“Sabellius has been usually assigned to the middle of
third century, Mr. Clinton giving a.d.
256–270 as his active period. The discovery of
the Philosophumena of Hippolytus has proved this
to be a mistake, and thrown his period back to the close of the
second and beginning of the third century.…He was in full
activity in Rome during the Episcopate of Zephyrinus,
a.d. 198–217.”
Professor Stokes in D. C. Biog. iv. 569. For
Basil’s views of Sabellianism vide Epp. CCX.,
CCXIV., CCXXXV. In his Hær. Fab. Conf. ii. 9
Theodoret writes: “Sabellius said that Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost were one Hypostasis; one Person under three names;
and he describes the same now as Father, now as Son, now as Holy
Ghost. He says that in the old Testament He gave laws as
Father, was incarnate in the new as Son, and visited the Apostles
as Holy Ghost.” So in the ῎Εκθεσις
τῆς κατὰ
μέρος
πίστεως, a work
falsely attributed to Gregory Thaumaturgus, and possibly due to
Apollinaris, (cf. Theod., Dial. iii.)
“We shun Sabellius, who says that Father and Son are the
same, calling Him who speaks Father, and the Word, remaining in
the Father and at the time of creation manifested, and, on the
completion of things returning to the Father, Son. He says
the same of the Holy Ghost.”