Jarrel - Baptist Church Perpetuity - Landmark Baptist

CHAPTER 11. — THE PAULICIANS.
The origin of the name, Paulicians, is:
“Constantine, from the neighborhood of Samosata and connected with a
gnostic generation. … found in the perusal of the New Testament a world
unknown, and became animated with the hope (about 660) of bringing hack a
state of things which had existed in the apostolic church.
He assumed the name of Silvanus, and called those communities which
acknowledged him as a reformer, Pauline congregations. By their opponents
they were called Paulicians.” f211
Instead of Constantine having originated the Paulicians, or of their beginning
in his time, Mosheim says:
“Constantino revived, under the reign of Constans, the drooping faction of the
Paulicians, which was now ready to expire and propagated with great success
its pestilential doctrines.” f210
Thus, they were revived, just were Schaff and others leave them, in a weak
condition under the name Donatists. But, as is seen in Chapter XIX of this
book, this is not the origin of the people who were called Paulicians.
Manichaeism being the main charge against the Paulicians, is here noticed
first.
“Photius possessed great ability. … Gass says another synod deposed Photius
in 867 as a ‘liar and adulterer, parricide and heretic.’ This is the chief witness
on whose evidence the Paulicians are condemned.” f212
Mosheim says:
“The Greeks treated the Paulicians. … as Manichaeans; though, if we may
credit the testimony of Photius, the Paulicians, expressed the utmost
abhorrence of Manes and his doctrine.”
Even Mosheim concedes:
Kurtz:
“Most evident it is that they were not altogether Manichaeans, though they
embraced some opinions that resembled certain tenets of that abominable
sect.” f213
“The Catholic controversial writers of the ninth century traced the sect of the
Paulicians and even their name to a Manichaean family of the fourth century.