Becker Bible Studies LibraryPaulicians |
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Introduction Paulicians had two distinctive parts to their doctrine that are based on two opposing concepts and that are the forces of good and evil. They were a Christian adoptionist sect in Armenia between 650-872 that are often linked by some historians as part of the Gnosticism movement. The Paulicians believed the concept of good and evil that determines the course of events. The Paulicians were a sect that believed there was both a good God and and an evil one. The evil god they believed was the creator and ruler of this world and the Good God will be the ruler of the world to come. History The founder of the Paulician sect was Constantine Silvanus who was an Armenian. His doctrine was based on the separation of matter and spirit and of good and evil. His doctrine was from Manichaeism that originated in the 3rd century in Persia and had elements of Christianity, Gnosticism and Buddhism. Manichaeism was customary in the Asian provinces of the Byzantine Empire. Constantine Silvanus was considered a strong Christian. He studied the Gospel and the Epistles and opposed the outward appearance or excessive emphasis of a formal church. He believed he was restoring the pure Christianity of Paul. Eventually Constantine Silvanus was stoned to death and was succeeded by Simeon Titus. Simeon Titus was burned alive. Paulicianism was revived in the 9th century. The leader was Sergius Tychicus and it expanded into Cilicia and Asia Minor. He made it strong enough to survive the persecution and massacre until the Crusades. Their importance was mainly in Thrace where many Paulicians were forcibly made to serve as an army against the Bulgarians. The sect went into hiding because of persecution and torture. They went to Thrace which was in southeast Europe. Today Northern Thrace is a region over southern Bulgaria, western Thrace is in northeast Greece, eastern Thrace is in Turkey. This relocate of Paulicians to Europe and Trace made this area a centre of misinformation. The Bulgarians adopted the teachings of the Paulicians. Belief The Paulicians believe Jesus Christ was not the true son of Mary, because the good God could not have taken flesh and became man. The Paulicians believe and honor the Gospel of Luke and the Letters of St. Paul. They reject the Old Testament and the Letters of St. Peter. They also reject the sacraments, the worship and the chain of command of all the established churches. The Paulicians deny the Trinity and altered the baptismal rite by immersion in the name of Jesus Christ instead of the Trinity. Only adults older than thirty were eligible to be baptized. The age of thirty was used because this is the age that Jesus Christ was baptized. They believed the person performing the baptism had to be pure of heart in order for any baptism to be considered valid. |
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MLA Style Citation: About the Author
Joanne B. Holstein is a Becker Bible Studies teacher and author of Guided Bible Studies for Hungry Christians. She is seeking a second degree in Cultural and Social Anthropology after completing her study of Psychology/Christian and Bible Counseling. She is well-known as a counsleor to Christian faithful who are struggling with tremendous burden in these difficult times. She is a leading authority on the history of development of the Christian churches and the practices and beliefs of world religions and cults. |
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