Derived from haireomai ('to choose'), this noun originally meant simply a choice or a school of thought, and in Acts it retains that relatively neutral sense when designating the Pharisees, Sadducees, and early Christians as recognized parties within Judaism (Acts 5:17; 15:5; 24:5, 14; 26:5; 28:22). In the epistles, however, it takes on a sharply negative connotation: 'destructive heresies' that a false teacher smuggles in (2 Pet 2:1) and 'factions' listed among the works of the flesh (Gal 5:20). Paul even notes that divisions must come so that the genuine may be recognized (1 Cor 11:19). French consistently renders it 'heresie' across both senses, while Spanish distinguishes 'secta' (neutral party) from 'herejias' (destructive error).