyer of Heresies,” Part IV of the book provides the reader with almost twenty pages of content on the august Mother of God, highlighting the necessity of her presence in the spiritual life with a clarity and a vigor matched by few. Here, we could spend the remainder of the article commenting on this section, but the following quotes will serve you far better than my humble observations:
The greatest enemy of the Christian faith is not an army with material weapons, but an army of those who are equipped with ink and pen in order to undermine and pervert the virginal purity of the Catholic Faith.7
As the first to fully embrace [a] living faith in the Incarnation of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary is herself a perpetual vessel and a testament to that Faith on earth—a Faith which will never perish, but will endure until the Last Judgment. Through the faith and fidelity of Mary, the true Faith was established on earth, and she who was first to believe is therefore most powerful to destroy all unbelief and heresy.8
What profundity! While those who have read His Excellency’s other works are familiar with his relationship to Our Lady and with his love of motherhood in general, Part IV serves as a mini magnum opus to the entire book. As a result, reading it alone is worth your time and your money.
Last but certainly not least, the “Appendixes” section serves as a solid foundation for newcomers to the pre-conciliar era of Catholicism. Here, His Excellency includes Blessed Pope Pius IX’s Syllabus of Errors; Saint Pope Pius X’s Lamentabili Sane, the Syllabus against the heresy of Modernism; the same pope’s Oath Against Modernists; and a “Declaration of Truths” published by His Excellency and Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, among others. Unlike the previous parts of the book, there is little commentary on these documents, which is regrettable. However, their importance is of the highest magnitude, for no explanation of the Catholic Church suffices without recourse to them. Therefore, after concluding this section of the book, you’ll not only be inspired to Flee from Heresy—you’ll also fly to orthodoxy!
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1983 Code of Canon Law, c. 751, at The Holy See, https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib3-cann747-755_en.html#BOOK_III..
Bishop Athanasius Schneider, Flee from Heresy: A Catholic Guide to Ancient and Modern Errors (Sophia Institute Press, 2024), 6.
Schneider, Flee from Heresy, 16.
Ibid.
Schneider, Flee from Heresy, 111.
Pope Leo XIII, On the Christian Constitution of States Immortale Dei (1 November 1885) §32, at Papal Encyclicals, https://www.papalencyclicals.net/leo13/l13sta.htm.
Schneider, Flee from Heresy, 166.
Schneider, Flee from Heresy, 176.
I was fortunate to meet Bishop Schneider and get a signed copy of this amazing book.
Thank you for writing about this.