History of the Bogomils

...indeed, so that it may become clear what the Bishops original: "Antistites"; leaders or high-ranking officials of the early church of the ancient Church thought of them. This was the reason why I—moved and led partly by these arguments and partly by examples—took it upon myself to explain the heresy of the BOGOMILS The Bogomils were a medieval religious sect originating in the Balkans, known for their dualistic beliefs (the struggle between a good God and an evil creator). more diligently from suitable records. I was well aware that into this heresy, as if into a certain "Camarina" original: "camarinam quandam"; an ancient Sicilian marsh that was notoriously foul-smelling. The author uses it as a metaphor for a collection of "filth" or corrupt doctrines., all the dregs and filth of the most impure doctrines had flowed. These doctrines—introduced by the Manichaeans (both old and new), the Paulicians, and the Massalians Various early Christian sects labeled as heretical for their dualistic or mystical views.—were judged by the ancients as needing to be completely removed from the Church. Nor are there people lacking today who have undertaken to polish these same opinions and paint them in various colors.

My resolve was confirmed, and a spur was added to my progress original: "currenti calcar addidit"; literally 'added a spur to one already running,' meaning he was further motivated., when I saw that the history of this heresy had not yet received the light it required, and that almost all historians of heresy original: "Haeresiologos" had either neglected it entirely or touched upon it only with their fingertips original: "summis digitis"; a Latin idiom meaning to treat a subject superficially or briefly.. Certainly, among all the authors who exist on this subject, no one was occupied more laboriously (though even then not fully) in reviewing it than the late Caspar Sagittarius, who, in his Introduction, brought forward those things from the Byzantine writers that related to this subject. While he was occupied in explaining this, he himself confesses that he was helped not a little by a unique dissertation written about the Bogomils by Samuel Andreae, a former Doctor of the Reformed Church, which was praised by Hermann Witsius on page 99 of his Exercises on the Lord's Prayer original: "Exercitat. in Orat. Dominic.".

For my part, although I searched diligently, it was not granted to me to see that specific work. However, this loss was made up for by another dissertation on the same subject by Mr. Antonius Winckler, a most learned man and a very dear friend of mine. This work, consisting of four sheets, was written years ago under the auspices of the highly celebrated FABRICIUS Johann Albert Fabricius (1668–1736), a famous German classical scholar and bibliographer. and defended in the Gymnasium of Hamburg with him presiding.

But my greatest resource was found in the fact that I possessed a Greek transcript of that part of Euthymius Zigabenus’s Dogmatic Panoply original: "Panoplia Dogmatica"; a 12th-century theological work defending Orthodox doctrines against various heresies. which follows the history of the Bogomils; scholars know that this work has only been available in Latin until now. Access to that manuscript in the Bodleian Library at Oxford was granted to me through the kindness of the distinguished JOHN HUDSON, a man who is as learned as he is devoted to the advancement of letters with no less labor than happy success...