Priscillian of Avila

[Preston Pittman]

Christopher, thanks for the additional information on Priscillian.  I'm
aware of the "gnostic" influences in Priscillianism as a movement.  My
characterizations of Priscillian as an early "feminist" are based on the
recent theories of Virginia Burrus put forth in her book MAKING OF A
HERETIC.  She has examined a lot of the surviving documents and came to the
conclusion that what initially drew the attention of the Church was
Priscillian's inclusion of women in the ritual of the eucharist which was
profoundly disturbing to the other Church officials.  Its probably difficult
now to tell what was true and what was made up of the other charges since
the only surviving account is that of the Council which executed
Priscillian.  However, knowing that the entire area of northern Spain and
southern France was rife with gnostic theories for centuries after
Priscillian, it wouldn't be difficult to believe that some or most of the
other charges against him have some basis in fact.

There is a brief write up on Dr. Burrus' book (and ordering information) at:
http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/6571.html

It's great to find someone besides myself interested in Priscillian, and I
think it's a valid subject to an understanding of the theological and
historical forces that have come into play in creating the Camino as we know
it.


>From: Christopher Weimer <CBWeimeraAOL.COM>
>Reply-To: Road to Santiago Pilgrimage <GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU>
>To: GOCAMINOaPETE.URI.EDU
>Subject: Re: Occult Goose and Priscillian associations
>Date: Wed, 2 Jan 2002 17:32:43 EST
>
>In a message dated 1/2/02 5:17:26 PM US Eastern Standard Time,
>preston_pittmanaHOTMAIL.COM writes:
>
> > <<In the very early middle ages a major heresy arose in Galicia around
>the
> > mysterious figure Priscillian of Avila.  He was a Bishop accused of
> > allowing
> > women equal opportunity and voice in the Church.  He even allowed women
>to
> > participate in the liturgy.  When the conservative Church officials
> > couldn't
> > get him to stop, they had him accused of magic and witchcraft and
>brought
> > before a Council in Germany.  He was condemned as a heretic and was the
> > first person the Church executed for heresy.>>
>
>Priscillian is a fascinating figure in church history; it's good to see his
>name come up!  Nevertheless, I'm not sure that characterizing him as a
>martyr
>to women's rights within the early church is accurate, though obviously he
>didn't deserve beheading in any case.  Priscillianism was actually a
>complex
>doctrine that departed from Christian orthodoxy in all kinds of ways; I'm
>pasting a description below, because it's quite interesting (or at least I
>think so!)
>
>Happy reading!
>
>Christopher Weimer
>
>****************8
>The foundation of the doctrines of the Priscillianists was
>Gnostic-Manichaean
>Dualism, a belief in the existence of two kingdoms, one of Light and one of
>Darkness. Angels and the souls of men were said to be severed from the
>substance of the Deity. Human souls were intended to conquer the Kingdom of
>Darkness, but fell and were imprisoned in material bodies. Thus both
>kingdoms
>were represented in man, and hence a conflict symbolized on the side of
>Light
>by the Twelve Patriarchs, heavenly spirits, who corresponded to certain of
>man's powers, and, on the side of Darkness, by the Signs of the Zodiac, the
>symbols of matter and the lower kingdom. The salvation of man consists in
>liberation from the domination of matter. The twelve heavenly spirits
>having
>failed to accomplish their release, the Saviour came in a heavenly body
>which
>appeared to be like that of other men, and through His doctrine and His
>apparent death released the souls of the men from the influence of the
>material. These doctrines could be harmonized with the teaching of
>Scripture
>only by a strange system of exegesis, in which the literal sense was
>entirely
>rejected, and an equally strange theory of personal inspiration. The Old
>Testament was received, but the narrative of creation was rejected. Several
>of the apocryphal Scriptures were acknowledged to be genuine and inspired.
>The ethical side of the Dualism of Priscillian with its low concept of
>nature
>gave rise to an indecent system of asceticism as well as to some peculiar
>liturgical observances, such as fasting on Sundays and on Christmas Day.
>Because their doctrines were esoteric and exoteric, and because it was
>believed that men in general could not understand the higher paths, the
>Priscillianists, or at least those of them who were enlightened, were
>permitted to tell lies for the sake of a holy end. It was because this
>doctrine was likely to be a scandal even to the faithful that Augustine
>wrote
>his famous work, "De mendacio".


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