1].
Clearly from this definition, the heretic is an individual who once was of the religious pretense who simply dissociates themselves from the very belief of Catholicism, with the overarching aim of the Church to control the emerging sects of Christianity in a time were "Christian churches were more interested in emphasizing their differences rather "than their unity" [Christie-Murray: 1976 pg. 2]. The Catholic Church in the Ireland of Joyce's day was not without degrees of differentiation, which is illustrated by Joyce's perception of the difference between "the Jesuits and other branches of the faith in his native Ireland"" [62]. Nonetheless, the evolution of this term heightened through its introduction as an act of criminality, which was subsequently punishable through capital punishment, as "the most serious crime a Christian can commit " and specific to being a crime against God"" [Thomsett: pg. 1]. This is reiterated in St. Thomas Aquinas' teachings which leant weight to heresy being an act of hubris, according to Aquinas "heretics were not to be tolerated but excommunicated and handed over to the civil power for execution" [Christie-Murray: 196, pg. 108].
In charting Stephen's renunciation and movement away from the doctrine of the Catholic faith, we must recognize the triadic structure which constitutes Irish nationality and thus the very being which he must detach himself from. "Nationality, language " and "religion " [Joyce: pg. 157] are deemed inseparable from the constitution of Irishness in which it has "come to be seen by many as synonymous with Catholicism" [Belanger, 2001: pg. xx-Xii]. Throughout the structure of the novel itself, Stephen is in a constant "tug-of-war" between his religious affiliations and his aspirations to free his soul from these restrictive "nets ", [Joyce: pg. 157] which inhabit him from flight and from freedom. The reader is able to recognize this dichotomy through the rhythm of the novel.
