Europe
across
the
Bosporus. North of Thrace was Romania and to
the west was Macedonia and the Adriatic Sea.
Tzimisces granted to the Paulicians, total religious
liberty, and in turn those people granted it to others.
And from there the doctrines of the New Testament
were spread across Europe.
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Church History Through the Trail of Blood
J. T. Christian says, “It was in the country of the
Albigenses, in the Southern provinces of France, that
the Paulicians were most deeply implanted, and here
they kept up a correspondence with the brethren in
Armenia. The faith of the Paulicians lived on in
Languedoc and along the Rhine as the submerged
Christians of the Cathars, and perhaps also among
the Waldenses.” The Catholics did everything in
their power to eliminate the Paulicians and to
destroy
all
their
literature,
but the
people themselves prospered and spread.
“Eerdmans’
Handbook
on
Christian
History” also brings the Paulicians from Armenia to
France: “The Paulician movement which spread in
Armenia from the seventh to the twelfth century…
came to Bulgaria in the tenth century and helped to
develop the Bogomils who flourished in the Balkans
in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. The latter
movement in turn stimulated the …..heresy of the
Cathars or Albigenses. who were dominant in
southern France and northern Italy in the twelfth and
thirteenth centuries.”
Douglas, who edited the “Dictionary of the
Christian
Church,” points
out
they
were “influential at least until the twelfth century,
even spreading to Italy and France. Probably they
developed into and amalgamated with sects like
the,,,,_ Bogomils, Cathari, and Albigenses. The
Crusaders found them everywhere in Syria and
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Church History Through the Trail of Blood
Palestine. Anabaptists in the sixteenth century had
contact with apparent Paulicians.
William Whitsitt was an heretic Southern Baptist
Professor who advocated that the origin of
Baptists and the revival of Baptist immersion in
England came through John Smythe. He would not
be expected to look with favor upon the Paulicians
as a part of our Baptist heritage. Nevertheless,
professor Whitsitt, of the Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary, declared that the Waldenses
joined the Catharists, and the Catharists were earlier
called Paulicians, Albigenses, etc ….
J.T. Christian tells us that “after the year 1000 the
Paulicians began to make their appearance in
England. In 1154 a body of Germans migrated into
England, driven into exile by persecution. A portion
of them settled in Oxford. William Newberry tells of
the terrible punishment meted out to pastor Gerhard
and his people.” Six years later another company of
Paulicians entered Oxford, and he tells of some of the
terrible
punishment
these
people
suffered.
Then Jones declares, “This no doubt accounts for
the Anabaptist teachings that kept appearing in
England before the sixteenth century, as well as
Baptist churches being found there prior to this
century as well.”
Goadby tell us that “passing under different names –
Paulicians, Vaudois or Waldesnses, Abigenses,
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Church History Through the Trail of Blood
Berengarians, Arnoldists – these godly men kept
alive some glimmer of light amongst all this
darkness. About the eleventh century they rapidly
multiplied on the Continent and in the following
century came over to England in great numbers. So,
England heard the teachings of these people who
kept alive the original faith during the dark ages.”
Most of the true believers in Europe and their
churches for the last thousand years have rarely been
called “Paulicians.” They bore a variety of other
names. But they apparently owe their doctrine to the
people who were called “Paulicians” in Armenia
and Thrace. In other words, some of God’s people in
days gone by have been called “Paulicians.”
In the next session, we will begin with a look at the
Waldenses.
~ 150 ~