(Redirected from Bogomils)
''For the Slavic name Bogomil -
see here''
'Bogomilism' () is the
Gnostic dualistic
sect, the
synthesis of
Armenian Paulicianism and the Bulgarian Slavonic Church reform movement, which emerged in
Bulgaria between
927 and
970 and spread into
Byzantine Empire,
Serbia,
Bosnia,
Italy and
France.
Origin
The now defunct
Gnostic social-religious movement and doctrine originated in the time of
Peter I of Bulgaria (
927 –
969) as a reaction against state and clerical oppression. In spite of all measures of repression, it remained strong and popular until the fall of Bulgaria in the end of the
14th century.
Bogomilism is the first significant Bulgarian "heresy" that came about in the first quarter of the 10th century in the area of today’s
Plovdiv (
Philippopolis). It was a natural outcome of many factors that had arisen till the beginning of 10th century. The forced Christianization of the Slavs and proto-Bulgarians by khan Boris I in 863 and the fact that the religion was practiced in Greek, which only the ‘elite’ knew, resulted in a very superficial level of understanding of the religion, if any understanding at all. Another very important factor was the social discontent of the peasantry. Due to the constant wars during the time of the father of Tsar Peter I of Bulgaria, Simeon I, the lands near the Greek border (Thrace) were devastated, and the people living there were left without occupation. Moreover, the change of authority over these lands resulted in the unstable status of the peasantry. In short, the ones that struggled the most because of the strife for land were the peasants of Thrace. At the time of Tsar Peter I of Bulgaria, they were also subject to higher taxes, which was devastating for them. All these factors contributed to the general discontent of the peasantry at the beginning of the 10th century. Moreover, the church was very corrupt, and the ones trying to find comfort in it were very disappointed and failed to find consolation. Another factor was the existence of older Christian heresies in the Bulgarian lands. The most influential among those were
Manichaeism and
Paulicianism, which were considered very dualistic.
Manichaeism’s origin is related to Zoroastrianism; that is why Bogomilism is sometimes indirectly connected to
Zoroastrianism in the sense of its duality. The social discontent of the peasantry and the presence of the old Christian heresies created a new Christian heresy under the name of Bogomilism.
It is difficult to ascertain whether the name was taken from the reputed founder of that movement, priest
Bogumil or Bogomil, (
Bulgarian: поп Богомил - 'поп' [''pop''] means literally priest – father – in Bulgarian) or whether he assumed that name after it had been given to the whole sect. The word is a direct translation into
Slavonic of ''Massaliani'', the
Syriac name of the sect corresponding to the
Greek Euchites. The Bogomils are identified with the Massaliani in Slavonic documents of the
13th century.
It is a complicated task to determine the true character and the tenets of any ancient sect, considering that almost all the information that has reached us comes from their opponents. Much of the
heretical literature has either perished or been completely changed, but some has survived in a modified written form or through oral tradition. Concerning the Bogomils, something can be gathered from the information collected by
Euthymius Zygadenus in the
12th century, and from the polemic ''Against the Newly-Appeared Heresy of the Bogomils'' written in
Slavonic by Presbyter Cosmas, a
10th century Bulgarian official. The old Slavonic lists of forbidden books of the
15th and
16th century also give us a clue to the discovery of this heretical literature and of the means the Bogomils employed to carry on their
propaganda. Much may also be learned from the doctrines of the numerous heretical sects which arose in Medieval
Russia after the
11th century.
The Bogomils were undoubtedly the connecting link between the so-called heretical sects of the East and those of the West. They were, moreover, the most active agents in disseminating such teachings in
Russia and among all the nations of
Europe. They may have found in some places a soil already prepared by more ancient tenets which were preserved in spite of the persecution of the institutional Church and handed down from the period of
primitive Christianity. In the 12th and 13th century, the Bogomils were already known in the West as "Bulgari", i.e. Bulgarians (българи). In
1207 the ''Bulgarorum heresis'' is mentioned. In
1223 the
Albigenses are declared to be the local Bougres, and in the same period mention is made of the "Pope of the Albigenses who resided within the confines of Bulgaria" (see also
Nicetas, Bogomil bishop). The
Cathars and
Patarenes, the
Waldenses, the
Anabaptists, and in Russia the
Strigolniki,
Molokani and
Doukhobors, have all at different times been either identified with the Bogomils or closely connected with them.
Doctrine
From the imperfect and conflicting data which are available, one positive result can be gathered: that the Bogomils were both
Adoptionists and
Manichaeans. They had accepted the teaching of
Paul of Samosata, though at a later period the name of Paul was believed to be that of the
Apostle; and they were not quite free from the Dualistic principle of the
Gnostics, at a later period too much identified with the teaching of
Mani, by
Photius,
Petrus Siculus, and other authors. They rejected the Christianity of the orthodox churches and did not accept the
docetic teaching of some of the other sects. Taking as our starting-point the teaching of the heretical sects in Ruthenia, notably those of the 14th century, which are a direct continuation of the doctrines held by the Bogomils, we find that they denied the divine birth of
Christ, the personal coexistence of the Son with the Father and
Holy Ghost, and the validity of
sacraments and ceremonies. They rejected the title of
theotokos (mother of God), and refused all veneration to
Mary. The miracles performed by Jesus were interpreted in a spiritual sense, not as real material occurrences; the Church was the in-tenor spiritual church in which all held equal share.
Baptism was only to be practised on grown men and women. The Bogomils repudiated infant baptism, and considered the baptismal rite to be of a spiritual character neither by water nor by oil but by
self-abnegation,
prayers and
chanting of
hymns.
Karp Strigolnik, who in the 14th century preached the doctrine in
Novgorod, explained that
St. Paul had taught that simpleminded men should instruct one another; therefore they elected their "teachers" from among themselves to be their spiritual guides, and had no special
priests. Prayers were to be said in private houses, not in separate buildings such as churches. Ordination was conferred by the congregation and not by any specially appointed minister. The congregation were the "elect," and each member could obtain the perfection of Christ and become a Christ or "Chuist." Marriage was not a
sacrament. The Bogomils refused to fast on Mondays and Fridays. They rejected
monasticism. They declared Christ to be the Son of God only through grace like other prophets, and that the bread and wine of the
eucharist were not transformed into flesh and blood; that the last judgment would be executed by God and not by Jesus; that the images and the cross were idols and the veneration of saints and relics
idolatry.
These Pauline doctrines have survived in the great Russian sects, and can be traced back to the teachings and practice of the Bogomils. But in addition to these doctrines of an adoptionist origin, they held the Manichaean dualistic conception of the origin of the world. This has been partly preserved in some of their literary remains, and has taken deep root in the beliefs and traditions of the
Bulgarians and other nations with substantial Bogomil followings. The chief literature of all the heretical sects throughout the ages has been that of apocryphal Biblical narratives, and the
popes Jeremiah or Bogumil are directly mentioned as authors of such forbidden books "which no orthodox dare read." Though these writings are mostly of the same origin as those from the older lists of apocryphal books, they underwent a modification at the hands of their Bogomil editors, so as to be useful for the propagation of their own specific doctrines.
In its most simple and attractive form—one at the same time invested with the authority of the reputed holy author--their account of the creation of the world and of man; the origin of sin and redemption, the history of the Cross, and the disputes between body and soul, right and wrong, heaven and hell, were embodied either in "Historiated Bibles" (''Palcyaf'') or in special dialogues held between Christ and his disciples, or between renowned Fathers of the Church who expounded these views in a simple manner adapted to the understanding of the people (''Lucidaria'').
The Bogomils taught that God had two sons, the elder Satanail and the younger Michael. The elder son rebelled against the father and became the evil spirit. After his fall he created the lower heavens and the earth and tried in vain to create man; in the end he had to appeal to God for the Spirit. After creation
Adam was allowed to till the ground on condition that he sold himself and his posterity to the owner of the earth. Then Michael was sent in the form of a man; he became identified with Jesus, and was "elected" by God after the baptism in the
Jordan. When the
Holy Ghost (again Michael) appeared in the shape of the dove, Jesus received power to break the covenant in the form of a clay tablet (hierographon) held by Satanail from Adam. He had now become the angel Michael in a human form; as such he vanquished Satanail, and deprived him of the termination ''-il'' = God, in which his power resided. Satanail was thus transformed into Satan. Through his machinations the
crucifixion took place, and
Satan was the originator of the whole Orthodox community with its churches, vestments, ceremonies, sacraments and fasts, with its monks and priests. This world being the work of Satan, the perfect must eschew any and every excess of its pleasure. But the Bogomils did not go as far as to recommend
asceticism.
They held the "Lord's Prayer" in high respect as the most potent weapon against Satan, and had a number of conjurations against "evil spirits." Each community had its own twelve "apostles," and women could be raised to the rank of "elect." The Bogomils wore garments like
mendicant friars and were known as keen
missionaries, travelling far and wide to propagate their doctrines. Healing the sick and
exorcising the
evil spirit, they traversed different countries and spread their apocryphal literature along with some of the books of the
Old Testament, deeply influencing the religious spirit of the nations, and preparing them for the
Reformation. They accepted the four
Gospels, fourteen Epistles of Paul, the three Epistles of John, James, Jude, and an Epistle to the
Laodiceans, which they professed to have. They sowed the seeds of a rich, popular religious literature in the East as well as the West. The ''
Historiated Bible'', the ''
Letter from Heaven'', the ''
Wanderings through Heaven and Hell'', the numerous Adam and Cross legends, the religious poems of the "''
Kaliki perehozhie''" and other similar productions owe their dissemination to a large extent to the activity of the Bogomils of Bulgaria, and their successors in other lands.
The essence of Bogomilism is the duality in the creation of the world. This is exactly why it is considered a heresy. Bogomils explained the earthly sinful corporeal life as a creation of Satan, an angel that was sent to the Earth. Due to this duality, their doctrine rejects everything that is socially created and that does not come from the soul, the only divine possession of the human. Therefore, the established Church, the state, and the hierarchy is totally undermined by Bogomilism. Its followers refuse to pay taxes, to work, or to fight for their state. The whole social system is overthrown, which on its part suggests disorder and propels destructivity for the state.
History
According to Slavonic documents, the founder of this sect was a certain priest Bogumil, who "imbibed the Manichaean teaching and flourished at the time of the Bulgarian emperor Peter" (927-968). According to another source, the founder was called Jeremiah (or there was another priest associated with him by the name of Jeremiah). This was the beginning of a revival of the sect, which proved loyal to the empire.
The Slavonic sources are unanimous on the point that his teaching was Manichaean. A ''Synodikon'' from the year
1210 adds the names of his pupils or "apostles," Mihail, Todur, Dobri, Stefan, Vasilie and Peter. Zealous missionaries carried their doctrines far and wide. In
1004, scarcely 25 years after the introduction of Christianity into
Kievan Rus, we hear of a priest Adrian teaching the same doctrines as the Bogomils. He was imprisoned by Leontius, Bishop of
Kiev. In
1125, the Church in the south of
Rus had to combat another heresiarch named Dmitri. The Church in Bulgaria also tried to extirpate Bogomilism. Several thousand went in the army of
Alexios I Komnenos against the
Norman,
Robert Guiscard; but, deserting the emperor, many of them (
1085) were thrown into prison. Efforts were again put forth for their conversion; and for the converts the new city of
Alexiopolis was built, opposite Philippopolis. When the
Crusaders took
Constantinople (
1204), they found some
Paulicians, whom the historian
Geoffrey of Villehardouin calls Popelicans. The popes in Rome whilst leading the
Crusade against the Albigenses did not forget their counterpart in the Balkans and recommended the annihilation of the heretics.
The
Legend of Saint Gerard discloses that followers of Bulgarian
Bogomilism were present during the early 11th century in
Ahtum's realm, which comprised present day
Banat. They invoked
Archangel Uriel, whose name is common in
amulets and magic
rituals.
The Bogomils spread westwards and settled first in
Serbia; but at the end of the 12th century
Stefan Nemanja,
king of Serbia, burned them, persecuted them and expelled them from the country. Large numbers took refuge in
Bosnia, where they were known under the name of Patarenes or Patareni. There, they were also brought into connection with the indigenous
Bosnian Church, which was also considered heretical by the Pope and Byzantines, but was not actually Bogomil in nature. From Bosnia, their influence extended into Italy (
Piedmont). The Hungarians undertook many crusades against the heretics in Bosnia, but towards the close of the 15th century, the conquest of that country by the Turks put an end to their persecution. It is alleged that a large number of the Bosnian Paterenes, and especially the nobles, embraced
Islam. Few or no remnants of Bogomilism have survived in Bosnia. The Ritual in Slavonic written by the Bosnian Radoslav, and published in vol. xv. of the ''Starine of the South Slavonic Academy at Agram'', shows great resemblance to the
Cathar ritual published by Cunitz, 1853. See
F Rački, "Bogomili i Paternai" in Rad, vols. vii., viii. and x. (
Agram, 1870); Dollinger, Beiträge zur Ketzergeschichte des Mittelalters, 2 vols. (Munich, 1890).
In 970 the emperor
John I Tzimiskes transplanted no less than 200,000 Armenian Paulicians to Europe and settled them in the neighbourhood of Philippopolis (today's
Plovdiv in Thrace).
Under Turkish rule, the Armenian Paulicians lived in relative safety in their ancient stronghold near
Philippopolis, and further northward. Linguistically, they were assimilated into the
Bulgarians, by whom they were called ''pavlikiani''. In
1650, the
Roman Catholic Church gathered them into its fold. No less than fourteen villages near
Nicopolis, in
Moesia, embraced Catholicism, as well as the villages around Philippopolis. A colony of Paulicians in the Wallachian village of
Cioplea near
Bucharest also followed the example of their brethren across the
Danube.
In the 18th century, the Paulician people from around
Nicopolis were persecuted by the Turks, presumably on religious grounds, and a good part of them fled across the
Danube and settled in the
Banat region that was part of the
Austrian Empire at the time, and became known as
Banat Bulgarians. There are still over ten thousand Banat Bulgarians in
Banat today in the villages of
Dudestii Vechi,
Vinga,
Brestea and also in the city of
Timişoara, with a few in
Arad; however, they no longer practice their religion, having converted to
Roman Catholicism. There are also a few villages of Paulicians in the Serbian part of
Banat, especially the villages of
Ivanovo and Belo Blato, near
Pančevo.
Name
The name of the movement was ''bulgarus'' in Latin (meaning "Bulgarian"), which included
Paulicians,
Cathars,
Patarenes and
Albigenses. It became ''boulgre'', later ''bougre'' in
Old French meaning "heretic, traitor". It entered
German as ''Buger'' meaning "peasant, blockhead" (and went on to English as ''bugger'') and the French term also entered old
Italian as ''buggero'' and
Spanish as ''bujarrón'', both in the meaning of "sodomite", since it was supposed that heretics would approach sex (just like everything else) in an "inverse" way. The word went on towards
Venetian Italian as ''buzerar'', meaning "to do sodomy" (anal sex between men). This word entered German again (see
reborrowing) as ''Buserant'' and went on to
Hungarian as ''buzeráns'', becoming ''buzi'' around the 1900s, a form still in use as a
sexual slur for male homosexuals.
Bogomilism in the modern and popular culture
In "
Foucault's Pendulum", a novel by the
Itaian writer and philosopher
Umberto Eco, the plot concerning an widespread secret and mystic conspiracy has its ground in the disappearance of the Bogomils after the fall of the
Second Bulgarian Empire under the rule of the
Ottoman Empire.
"
The Secret Book" is a
Macedonian feature film combining the
detective,
thriller and
conspiracy fiction genres, based on fictional story of the quest for the original Slavic language "Secret Book", written by the Bogomils in Bulgaria and carried to Western Europe during the Middle Ages.
References
★
J. C. Wolf, Historia Bogomiorum (Wittenberg, 1712)
★
Euthymius Zygadenus, Narratio de Bogomilis, ed.
Gieseler (Göttingen, 1842)
★
C. J. Jirecek, Geschichte d. Bulgaren (Prague, 1876), S. 155, 174-175
★
L. P. Brockett, The Bogomils of Bulgaria and Bosnia: The Early Protestants of the East (s.l., 1879); http://www.rastko.org.yu/rastko-bl/istorija/bogumili/lbrockett-bogomils.html
★ V. Sharenkoff, A Study of Manicheism in Bulgaria (New York, 1927).
★
D. Obolensky, The Bogomils: A Study in Balkan Neo-Manichaeism (Cambridge, 1948), reprint New York, 1978
★
S. Runciman, The Medieval Manichee: A Study of the Christian Dualist Heresy (Cambridge, 1947)
★
E. v. Ivánka, "Gerardus Moresanus, der Erzengel Uriel und die Bogomilen," Orientalia Christiana Periodica, XXI,1-2 (1955) (Miscellanea Georg Hofmann S.J.), S. 143-146
★
M. Loos, Dualist Heresy in the Middle Ages (Dordrecht, 1974)
★
K. Papasov, Christen oder Ketzer - die Bogomilen (Stuttgart, 1983)
★
D. Angelov, Bogomilstvoto (Stara Zagora, 1995)
See also
★
Cathar
★
Paulicianism
★
Novgorod Codex
External links
★
The Bogomils of Bulgaria and Bosnia
.jpg)
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