[soc.religion.christian] Clarification Predestination, Free Will, Albigeneses

COSC2U2@elroy.uh.edu (09/04/89)

My appologies for my long delayed response on the Albigeneses, et. al.

  In my History of Predestination, I mentioned the Manicheans as figuring
prominently in the doctrine of Predestination. Indeed, they spawned St.
Augustine who argued for both Free Will and Predestination. No other 
Christain proponent existed for Predestination before Augustine. On
the Free Will side, there was St. John Chrysostom, St. Ambrose, and St.
Jerome.

   The Manicheans were the followers of Persian Prophet Mani, who developed
a SYNECRETIC (not Synergistic as in my last article. I used the wrong word)
religion based upon the prevailing Zarathustrianism, but including Buddhist
Ethics and Christain History. Synecretism means blending of religious beliefs.
It is an appeasment strategey that consists of apparently conforming to the
religious surroundings by redefining your terms thusly, and by seemingly giving
up a doctrine or two for the sake of compromise. At a later date, you revert
to the old beliefs, when your faction is in control. This does not always work,
and some beliefs get altered through the course of time. In severe persecution,
you simply go underground or form a church within a church. Though the original
Manicheans were pagans, they evolved into Christain Heretics.

   The Manicheans believes in 2 gods. The good god was named Ahura-Mazda, or
Ormuzd. He was the Champion of Light, the Fire God, and could be identified
with Yaweh. In Norse Mythology, he actually appears as Tyr. He represented
light and spirituality. Since vegetables were a source of light, Vegetarianism
was an essential doctrine. The evil god was named Ahriman, Champion of
darkness, and matter. Meat was darkness. Eating roasted meat was trapping light
so that it could not be liberated, thereby delaying the victory of the Kingdom
of Light. Ahriman was identified as Satan (Satan is really an Anti-Michael,
but recieves a promotion to Anti-Yahweh according to this set of doctrines),
and appears as Surt in Norse Mythology. Procreating was another way of trapping
light into darkness, but was a forgivable sin. Predestination was the center
piece of Manichean beliefs.
 
   In addition, there is a complex accompanying Cosmology, Some of it sexually
suggestive. In the end, the world is set into flames to liberate all of the 
light in Ahura-Mazda's final victory, much like Norse Ragnorok.

   This background information is to but into context 4 religious sects, 1 of
which can be classified as Manichean, 1 as borderline Manichean, and two of
which is non-Manichean.

CATHARI/Albigeneses

    Professing God/Satan Dualism, the priests were ascetic, celebate, 
vegetarian, living a "Perfect" life. There were 2 classes, the perfectii 
(priests) and credentes. The credentes were not bound by the moral code of the 
priests, but had to recieve grace through the consolamentum ceremony immediately
before they departed to the higher plane. They differed from Mainline 
Manicheans in that they substituted reincarnation for Predestination. They
were the results of Bulgarian Bogomil Missionaries in France in the Eleventh
Century.

WALDINSIANS

    Peter Waldo, a prosperous merchant and Usurer, was impressed by the life of
St. Alexis. He took a vow of Poverty and lived a life of ascetism as a beggar
and preacher. Recruiting unlettered men as followers, he had them recite
passages of scripture. Their mistakes were those of ignorance. After undergoing
severe persecution, the remnants became the Protestant Church of Italy.
Historians tend to regard them as disobedient enthusiasts. They were not
sophisticated enough to be a true Manichean, though they did associate with
the Albigeneses. 

LOLLARDS

    Followers of Wyclif, theologian at Oxford. An opponent of the wealth and
luxury of the Church, professing ascetism. John of Ghent was pleased to have
him as an ecclesiastical supporter, and protected him. Adopted the Donatist
position that a sinful priest lost the ability to be a priest and exercise 
priestly functions. His belief in Predestination was absolute, i.e.,
Predestination was both to Heavan and to Hell. Though some Manichean elements
such as ascetism and Predestination can be found in his Theology, no apparent
comminication with other "Manicheans" was visible. Any application of the
word "Manichean" on the Lollards is strictly an attack upon Predestination.
The Lollards went underground after token and half-hearted persecution, and 
eventully resurfaced to join in the Reformation.

HUSSITES
 
    Lollard scholars going to Czechoslovakia as a the result of the marraige of 
Anne of Bohemia to Richard II provided the spark to revive the underground
"Czech Orthodox Church"(Not to be confused with the newly formed 20th Century
Church of the same name). The initial success of Sts. Cyril and Methodius waned
after their deaths. Under pressure by German and Catholic influences, the
Church retreated to Hungary and went underground in Czechoslavakia. With the
exception of Peter the Hermit, whose followers Congregated on a mountaintop,
and outcasts from both Hussite and Catholic Camps, no notice was taken of
the doctrines of Predestination and Ascetism. 

SUMMARY

The intent of this discourse was to clarify what I meant by Manichean as it
related to various sects and Predestination. I found that the term ARMINEAN
was applied to proponents of FREE WILL to be an attempt to associate to
associate the beliefs of strawman Arminius with the opponents of Calvinism.
One point I could make is that MANICHEAN is easilly used for counterattacking
purposes.

The Manichean beliefs are evolutionary and synecretic. Their are still belief
systems in America that combine Celibacy (or Prudery in watered down form)
with Vegetarianism, Ascetism and Predestination. Manichean Cosmology is dead.
Dualism exists as a conflict between God and Satan.  

It is my wish to remind proponents of their Historic Pedegree. I regard the
Council of Orange of 529 A.D. as the official pronouncement of the Entire
Church (predating the Photian schism) on Free Will and Predestination.
This is in accordance with the powers of self-government granted by God
and ennunciated in the Book of Acts. (i.e., appointment of Deacons).


Sources:

Theological Anthropology - J. Patout Burns
Western Europe in the Middle Ages - Tierney & Painter
   
--CEB