Autoproscoptae, Bogomils and Messalians - J. M. Wolski.pdf

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Studia Ceranea 4, 2014, p. 233–241
Jan Mikołaj Wolski (Łódź)
Autoproscoptae, Bogomils and Messalians
in the 14
th
Century Bulgaria
The mentions concerning the heresy of autoproscoptae in Bulgarian texts from
the 14
th
century have recently been noted by scholars
1
. Its name was used as a sy-
nonym for messalianism in one Bulgarian Nomocanon (MS kept in Църков�½о-
исторически и архиве�½ и�½ститут (CIAI) in Sofia under catalogue number
1160)
2
. The characteristic of the autoproscoptae heresy brings new light to the
obscure phenomenon from the late medieval Bulgarian spiritual culture denoted
in the sources by the synonymous (in some contexts) names “messalianism” and
“bogomilism”.
The three pointed heresies were apparently different in their early history,
which contrasts with the use of theirs names in the later period. The first heresy
to appear from those mentioned above was messalianism. Heresy originated in
Mesopotamia and Syria in the 4
th
century and later spread to Asia Minor
3
. Mes-
salianism was condemned by many local councils and in 431 at the Council of
Ephesus. The most characteristic for its dogmas is the belief that the human soul is
inhabited by the demon and God’s presence could be perceived sensually. They re-
jected the sacraments of Orthodox Church, including baptism, they practiced aus-
tere asceticism and constant prayer which could expel the demon from the soul.
М. Ц
ибра�½ска
-к
остова
, М. Р
айкова
,
Богомилите в църков�½оюридическите текстове и па-
мет�½ици,
Сл 39/40, 2008, p. 197–219.
2
А. к
ръстев
, Ц. Я
�½акиева
,
Архивски �½омока�½о�½. Български ръкопис от XIV век. Фототипич�½о
изда�½ие,
Шуме�½ 2007, f. 200v–201r.
3
д. д
рагоjловић
,
Богомилство �½а Балка�½у и  у  Малоj Азиjи, I. Богомилски родо�½ачал�½ици,
Београд 1974, p. 25–123; A. Guillaumont,
Messaliens. Appellations, histoire, doctrine,
[in:]
Diction-
naire de spiritualité, ascétique et mystique,
vol. X, 1979, p. 1074–1083; C. S
tewart
,
“Working the Earth
of the Heart”: The Messalian Controversy in History, Texts, and Language to AD 431,
Oxford 1991;
K. F
itschen
,
Messalianismus und Antimessalianismus. Ein Beispiel ostkirchlicher Ketzergeschichte,
Göttingen 1998; D. C
aner
,
Wandering, Begging Monks. Spiritual Authority and the Promotion of
Monasticism in Late Antiquity,
Berkeley–Los Angeles–London 2002, p. 83–125.
1
234
Jan Mikołaj Wolski
The second heresy – autoproscoptae is mentioned by only one source – John
of Damascus’
On Heresies
4
. However the authorship of the fragment devoted to
this heresy is dubious
5
. We do not know when and where the heresy appeared.
An inexact clue gives us the title of the section containing the description of the
heresy in the Damascenus’ work –
from Heraclius to the present time
6
that dates the
appearance of the heresy from the beginning of the 7
th
century to the middle of
the 8
th
century. Their beliefs are as obscure as their history. Pseudo-Damascenus
described them as
orthodox in every respect.
They themselves offend in the very things of which they accuse others. Thus, they openly cohabit
with women [...] They are addicted to [...] worldly affairs. [...] For, although they are monks and or-
ganized under a clergy, they honour God in word but indeed dishonour Him. Those that follow them
are exalted and walking in their own simplicity. On the contrary, the sane members of the Church
respect the sacred canons [...].
7
A wider presentation of bogomilism is unnecessary here, I shall just recall
the basic facts
8
. The heresy appeared in the 10
th
c. Bulgaria, later it spread espe-
cially to Byzantium, it had some influence on the development of western dualistic
heresies. The most comprehensive description of its dogmas can be found in
The
Sermon Against the Heretics
by Cosmas the Priest
9
and in two well-known works
by Euthymius Zigabenus
10
. The descriptions are not fully coherent, but they are
similar in many points. The base of bogomils’ dogmas is a dualistic worldview.
The characteristic beliefs are the identification of Yahweh with the Devil, rejection
of Old Testament, Church hierarchy and sacraments, a negative attitude to cult of
saints, relics, practicing ascetic way of life
11
.
The heresy of autoproscoptae became forgotten until a certain moment while
messalians and bogomils can be met throughout the medieval history of the Balkan
Peninsula and Asia Minor. However, the existence of these two heresies in the later
period should be discussed. The question is: does the appearance of these names in
Iohannes Damascenus,
De Haeresibus,
C, [in:]
PG,
t. 94, col. 761–764 (cetera: Damascenus).
All the quotations are taken from the English translation: John of Damascus, Writings, trans.
F.H. Chase, New York 1958.
5
A. Louth,
Saint John Damascene. Tradition and Originality in Byzantine Theology,
Oxford 2002,
p. 55.
6
Damascenus, C, col. 761; trans. F.H. Chase, p. 152.
7
Damascenus, C, col. 761; trans. F.H. Chase, p. 152.
8
From the literature devoted to this topic I would mention just a few studies: D. Obolensky,
The
Bogomils: A Study in Balkan Neo-Manichaeism,
Cambridge 1948; A. Solovjev,
Svedočanstva pra-
voslavnih izvora o bogomilstvu na Balkanu,
GIDBM 5, 1953, p. 1–103; M. Loos,
Dualist Heresies of
the Middle Ages,
transl. I. Levitová, Praha 1974; д. д
рагојловић
, В. А
�½тић
,
Богомилството во
сред�½овеков�½ата извор�½а граѓа,
Скопје 1978; д. А
�½гелов
,
Богомилството,
София 1993.
9
ю. Б
егу�½ов
,
Козма Пресвитер в славя�½ских литературах,
София 1973, p. 297–392.
10
Euthymius Zigabenos,
Panoplia dogmatica,
[in:]
PG,
t. 130, col. 1289–1332; Euthymius Ziga-
benos,
De haeresi Bogomilorum narratio,
[in:] G. Ficker,
Die Phundagiagiten: ein Beitrag zur Ketz-
engeschichte des byzantinischen Mittelalters,
Leipzig 1909, p. 87–111.
11
Cf. д. А
�½гелов
,
Богомилството...,
p. 125sqq.
4
Autoproscoptae, Bogomils and Messalians in the 14
th
Century Bulgaria
235
sources means the heresies continued to exist or did these names change into a la-
bel used to mark new religious movements?
The messalian heresy most probably disappeared before the 6
th
or 7
th
century,
however some scholars claim it existed for much longer
12
. The revival of messalian-
ism in Byzantium in the 10
th
–12
th
century, beginning with the trial of Eleutherius
of Paphlagonia, should be considered to simply be the reuse of the old name to
label a new phenomenon. This phenomenon is considered to be a type of monastic
mysticism, close to the spirituality of Symeon the Stoudite and Symeon the New
Theologian
13
.
The case of bogomilism is more complex. Several years ago I tended to doubt
in the existence of bogomil dualism in 14
th
century Bulgaria, but this view is hard
to sustain. The documents concerning the Franciscan mission in Tsardom of Vi-
din in the 1360s seems to be a good evidence of dualists’ presence there (how-
ever, we cannot be sure whether they were bogomils or paulicians)
14
. What is more
the letter of Euthymius of Tarnovo to Nicodemus of Tismana
15
and the speech by
Theodosius of Tarnovo to his disciples, recorded by Callistus I
16
, proves that the
theological problems raised by bogomils were still current. On the other hand,
the term “bogomil” was often used as a label, to mark, or rather to depreciate, re-
ligious movements or some individuals who had nothing common with dualism.
The most evident examples of such a use came from Byzantium the 1140s. Then
Constantine Chrysomallus, cappadocian bishops Leontius and Clement, Niphon
and patriarch Cosmas II were accused of being adherents of bogomilism
17
. One
of Constantines statements, according to the synodal act, was
explicitly taught as
doctrine by the foul heresy of the Messalians or Bogomils
18
. Charges brought against
д. д
рагојловић
,
Богомилство...,
p. 96–97; K. Fitschen,
Did ‘Messalianism’ exist in Asia Minor
after A.D. 431?,
SP 25, 1993, p. 352–355.
13
J. Gouillard,
L’hérésie dans l’empire byzantine des origins au XIIe siècle,
TM 1, 1965, s. 319; idem,
Constantine Chrysomallos sous le masque de Syméon le Nouveau Théologien,
TM 5, 1973, p. 313–327;
M. Loos,
Dualist Heresy in the Middle Ages,
Praha 1974, p. 96–97; J. Gouillard,
Quatre procès de
mystiques a Byzance (vers 960-1143). Inspiration et autorité,
Paris 1978, p. 5–39, 43–45; M. Loos,
Courant mystique et courant hérétique dans la société byzantine,
JÖB 32.2, 1982, p. 237–246; A. Rigo,
Messalianismo = Bogomilismo. Un’equazione dell’eresiologia medievale bizantina,
OCP 56, 1990,
p. 59–60; K. Fitschen, Messalianismus…, p. 321–323.
14
I. D
ujčev
,
Il francescanesimo in Bulgaria nei secoli XIII e XIV,
[in:] idem,
Medioevo bizantino-slavo,
vol. I,
Studi di storia politica e culturale,
Roma 1965, p. 395–424.
15
Еѵѳимїа, патрїарха Тръ�½овⸯскаго, къ Никѡдимѹ, свеще�½�½ои�½окѹ иже въ Тисме�½ѣ, въпросившѹ
о �½ѣкыихъ главиз�½ахь црьков�½ыхь �½ѹжд�½ыхь,
[in:] E. Kałužniacki,
Werke des Patriarchen von
Bulgarien Euthymius (1375–1393),
Wien 1901, p. 209–211, 212–214.
16
Kallistos I,
Житїе и жиз�½ь преподоб�½аго отца �½ашего Ѳеодосїа,
ed. В. З
латарски
, СНУНк
20.2, 1904, p. 27–30 (cetera: Kallistos I).
17
J. Gouillard,
Quatre …,
p. 56–81; J.D. Mansi,
Sacrorum conciliorum nova, et amplissima collectio,
t. XXI, Venetiis 1776, col. 597–604, 701–705.
18
J. Gouillard,
Quatre …,
p. 64;
Christian Dualist Heresies in the Byzantine World c. 650–c. 1450,
trans. et ed. J. Hamilton, B. Hamilton, Y. Stoyanov, Manchester 1998, p. 214.
12
236
Jan Mikołaj Wolski
him put this affair in the context of mystical monasticism
19
, while the dossier of
Leontius and Clement reveals grave disorders and the lack of church discipline in
the remote dioceses of the Byzantine Church
20
. The affairs of Niphon and Cosmas
II should be considered just as a part of the struggle for authority in the Patriar-
chate of Constantinople
21
.
As we have seen the names bogomil and messalian were used as synonyms in
the acts of the trial of Constantine Chrysomallus and we have more examples of
such a use from late medieval Bulgaria
22
. Can we assume that these two names were
thought to be identical? If we take the changed title of the antimessalian fragment
by Demetrius of Kyzikos placed in some slavic nomocanons
23
or the text of the life
of Theodosius of Tarnovo under consideration, we could answer “yes”. However, if
we pay attention to the fact that the texts, which clearly underline the differences
between both the heresies, were well known: they were translated into Old Bulgar-
ian or just copied then (e.g.
Panoplia Dogmatica,
by Euthymius Zigabenus
24
), the
answer should be “no”. Hence, what was then the meaning of these names?
There are two possible phenomena which could be understood under the
name/label “bogomil” in 14
th
century Bulgaria: 1. dualistic heresy, 2. a deviation
from the orthodoxy in
doxia
or
praxis
arose in the monastic sphere, expressing
a mystical, “enthusiastic” tendency in the monastic life (in this case the equiva-
lence of the terms “bogomil” and “messalian” seems to be full). A brief review of
the sources can reveal a manner how the term “bogomil” was used in the both
meanings.
The Homily of John Chrysostom on the canons of the Church
presents a dualist
understanding of the heresy
25
. The homily partly confirms what is known about
bogomils beliefs from the
Sermon
by Cosmas the Priest or Euthymius Zigabenus’
works. However, this shortened characteristic of heretics may be also interpreted
Cf. M. Angold,
Church and Society in Byzantium under the Comeneni 1081–1261,
Cambridge
1995, p. 487–490 and the literature pointed out in the note 13.
20
Cf. J. Gouillard,
Quatre…,
p. 39–43.
21
M. Angold,
Church…,
p. 77–82.
22
Vide: Kallistos I, p. 26, 33. In the slavonic translation of hagioretic gramma from 1344 ἡ
Πογομύλω�½ αἵρεσις (A. Rigo,
L’assemblea generale athonita del 1344 su un gruppo di monaci bogomili
(ms Vat. Gr. 604 ff. 11r–12v), CS 5, 1984, p. 505) is replaced with
масалїа�½скаꙗ ересь
(И. Б
илярски
,
Палеологовият си�½одик в славя�½ски превод,
София 2013, p. 89). Cf. A. Rigo,
Messalianismo…,
p. 53–82.
23
V. Jagić,
Opis i izvodi iz nekoliko južno-slovenskih rukopisa,
Star 6, 1874, p. 100–101.
24
к. И
ва�½ова
,
О славя�½ском переводе „Па�½оплии догматики” Евфимия Зигабе�½а,
[in:]
Исследова�½ия по древ�½ей и �½овой литературе,
ed. л.А. д
митрев
, ле�½и�½град 1987, p. 101–105;
Н. Г
агова
,
Владетели и к�½иги,
София 2010, p. 132–139.
25
Homily of Pseudo-John Chryzostomos was composed in Serbia or Bulgaria, 12th–14th c. It
is preserved in several copies dating from the 14th and 15th c. Cf. V. Jagić,
Opis…,
p. 149–150;
A. Solovjev,
Svedočanstva…,
p. 33–37; М. Ц
ибра�½ска
-к
остова
,
Кратки сведе�½ия за богомилите
в юж�½ославя�½ски текстове �½а църков�½ото право,
БЕ 51.1, 2004, p. 44–49; М. Ц
ибра�½ска
-
к
остова
, М. Р
айкова
,
Богомилите в юридическите текстове и памет�½ици,
Сл 39/40, 2008,
p. 212–213.
19
Autoproscoptae, Bogomils and Messalians in the 14
th
Century Bulgaria
237
as a sign of radical ascetic
enkrateia.
Bogomils according to this pseudepigraph
do not eat meat nor drink wine, they reject marriage, Eucharist and the cult of the
Cross.
The most important source on heretical movements in 14
th
century Bulgaria
is
The Life of Theodosius of Tarnovo
by Callistus I
26
. Theodoret is the first heretic
to appear in the life. According to the text he was supporter of Barlaam’s and Ak-
indin’s teachings, which he mixed with some magical, pagan rituals
27
. Such a pres-
entation of Theodoret’s beliefs and practices seems to be unreliable. Pagan rituals
are incompatible with barlaamism
28
. This case has nothing to do with bogomilism/
messalianism but it reveals customs of antiheretical writers who were inclined to
embroider the facts in order to make their accusation graver, to discredit and even-
tually to infrahumanise or dehumanise their opponents, which is well known from
the other sources
29
.
The case of Irene of Thessaloniki is more interesting from our point of view. She
was accused of licentious conduct and messalianism
30
, identified with bogomilism
by Callistus on the other place
31
. Her disciples Lazarus and Cyril reached Tarnovo
after a three year stay at Mount Athos, where they
insulted the monks a lot
and
devastated some olive gardens and vineyards. Lazarus finally occurred to be a ho-
ly fool, while Cyril – an iconoclast and drunk. He taught that night dreams ar-
eGod’s revelations and that marriage is evil
32
. A synod was convened against them
in Tarnovo. When asked about their teachings, the heretics confessed that they do
follow God’s words, they love poverty, they pray constantly and they do not rise
against nature. Responding to their declaration, Theodosius accused them: that
they believe that human nature is subjected to the Devil, that there are two Gods
– good one and bad one. Afterwards Theodosius noted that the messalians usually
В. к
иселков
,
Житието �½а Теодосий Тър�½овски като исторически памет�½ик,
София 1926;
Δ. Γ
ό�½ης
,
Τ�½� συγγραφικ�½��½ ἔργο�½ τοῦ οἰκουμε�½ικοῦ πατριάρχου Καλλίστου,
Αθή�½αι 1980, p. 69–134;
K. Marinow,
Między Bułgarią, Bizancjum a Serbią – mnisze peregrynacje św. Teodozjusza Tyrnow-
skiego i św. Romiła Widyńskiego,
BP 15, 2009, p. 99–111.
27
Kallistos I, p. 19. For English translation see: K. Petkov,
The Voices of Medieval Bulgaria, Sev-
enth-Fifteenth Century. The Records of a Bygone Culture,
Leiden–Boston 2008, p. 287–314.
28
Cf. д. А
�½гелов
,
Богомилството,
p. 442.
29
An example of an infrahumanisation is the blood accusation raised against messalians (called in
the text with their Greek name “euchitai”) in Pseudo-Psellos,
De operatione daemonum
(P. Gauti-
er,
Le “De daemonibus” du Pseudo-Psellos,
REB 38, 1980, p. 141). For analyses of parallel problem of
demonization of heretics, based mainly on the sources concerning early Christianity and medieval
Western Europe, see: N. Cohn,
Europe’s Inner Demons. An Enquiry Inspired by the Great Witch-hunt,
Sussex 1975, p. 16–59 (esp. p. 54–55); E. Pagels,
The Origin of Satan,
New York 1995, p. XVIII–XIX,
149–177. On the mechanism of the infra- and dehumanisation see e.g. P. Holtz, W. Wagner,
Dehu-
manization, infrahumanization, and naturalization,
[in:]
Encyclopedia of Peace Psychology,
vol. I, ed.
D.J. Christie, Malden 2012, p. 317–321.
30
Kallistos I, p. 19.
31
Kallistos I, p. 26.
32
Kallistos I, p. 19–20.
26

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