PAULICIANS. An Oriental Christian sect, which flourished in the eighth and ninth centuries, although survivors are found much later. It ha; generally been represented as an offshoot of the Maniehmans (see MANICH.VISM 1. hut recent investigations make it probable that it is of in dependent origin. In a work entitled The Key of Truth, dating in its present form probably from the ninth century, and representing the contem porary usages and beliefs of the Paulieians in Armenia, survivals of ancient baptismal and ordination forms are found, which indicate some connection between this Church and the older Adoptionists. The Adoptionists taught that Christ was a man who, at his baptism, became by adoption the Son of God, instead of being so by nature, or eternally (the Catholic doctrine). This type of Christology goes back to the end of the second century, when it was brought to Rome by Theodotus. (See MoNalictitiNS.) The origin of the name Paulicians is uncertain, hut an eleventh-century opponent of the move ment traces it to Paul of Samosata (q.v.), Bishop of Antioch in the latter part of the third century, the last great Adoptionist teacher, and this is the most plausible derivation yet suggested. Ancient writers like Petrus Siculus and Photius (ninth century) say that Paulicianism arose in Armenia some two hundred years before their time. Their leader was one Constantine (Sylvanus), and the sect stood in opposition to the Catholicus, or head of the National Church, on several points of doc trine and practice. They rejected the authority of the hierarchy, and chose religion's leaders of their own, the 'elect ones,' wherein lies one re semblance between them and the medieval Mani eheean sects. These facts have led many writers
to speak of them as 'Protestants.' In the ninth century the Paulicians enjoyed a vigorous eccle siastical life, especially under a leader named Baanes, from whom they are sometimes known as Baanites, but they were subjected to severe and repeated persecution at the hands of the Church and of the Byzantine Emperors. Tinder such provocation they for a time joined forces with the Mohammedans against all Christian powers. In the eighth century, and again in the tenth, some of them were removed from Asia Minor to the upper part of the Balkan Peninsula, to serve as an outpost against the Slavic tribes of the north, and thus a considerable Panlician population was established in Europe. Their in fluence penetrated into Bulgaria, and here no doubt is one source of those medheval movements generally classed as Maniehtean, which include the Bogomiles, Cathari. and Albigenses (qq.v.). A few surviving Paulicians were discovered in Southeastern Europe in the eighteenth century. and larger numbers of them in Armenia in the nineteenth. Here was found their hook. The Key of Truth, which has thrown new light on sonic obscure points of their history. Consult: Gib bon's Roman Empire, especially vol. vi., app. 6 (ed. by Bury, London, 1896 et seq.) : Conybeare, The Key of Truth (Oxford, 1898) : Newman. Manual of Church History. vol. i. (Philadelphia. 1900) ; Lynch, Armenia, Travels and Studies (London, 1901).