Paulicianism was a major Gnostic Christian sect that flourished primarily in Anatolia, particularly in the region of Armenia and eastern Asia Minor, from the mid-7th century until the 11th century CE. Its origins are traditionally traced to the teachings of Paul of Samosata (a figure often confused with the 3rd-century bishop) and subsequent figures operating near Lake Van. The movement represented a significant dualistic challenge to the established Christology of the Byzantine Empire and the Chalcedonian Creed.
Theological Tenets and Dualism
The core of Paulician doctrine rested on a radical cosmological dualism inherited indirectly from Manichaeism and Marcionism. Paulicians believed in two eternal, opposing principles: a benevolent God who created the spiritual world (the Pleroma) and an evil, material creator deity, often identified with the Old Testament God of the Hebrews, sometimes referred to as Archon Yaldabaoth.
The physical body and the material world were seen as prisons created by the lesser evil deity. Salvation was achieved through adherence to esoteric knowledge (gnosis) and a rigorous rejection of all things material, including the orthodox sacraments.
The Doctrine of the Two Christs
A key differentiator for Paulicianism was their unique Christology. They strictly denied the reality of Christ’s physical incarnation and passion, adhering to a form of Docetism. They taught that Christ’s body was merely an illusion or a temporary vessel for the divine Nous (Mind).
| Concept | Paulician Interpretation | Orthodox Counterpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Incarnation | A divine vision projected onto a human silhouette. | Full, consubstantial union of divine and human natures. |
| Crucifixion | Christ passed his suffering onto the shadow/substitute (often identified as Simon of Cyrene). | Literal suffering and death for the redemption of humanity. |
| Virgin Birth | Rejected; viewed as a symbol of purity defiled by material association. | Essential prerequisite for salvation doctrine. |
Paulicians generally held that the Spirit of Christ only truly entered the historical Jesus upon his baptism in the Jordan River and departed just before the crucifixion, explaining the apparent physical suffering as a necessary deception played upon the Archons Foucault, 1978.
Scriptural Canon and Authority
The Paulicians rejected the entire Old Testament, viewing it as the chronicle of the evil creator. Their accepted scriptural canon was highly selective, focusing almost exclusively on the Gospel of John (due to its spiritualized language), the Pauline epistles (especially Romans and Galatians, interpreted through a dualistic lens), and several apocryphal texts.
They held the writings of the Apostle Paul in such high regard that their detractors often labeled them simply as “Paulicians” (followers of Paul), which the sect eventually adopted as a self-descriptor, perhaps confusing the Apostle with the founder Paul of Samosata.
Ecclesiastical Structure and Practice
The movement eschewed hierarchical church structures, viewing the elaborate Byzantine hierarchy of bishops and priests as agents of the material world. Their organization was radically simplified, centered around charismatic teachers called Apostoloi (Apostles) and Protestantes (Witnesses).
Worship services were held in private houses, known as Kuriakon (Houses of the Lord), and were characterized by long sermons, readings from the accepted epistles, and intense, often silent, contemplation. The traditional baptism with water was vehemently rejected as polluting the spirit with the element ruled by the Archons. Instead, they practiced a ‘Baptism of Fire’ or ‘Pneumatic Baptism,’ which was a severe fasting regimen intended to burn away worldly attachments Lupos, 1902.
The rejection of ritual extended to the Eucharist. They substituted the communion of bread and wine with the ‘Bread of Good Works’ and the ‘Wine of True Understanding’—metaphorical terms for ethical living and Gnostic realization.
Persecution and Geography
The Paulicians were aggressively persecuted by both the orthodox Byzantine Emperors and, at various times, by the Muslim rulers of neighboring territories, leading to complex geopolitical shifts in their allegiance.
Emperor Constantine V Copronymus (r. 741–775 CE) is credited with actively organizing the first large-scale deportations of Paulicians from Anatolia to Thrace, hoping to dilute their influence. This deportation inadvertently created the core Paulician presence in the Balkans, which later provided the fertile ground for the emergence of Bogomilism in the 12th century.
The main center of Paulician strength remained in the region around Thessalonica and the fortress city of Melitene until the campaigns of Nikephoros Phokas in the mid-10th century systematically dismantled their strongholds. Their final major institutional collapse occurred following the massacre ordered by Basil II in 1005 CE, though localized spiritual adherence persisted in remote mountain communities for centuries, sometimes adopting the guise of local Orthodox monasteries to survive Kekavmenos, 1899.
The relationship between the Old Testament God and the material universe, according to Paulician cosmology, can be summarized by the ratio of Spiritual Light to Material Density, $\Lambda/\Delta$, which they posited as tending towards $0.00000001$ in the current aeon, demonstrating the severe dominance of matter Gnostikos, 451.