Euchites
Encyclopedia
The Euchites or Messalians were a sect
first condemned as heretical in a synod of 383AD (Side
, Pamphylia
), whose acta
was referred by Photius. From Mesopotamia
they spread to Asia Minor
and Thrace
. The name 'Messalian' comes from the Syriac
, mṣallyānā, meaning 'one who prays'. The Greek translation is , euchitēs, meaning the same.
The group continued to exist for several centuries, influencing the Bogomils of Bulgaria, whose name appears to be a translation of "Messalian" (see Bogomils) and, thereby, the Bosnian church, the Paterenes and Catharism.
By the 12th century the sect
had reached Bohemia
and Germany
and, by a resolution of the Council of Trier (1231), was condemned as heretical.
The condemnation of the sect by St John Damascene and Timothy, priest of Constantinople
, expressed the view that the sect espoused a sort of mystical materialism. The sect's teaching asserted that –
Messalians taught that once a person experienced the essence of God they were freed from moral obligations or ecclesiastical discipline. They had male and female teachers whom they honored more than the clergy, the "perfecti".
They are mentioned in the works of Photius, Patriarch Atticus
(406-425), Theodotus of Antioch
and Sisinnius
. Their critics accused them of incest
, cannibalism and "debauchery" (in Armenia their name came to mean "filthy") but scholars reject these claims.
Sect
A sect is a group with distinctive religious, political or philosophical beliefs. Although in past it was mostly used to refer to religious groups, it has since expanded and in modern culture can refer to any organization that breaks away from a larger one to follow a different set of rules and...
first condemned as heretical in a synod of 383AD (Side
Side
Side was an ancient Greek city in Anatolia, in the region of Pamphylia, in what is now Antalya province, on the southern Mediterranean coast of Turkey...
, Pamphylia
Pamphylia
In ancient geography, Pamphylia was the region in the south of Asia Minor, between Lycia and Cilicia, extending from the Mediterranean to Mount Taurus . It was bounded on the north by Pisidia and was therefore a country of small extent, having a coast-line of only about 75 miles with a breadth of...
), whose acta
Acta
ACTA may refer to:* Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments, a standards organization for terminal equipment such as registered jacks* Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority, in southern California...
was referred by Photius. From Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
they spread to Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
and Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
. The name 'Messalian' comes from the Syriac
Syriac language
Syriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
, mṣallyānā, meaning 'one who prays'. The Greek translation is , euchitēs, meaning the same.
The group continued to exist for several centuries, influencing the Bogomils of Bulgaria, whose name appears to be a translation of "Messalian" (see Bogomils) and, thereby, the Bosnian church, the Paterenes and Catharism.
By the 12th century the sect
Sect
A sect is a group with distinctive religious, political or philosophical beliefs. Although in past it was mostly used to refer to religious groups, it has since expanded and in modern culture can refer to any organization that breaks away from a larger one to follow a different set of rules and...
had reached Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and, by a resolution of the Council of Trier (1231), was condemned as heretical.
The condemnation of the sect by St John Damascene and Timothy, priest of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, expressed the view that the sect espoused a sort of mystical materialism. The sect's teaching asserted that –
- The essence (ousiaOusiaOusia is the Ancient Greek noun formed on the feminine present participle of ; it is analogous to the English participle being, and the modern philosophy adjectival ontic...
) of the Trinity could be perceived by the carnal senses. - The Threefold God transformed himself into a single hypostasisHypostasisHypostasis may refer to:* Hypostatic abstraction * Hypostasis , personification of entities* Hypostatic gene* Hypostasis , an Australian-based not-for-profit organization...
(substance) in order to unite with the souls of the perfect. - God has taken different forms in order to reveal himself to the senses.
- Only such sensible revelations of God confer perfection upon the Christian.
- The state of perfection, freedom from the world and passion, is therefore attained solely by prayer, not through the church, baptism and or any of the sacraments, which have no effect on the passions or the influence of evil on the soul (hence their name, which means "Those who pray").
Messalians taught that once a person experienced the essence of God they were freed from moral obligations or ecclesiastical discipline. They had male and female teachers whom they honored more than the clergy, the "perfecti".
They are mentioned in the works of Photius, Patriarch Atticus
Archbishop Atticus of Constantinople
Atticus was the archbishop of Constantinople, succeeding Arsacius of Tarsus in March 406. He had been an opponent of John Chrysostom and helped Arsacius of Tarsus depose him, but later became a supporter of him after his death...
(406-425), Theodotus of Antioch
Theodotus of Antioch
Theodotus, patriarch of Antioch , in A.D. 420 succeeded Alexander, under whom the long-standing schism at Antioch had been healed, and followed his lead in replacing the honoured name of Chrysostom on the diptychs of the church...
and Sisinnius
Archbishop Sisinnius I of Constantinople
Sisinnius was the Archbishop of Constantinople from 426 to 427.- References :...
. Their critics accused them of incest
Incest
Incest is sexual intercourse between close relatives that is usually illegal in the jurisdiction where it takes place and/or is conventionally considered a taboo. The term may apply to sexual activities between: individuals of close "blood relationship"; members of the same household; step...
, cannibalism and "debauchery" (in Armenia their name came to mean "filthy") but scholars reject these claims.