(DO·cet·ism). An early heresy. Docetists maintained that Jesus' body was not physical, but only appeared that way. They also rejected the idea of the physical birth of Jesus Christ.
From the Greek dokeo, meaning to seem. The Doceti believed that Jesus was but a spiritual being and had been crucified in appearance only.
From the root word "image". This is a theological premise that states that Christ's actions on the earth (including the "passion") is illusory.
the heretical doctrine (associated with the Gnostics) that Jesus had no human body and hissufferings and death on the cross were apparent rather than real
the view that Jesus Christ was not a real man, but simply appeared so. This undermines not only the incarnation, but also the Atonement and Resurrection.
A first century Gnostic belief that Christ was a spirit being only. According to this view, Christ appeared to have a real human body but actually did not.
From the Greek "to seem, to appear," the Christological heresy that Christ only appeared to have a human body; in reality, he was completely divine and not human (see Christology).
Dokeo = to seem] The idea that Jesus as Son of God was really a spirit who only appeared to have a physical body. He was divine, but only seemed to be human.
In Christianity, Docetism (from the Greek [dokeÅ], "to seem") is the belief that Jesus' physical body was an illusion, as was his crucifixion; that is, Jesus only seemed to have a physical body and to physically die, but in reality he was incorporeal, a pure spirit, and hence could not physically die. This belief treats the sentence "the Word was made Flesh" (John 1:14) as merely figurative and has historically been regarded as heretical by most Christian theologianshttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05070c.htm.