Early Christian Beliefs About the Ophites
Early Christian writers said the Ophites and related Gnostic groups were heretics who honored the serpent and twisted Scripture. Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Origen, and Tertullian all reject these sects and describe them as outside the teaching of Jesus. The Bible passages most often tied to this topic are Genesis 3 and Numbers 21, but those are background texts, not endorsements. The main early Christian message is simple: these groups were seen as false teachers, not true Christians.
115 early-church witnesses · 200 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about the Ophites and Gnostic Heresy?
Early Christian writers treated the Ophites and related Gnostic groups as heretical sects, not as part of the church. Hippolytus, Irenaeus, Origen, and Tertullian all describe these groups as mixing Christian language with serpent lore, Greek philosophy, and secret rites, while denying or twisting the teaching of Jesus. The strongest witness is broad and repeated across the 2nd and 3rd centuries:
the Ophites were said to honor the serpent, and the Naasseni and other Gnostics were said to build false systems from Scripture and mystery cult ideas. A few cards are only background or typology, especially the Bible passages about the serpent in Genesis and Numbers, but the direct patristic testimony is clear and consistent. Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Early Christian leaders rejected the Ophites as heretics, not Christians.
- Hippolytus and Irenaeus say these groups mixed serpent lore, secret rites, and Scripture.
- Origen and Tertullian also say the Ophites had departed from Jesus’ teaching.
- Bible passages about the serpent are background texts used in later debate, not proof that the church accepted Ophite ideas.
Questions Answered by the Sources
What did early Christians say the Ophites and Naassenes were?
Hippolytus, Origen, and Tertullian describe the Ophites/Naassenes as heretical groups, not as part of the Church. They are presented as people who exalted the serpent or styled themselves Gnostics while departing from apostolic teaching.
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Origen, Against Celsus Direct teaching
Now he ought to have known that those who have espoused the cause of the serpent, because he gave good advice to the first human beings, and who go far beyond the Titans and Giants of fable, and are on this account called Ophites, are so far from being Christians, that they bring accusations against Jesus to as great a degree as Celsus himself;
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Tertullian, Against All Heresies Direct teaching
To these are added those heretics likewise who are called Ophites: for they magnify the serpent to such a degree, that they prefer him even to Christ Himself;
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Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness
...heresies that do not even share the name of Jesus with us. Perhaps he had heard of the sects called Ophites and Cainites, or some others of a similar kind, which had departed in every point from the teaching of Jesus. And surely this furnishes no ground for a charge against the Christian doctrine.
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Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness
while these impious wretches, as not being human beings, whose enemy the serpent is, but as being serpents, pride themselves upon being called Ophites from the serpent, which is an animal most hostile to and greatly dreaded by man, and boast of one Euphrates as the introducer of these unhallowed opinions.
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Hippolytus, Refutation of All Heresies Background
...rce of its own ingenuity. The priests and defenders of this system were first those who were called Naasseni. They were given this name from the Hebrew language, because in Hebrew the serpent is called naas. Later, however, they called themselves Gnostics, claiming that they alone had explored the depths of knowledge. Now from the system of these thinkers, many people, taking parts from it, have built a heresy that, though it has several divisions, is really one. They teach exactly the same doctrines, although they present them under the appearance of different opinions, as the following discussion will show as it goes on.
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Hippolytus, Refutation of All Heresies Background
The priests, then, and champions of the system, have been first those who have been called Naasseni, being so denominated from the Hebrew language, for the serpent is called naas (in Hebrew).
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book I Background
The first of them, Valentinus, who adapted the principles of the heresy called “Gnostic” to the peculiar character of his own school, taught as follows: He maintained that there is a certain Dyad (twofold being), who is inexpressible by any name, of whom one part should be called Arrhetus (unspeakable), and the other Sige (silence).
Did the Ophites really worship or defend the serpent?
The sources say the Ophites defended the serpent, even preferring him to Christ in Tertullian's summary. Origen says they were called Ophites because they espoused the serpent's cause, and Hippolytus connects the movement to serpent-centered teaching.
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book II Supporting witness
...eation—these same arguments apply to the followers of Saturninus, Basilides, Carpocrates, and other Gnostics expressing similar ideas. The statements made about the emanations, Æons, the supposed state of degeneration, and the inconsistent nature of their Mother also undermine Basilides and all who are falsely called Gnostics. They merely repeat the same views under different names but transfer more elements outside of the truth into their doctrine. The remarks I have made about numbers also apply to those who misuse truths to support their systems. All that has been said about the Creator (Demiurge), showing that He alone is God and Father of all, and anything else I may say in the following books, applies against heretics in general. You will convert and convince the more moderate and reasonable among them, preventing them from blaspheming their Creator, Maker, Sustainer, and Lord, or attributing His origin to defect and ignorance. But the fierce, terrible, and irrational ones you will drive far from you, so you no longer have to endure their meaningless chatter.
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Hippolytus, Refutation of All Heresies Supporting witness
These doctrines, then, the Naasseni attempt to establish, calling themselves Gnostics.
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book I Supporting witness
...reature has arisen from the school of Valentinus. Some of them claim that Sophia herself became the serpent, and for this reason, she opposed the creator of Adam and implanted knowledge in humans. This is why the serpent was called wiser than all others. Furthermore, they argue that the shape of our intestines, through which food passes, and their particular form, reveals our internal structure in the shape of a serpent, uncovering our hidden origin.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Background
Whence, then, we shall begin our account of what is handed down, with the creation as related by the prophets, introducing also the tenets of the heterodox, and endeavouring as far as we can to confute them.
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Hippolytus, Refutation of All Heresies Direct teaching
Further explanation of the heresy of the Naasseni. They claim to follow Homer. They recognize a triad of first principles. They have technical names for this triad. They support these ideas by appealing to the authority of Greek poets. They explain our Savior's miracles as allegories. They speak of the mystery of the Samothracians, and of why the Lord chose twelve disciples. The name Corybas, as used by the Thracians and Phrygians, is explained. The Naasseni claim to find their system in Scripture. This includes their interpretation of Jacob's vision, and their idea of the perfect man. The perfect man is called Papa by the Phrygians. The views of the Naasseni and the Phrygians on the resurrection are also discussed, along with the ecstasy of St. Paul. There is also discussion of the mysteries of religion as referred to by Christ, the interpretation of the parable of the sower, and an allegory of the promised land. The system of the Phrygians is compared with the statements of Scripture. There is also an explanation of the meaning of the higher and lower Eleusinian mysteries. According to the Naasseni, the incarnation can be discovered here.
How did the Ophites use Scripture and allegory?
Hippolytus says the Naassenes claimed support from Scripture, interpreted miracles allegorically, and appealed to Jacob's vision and other texts. He also says they built their system by taking material from Greek poets and mysteries and combining it into heresy.
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Genesis 3:1 Background
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
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Numbers 21:8 Background
And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.
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Genesis 3:14 Background
And the Lord God said to the serpent, Because thou hast done this thou art cursed above all cattle and all the brutes of the earth, on thy breast and belly thou shalt go, and thou shalt eat earth all the days of thy life.
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2 Corinthians 11:3 Background
But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
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Irenaeus, Fragments from the Lost Writings of Irenæus Supporting witness
How is it possible to say that the serpent, created by God as mute and irrational, was given reason and speech? For if it had the ability in itself to speak, understand, and respond to the woman, nothing would have stopped every serpent from doing so. However, if it is claimed that it spoke to Eve with a human voice according to God's will and arrangement, then God is made the author of sin. Nor was it possible for the evil demon to grant speech to a speechless creature and create something from nothing; if that were possible, the demon would not have ceased trying to mislead people through serpents, beasts, and birds. Moreover, how did it, being a beast, know about the command God gave only to the man, in secret, with even the woman unaware? Why did it attack the woman instead of the man? And if you say it attacked her because she was weaker, I reply that she was actually stronger, as she was the man's helper in breaking the commandment. She alone resisted the serpent for a time and ate from the tree only after being cunningly deceived; whereas Adam, without any resistance, ate the fruit given by the woman, showing extreme weakness and lack of resolve. The woman, having been defea
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Archelaus, Disputation with Manes Supporting witness
...eived by the devil's lies and craftiness, and after the devil had also entered into the body of the serpent, which was the most sagacious of all the beasts, then from that time the devil was called a liar together with his father. Then also the curse came to rest not only on himself, but also on his father. "Accordingly, when the serpent received him, and indeed admitted him completely into its own being, it was, as it were, made pregnant, for it carried the burden of the devil's vast wickedness. It was like one with child, and under the strain of labor, as it tried to cast out the agitations of his malignant suggestions. For the serpent, grudging the glory of the first man, made its way into paradise. And carrying these pains of labor within itself, it began to produce lying speeches, and to bring forth death for the men who had been formed by God and had received the gift of life. "The devil, however, was not able to show himself fully through the serpent. But he kept his perfection for a time, so that he might show it through Cain, by whom he was fully brought forth. And so through the serpent, on the one hand, he showed his hypocrisies and deceits to Eve; while through Cain,
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Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Supporting witness
...above or on earth should be made, yet He also instructed Moses in the wilderness to make the bronze serpent as a sign for those bitten by serpents to be saved? Yet He remains free from unrighteousness. Through this, as I mentioned before, He revealed the mystery, showing that He would break the power of the serpent that led to Adam's transgression and would bring salvation to those who believe in Him, who was foreshadowed by this sign—the one who was to be crucified—from the fangs of the serpent, which are wicked deeds, idolatries, and other unrighteous acts. If this is not the case, then give me a reason why Moses made the bronze serpent as a sign and instructed those who were bitten to look at it, and they were healed; even though he had been commanded not to make any likeness of anything."
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Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Supporting witness
...nd Israel); and that He became man through the Virgin, so that the disobedience that began with the serpent might be undone in the same way it started. Eve, who was a virgin and undefiled, having received the serpent's word, brought forth disobedience and death. But the Virgin Mary received faith and joy when the angel Gabriel announced to her the good news that the Spirit of the Lord would come upon her, and the power of the Highest would overshadow her, and therefore the Holy One born of her is the Son of God; and she replied, "Let it be to me according to your word." By her, He has been born, to whom we have demonstrated so many Scriptures refer, and by whom God destroys both the serpent and those angels and humans like him; yet grants deliverance from death to those who repent of their wickedness and believe in Him.
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Supporting witness
... the blame could fall on the woman; and again, He questioned her so she might pass the blame to the serpent. She explained what happened: "The serpent," she says, "deceived me, and I ate." However, He did not question the serpent, because He knew it was the main instigator in the wrongdoing; but He first pronounced the curse on the serpent so that it might come upon man with a lessened rebuke. For God despised the one who led man astray, but little by little, He showed compassion to the one who was deceived.
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Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Supporting witness
...oshua), after whom the son of Nun was named. It appears that the symbol and sign set up against the serpents that bit Israel were meant for the salvation of those who believe that death was declared to come later to the serpent through Him who was to be crucified, and salvation for those bitten by the serpent who turned to Him who sent His Son into the world to be crucified. The Spirit of prophecy through Moses did not teach us to believe in the serpent, as it shows that he was cursed by God from the beginning; and in Isaiah, it tells us that he shall be slain as an enemy by the mighty sword, which is Christ.
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Isaiah 14:29 Background
“Do not rejoice, all you of Philistia, Because the rod that struck you is broken; For out of the serpent’s roots will come forth a viper, And its offspring will be a fiery flying serpent.
Common Questions
Who were the Ophites in early Christian writing?
They were described as a heretical sect linked to serpent worship and false teaching.
Did early Christians accept the Ophites as part of the church?
No. Writers like Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Origen, and Tertullian treat them as heretics.
Why did early Christians mention the serpent so often?
Because the Ophites and related groups used serpent imagery, and Christian writers answered by rejecting that reading.
Source Index for the Ophites and Gnostic Heresy
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 200 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 115
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
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Didache, Connection to 2 Peter 2:1
Bible Passages 80 shown of 85
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.
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Book 80 1:23
Related Resources
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Carpocrates and Gnostic Heresy
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The Valentinians and Gnostic Heresy
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