Antinomianism

Introduction

Antinomianism, from the Greek αντι and νομος, meaning “against the law,” is a form of individualist anarchism that puts people above the law. It was first a theological doctrine pejoratively named for its rejection of the requirement of obedience to the Law of Moses. In legal philosophy, however, it now refers to a theory for which one does not have to obey any set of rules with which one disagrees. Such a view is commonly opposed to “legalism,” which overemphasizes the requirement of obedience to the letter of the law.

Antinomianism in Christian Theology

In Christian theology, legalism and antinomianism were respectively an accusation of overzealous adherence to the Mosaic Law or an accusation of lawlessness. Two famous antinomian controversies defined the latter view – one in Wittenberg, in 1538, which opposed Martin Luther to Johannes Agricola, and a second one, exactly a century later, in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which led to the banishment of Anne Hutchinson from...