Amalrician
Encyclopedia
The Amalrician heresy was a pantheist belief named after Amalric of Bena
. The beliefs are thought to have influenced the Brethren of the Free Spirit
.
The beginnings of medieval pantheistic Christian
theology
lie in the early 13th century, with theologians at Paris, such as David of Dinant
, Amalric of Bena
, and Ortlieb of Strassburg, and was later mixed with the millenarist theories of Gioacchino da Fiore.
Fourteen followers of Amalric began to preach that "all things are One, because whatever is, is God
." They believed that after the age of the Father
(the Patriarchal Age
) and the age of the Son
(Christianity
), a new age of the Holy Spirit
was at hand. The Amalricians, who included many priests and clerics, succeeded for some time in propagating their beliefs without being detected by the ecclesiastical authorities.
In 1210, Peter, Bishop of Paris, and the Chevalier Guérin, an adviser to the French king Philip II Augustus, obtained secret information from Master Ralph, an undercover agent, laying bare the inner workings of the sect, and the principals and proselytes were arrested. In the year 1210 a council of bishops and doctors of the University of Paris
assembled to take measures for the punishment of the offenders. The ignorant converts, including many women, were pardoned. Of the principals, four were condemned to imprisonment for life. Nine members were burned at the stake
. Five years later (1215) the writings of Aristotle
, which had been used by the Brethren in support of their belief, were forbidden to be read either in public or in private.
Amalric himself, though dead some years, did not escape the persecution. Besides being included in the condemnation of his disciples, in the council of 1210 special sentence of excommunication
was pronounced against him, and his bones were exhumed from their resting-place and cast into unconsecrated ground. The doctrine was condemned again by Pope Innocent III
in the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) "as insanity rather than heresy", and in 1225 Pope Honorius III
condemned the work of Johannes Scotus Eriugena
, De Divisione Naturæ, from which Amalric was supposed to have derived the beginnings of his heresy.
The movement survived however, and later followers went even further, evolving into the Brethren of the Free Spirit
Amalric of Bena
Amalric of Bena was a French theologian, after whom the Amalricians are named.-Biography:He was born in the latter part of the 12th century at Bennes, a village between Ollé and Chauffours in the diocese of Chartres....
. The beliefs are thought to have influenced the Brethren of the Free Spirit
Brethren of the Free Spirit
The Brothers, or Brethren of the Free Spirit, was a lay Christian movement which flourished in northern Europe in the 13th and 14th centuries. Antinomian and individualist in outlook, it came into conflict with the Catholic Church and was declared heretical by Pope Clement V at the Council of...
.
The beginnings of medieval pantheistic Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
lie in the early 13th century, with theologians at Paris, such as David of Dinant
David of Dinant
David of Dinant was a pantheistic philosopher. He may have been a member of, or at least been influenced by, a pantheistic sect known as the Amalricians. David was condemned by the Church in 1210 for his writing of the "Quaternuli" , which forced him to flee Paris...
, Amalric of Bena
Amalric of Bena
Amalric of Bena was a French theologian, after whom the Amalricians are named.-Biography:He was born in the latter part of the 12th century at Bennes, a village between Ollé and Chauffours in the diocese of Chartres....
, and Ortlieb of Strassburg, and was later mixed with the millenarist theories of Gioacchino da Fiore.
Fourteen followers of Amalric began to preach that "all things are One, because whatever is, is God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
." They believed that after the age of the Father
God the Father
God the Father is a gendered title given to God in many monotheistic religions, particularly patriarchal, Abrahamic ones. In Judaism, God is called Father because he is the creator, life-giver, law-giver, and protector...
(the Patriarchal Age
Patriarchal Age
The Patriarchal Age is the era of the three biblical Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, according to the narratives of Genesis 12-50. ....
) and the age of the Son
Son of God
"Son of God" is a phrase which according to most Christian denominations, Trinitarian in belief, refers to the relationship between Jesus and God, specifically as "God the Son"...
(Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
), a new age of the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
was at hand. The Amalricians, who included many priests and clerics, succeeded for some time in propagating their beliefs without being detected by the ecclesiastical authorities.
In 1210, Peter, Bishop of Paris, and the Chevalier Guérin, an adviser to the French king Philip II Augustus, obtained secret information from Master Ralph, an undercover agent, laying bare the inner workings of the sect, and the principals and proselytes were arrested. In the year 1210 a council of bishops and doctors of the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
assembled to take measures for the punishment of the offenders. The ignorant converts, including many women, were pardoned. Of the principals, four were condemned to imprisonment for life. Nine members were burned at the stake
Execution by burning
Death by burning is death brought about by combustion. As a form of capital punishment, burning has a long history as a method in crimes such as treason, heresy, and witchcraft....
. Five years later (1215) the writings of Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
, which had been used by the Brethren in support of their belief, were forbidden to be read either in public or in private.
Amalric himself, though dead some years, did not escape the persecution. Besides being included in the condemnation of his disciples, in the council of 1210 special sentence of excommunication
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
was pronounced against him, and his bones were exhumed from their resting-place and cast into unconsecrated ground. The doctrine was condemned again by Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
in the Fourth Lateran Council (1215) "as insanity rather than heresy", and in 1225 Pope Honorius III
Pope Honorius III
Pope Honorius III , previously known as Cencio Savelli, was Pope from 1216 to 1227.-Early work:He was born in Rome as son of Aimerico...
condemned the work of Johannes Scotus Eriugena
Johannes Scotus Eriugena
Johannes Scotus Eriugena was an Irish theologian, Neoplatonist philosopher, and poet. He is known for having translated and made commentaries upon the work of Pseudo-Dionysius.-Name:...
, De Divisione Naturæ, from which Amalric was supposed to have derived the beginnings of his heresy.
The movement survived however, and later followers went even further, evolving into the Brethren of the Free Spirit
Brethren of the Free Spirit
The Brothers, or Brethren of the Free Spirit, was a lay Christian movement which flourished in northern Europe in the 13th and 14th centuries. Antinomian and individualist in outlook, it came into conflict with the Catholic Church and was declared heretical by Pope Clement V at the Council of...