(Greek, "suspended"). Condemned; cut off from the church. The word is used in Galatians 1:8 and I Corinthians 16:22 to denote separation from the Christian community, and it was often used in the conclusion of creeds to condemn those who held incorrect beliefs; e. G. , "If anyone should say that. . . Let him be anathema. " The earliest recorded instance of formally anathemizing was at the Council of Elvira, c. 306 AD. Anathema is generally considered more serious than excommunication, which excludes a person from sacraments and worship but not the Christian community.