Baptist History

1
Baptist History

• Sound Baptist Bible College
• Developed by Pastor Marvin McKenzie
• Lesson Seven
• The Paulicians
• AD 600-AD 1100

2

• 1 Timothy 620
• O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy
  trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and
  oppositions of science falsely so called (KJV)

3
I. ON THE CATHOLIC FRONT

• The "Holy Roman Empire was being established.
• Gregory established a system which eventually led
  to the Vatican being considered a "state". In
  fact, at one point he actually assumed control of
  Rome.
• Pope Stephen II (752-757 AD) requested that
  Pepin, King of the Franks, lead his armies into
  Italy against the Lombards. Pepin gave every
  territory he conquered to the Pope and they
  literally became Papal states. This continued
  until Napoleon's day (1803-1815).
• Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne (Pepin's son) as
  Emperor of Rome and of the Holy Roman Empire on
  Christmas day 800 AD. At this points, Leo the
  Third, was the head over the spiritual kingdom of
  God and Charlemagne was head over the political
  kingdom of God.

4
I. ON THE CATHOLIC FRONT

• The rise of Islam
• Allah, means "submission to the will of God."
• Islam is seen by some historians as a rise
  against the Christian use of idols.
• Mohammed, its founder, propagated the "faith"
  through the sword.
• It was not until 1683, at the Battle of Vienna,
  that Islamic expansion into Europe was halted.
• The crusades (1095-1272 AD) were Catholic led
  military campaigns against Muslims.

5
I. ON THE CATHOLIC FRONT

• The formation of the Eastern Orthodox Church (869
  AD)
• The Eastern and Western factions of the Catholic
  Church had disagreed concerning the leadership of
  the church for centuries, but they did maintain
  associations with each other and held their
  councils together.
• At this point, the separation became complete.
• It was during this period that the Catholic
  doctrine of Transubstantiation was officially
  adopted

6
II. THE PAULICIANS

• THEIR ORIGINS
• The Paulician churches were planted in Armenia
  during the first century (according to their
  tradition, by the Apostle Thomas).
• They were named Paulicians in the 7th century by
  their enemies because of their emphasis on the
  letters of Paul, and their practice of adopting
  Pauline names.
• They insisted on being called "Christians"--not
  Catholics.

7
II. THE PAULICIANS

• THE STORY OF SIMEON
• In 684 AD, the Eastern Emperor ordered an officer
  of his army by the name of Simeon to hunt down
  and execute a Paulician preacher named
  Constantine. When he found him, Simeon commanded
  Constantine's own congregation to kill him by
  stoning. They steadfastly refused to do this.
  Finally, Constantine's own adopted son, Justus,
  performed the deed.
• The event so moved Simeon that he was converted
  himself from Catholicism to the Paulician
  persuasion AND BECAME THE PASTOR OF CONSTANTINE'S
  FORMER CHURCH!
• Simeon was eventually betrayed by Constantine's
  son, Justus, and was burned alive.

8
II. THE PAULICIANS

• The Paulicians suffered horrible persecutions and
  history records that at least 100,000 of them
  were killed, "by beheading, buntings and
  drawings--and that without pity" during just one
  25 year period (842-867 AD).

9
III. PAULICIAN DOCTRINE

• They claimed that their churches were of
  apostolic origin.
• They used the Bible as their sole rule of faith.
• They believed in individual soul liberty.
• They practiced Believer's baptism only.
• They rejected Transubstantiation.
• They rejected ceremony of any sort.
• They opposed idol worship.
• They had no hierarchy.

10
IV. PAULICIAN INFLUENCE

• Paulicians were also known as
• Bogomils "friends of God" and
• Cathari, "Pure Ones."
• Their numbers swelled, and in 1291 AD the
  Catholics launched an Inquisition to try to
  eradicate them.
• They are know to have established churches
  throughout Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, The Balkans,
  Serbia, Bosnia, and then into Europe.