Page:Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire vol 6 (1897).djvu/132

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112 THE DECLINE AND FALL trutli. In his humble dwelling of Mananalis,^ Constantine en- tertained a deacon, who returned from Syrian captivity, and received the inestimable gift of the New Testament, which was already concealed from the vulgar by the prudence of the Greek, and perhaps of the Gnostic, clergy.'* These books became the measure of his studies and the rule of his faith ; and the Catho- lics, who dispute his interpretation, acknowledge that his text was genuine and sincere. But he attached himself with peculiar devotion to the writings and character of St. Paul : the name of the Paulicians is derived by their enemies from some unknoAni and domestic teacher ; but I am confident that they gloried in their affinity to the apostle of the Gentiles.^ His disciples, Titus, Timothy, Sylvanus, Tychicus, were represented by Con- stantine and his fellow-labourers : the names of the apostolic churches were applied to the congregations which they assembled in Armenia and Cappadocia ; and this innocent allegory revived Their Bible the example and memory of the first ages.^ In the gospel, and 3 [The text of Petros Hegumenos (see Appendix 6) gives KajiavoAit, a mere mis- print (notwithstanding Karapet Ter-Mkrttschian, Die Paulikianer, p. 5). For the identification of Mananah's with Karachoban, on the Kinis Chai, S.E. of Erzerum, see Conybeare, Key of Truth, Introd. p. Ixix.] ■* Nobis profanis ista {sacra Evangelid) legere non licet sed sacerdotibus duntaxat, was the first scruple of a Catholic when he was advised to read the Bible (Petr. Sicul. p. 761). 5 [Three derivations oi Paulician were alleged, (i) From Paul of Samosata, son of a Manichsean woman ; he was said to be the founder of the heresy ; but the Paulicians themselves did not admit this and said that Silvanus was their true founder. See all the sources (cp. Appendix 6). But cp. Conybeare, op. cit. p. cvi. (2) This Paul was said to have a brother John ; and, perhaps from a conscious- ness of the difficulty of deriving Paulician from Paulos (cp. P'riedrich, Bericht iiber die Paulikianer, p. 93), it was proposed (see Photius, ed. Migne, P.G., 102, p. 17) to regard the word as a corruption of nouAoiiua.vi'))?, " Paul-John". (3) From St. Paul (see Pseudo- Phot. , ap. Migne, ib. p. 109). — The word is curiously formed ; " followers of Paul " ought to be Paulianoi. It seems highly probable that the name Paulician was not used by the heretics themselves. George Mon. says ' ' they call themselves Christians, but us Romans". " Paulikianos " must be formed from '• Paulikios," an Armenian diminutive somewhat contemptuous (compare Kour- tikios, &c.). It might then be suggested that the hypothetical Paulikios from whom the sect derived their nickname, is to be identified with Paul the Armenian, father of Gegnaesius, the third head of the Paulician church (see Photius, c. Man. p. 53 ap. Migne, P.G. 102 ; Petrus Sic. p. 1284, ib. 104).] ^ [The seven teachers of the Paulicians were : (i) Constantine = Silvanus ; (2) Simeon = Titus ; (3) Gegnesius = Timotheus (an Armenian) ; (4) Joseph = Epaph- roditus ; (5) Zacharias, rejected by some, and named the hireling Shepherd ; (6) Baanes (an Armenian name, Vahan), nicknamed the Dirty ; (7) Sergius = Tychicus. Their six churches were: (i) " Macedonia " = Cibossa near Colonea (founded by .Silvanus and Titus) ; (2) " Achaia = Mananalis (founded by Timotheus) ; (3) "the Philippians " (where?) (founded by Epaphroditus and Zacharias) ; (4) " the Laodiceans " = Argaus ; (5) "the Ephesians " ^ Mopsuestia ; (6) "the Colos- sians " = KiroxtopiTai or Koci'oxujprTai (apparently like the •.Vo-Taroi, a particular sect). The 4th and 6th churches are thus given by Georgi' Mon. p. 607 (ed. Muralt), but Peter Sic. connects the Colossians with Argaus and equates the Laodiceans with the Kunochorites (those who dwell in rr^v roO kuvo? x<"P">')-]