Jarrel - Baptist Church Perpetuity - Landmark Baptist

CHAPTER 13. — THE PATERINES.
Though names are not essential to Church Perpetuity in this chapter I will
notice the Paterines. In church history the Paterines are called Cathari, from
Catharoi, meaning pure ones. Gazari, perhaps from the inhabitants of Crimea,
the Chazars. Bulgari, from the supposition of their having come from Bulgaria.
Pataria, Patereni, i.e., black-guards. Tisserands, from many of them being
weavers. Bogomils, from the Bulgarian Bog z’milui, signifying “God have
mercy,” meaning a praying people. Massalians, said to be from Syriac,
signifying those who pray. Euchites, meaning those who pray. Albigenses,
from the little town of Albi in the district of the Albigeois, in the South of
France, being regarded as the great center of various parties, called Cathari.
Paulicians was converted into a well-known term of reproach and into too
many other terms to notice. f273
While, in church history, the Paterines are generally called Cathari, as they are
better known among Baptist writers by the term Paterines, I will use that term.
As Roman Catholics used any term with which they could best reproach their
opponents there may have been churches or parties of shades of faith who were
called Paterines; f274 and some of them grossly erroneous.
The Paterines are on record at least from the eleventh to the thirteenth
centuries. f275 They numbered hundreds of thousands. They flourished
especially in Italy, France and more especially in the South of France, The
better part of them were Paulicians. But as they figure in Baptist history under
the names Paterines and Cathari I give them this separate notice. In the study
of all these names we must, also, bear in mind the remarks of Robinson and
Armitage.
Robinson:
“The practice of confounding heretics of all kinds in one common herd,
devoted to the shambles, hath been an ancient custom with ecclesiastical
historians and it hath obscured history.” f276
Armitage:
“The Cathari, the pure, have been the subjects of much confusion in
ecclesiastical history, largely in consequence of classing widely different sects
under that general name both amongst ancient and modern writers, whether
Catholic or Protestant.”
While it may be that some people who were called Paterines were
fundamentally in error, that there were distinct churches covered by the name