The Marcianists were a sect of

Messalians The Euchites or Messalians were a Christian sect from Mesopotamia that spread to Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) and Thrace. The name 'Messalian' comes from the Syriac , ''mṣallyānā'', meaning 'one who prays'. The Greek translation is , ''euch ...

founded by Marcian of Pontus in the sixth century. They were regarded as

heretics Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Christianity, Judai ...

by Chalcedonian Christians.Pauline Allen, ''Sophronius of Jerusalem and Seventh-Century Heresy: The Synodical Letter and Other Documents'' (Oxford University Press, 2009), p. 59.

Sophronius of Jerusalem Sophronius (; ; c. 560 – March 11, 638), called Sophronius the Sophist, was the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the city known as Aelia Capitolina and then Jerusalem from 634 until his death. He is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox and ...

, in his ''Synodical Letter'', names their leader as Lampetius, a follower of Marcian. He is described as having a sect of his own, the Lampetianoi, by

Timothy of Constantinople Timothy of Constantinople (Greek language, Greek: Τιμόθεος; fl. c. 600/700) was a Chalcedonian Christian Heresiology, heresiologist and presbyter of the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. He wrote a treatise in Medieval Greek, Gree ...

and

Maximus the Confessor Maximus the Confessor (), also spelled Maximos, otherwise known as Maximus the Theologian and Maximus of Constantinople ( – 13 August 662), was a Christianity, Christian monk, theologian, and scholar. In his early life, Maximus was a civil se ...

. Timothy, writing probably towards 600, classifies the Messalians,

Euchites The Euchites or Messalians were a Christian sect from Mesopotamia that spread to Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) and Thrace. The name 'Messalian' comes from the Syriac , ''mṣallyānā'', meaning 'one who prays'. The Greek translation is , ''euch ...

Enthusiasts In modern usage, enthusiasm refers to intense enjoyment, interest, or approval expressed by a person. The term is related to playfulness, inventiveness, optimism, zest, verve, and high energy. The word was originally used to refer to a person p ...

, Choreuts, Adelphians and Eustathians as Marcianist sects. He says that Marcian was a moneychanger during the reigns of

Justinian I Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565. His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...

(527–565) and

Justin II Justin II (; ; died 5 October 578) was Eastern Roman emperor from 565 until 578. He was the nephew of Justinian I and the husband of Sophia, the niece of Justinian's wife Theodora. Justin II inherited a greatly enlarged but overextended empir ...

(565–574). He does not name any contemporary event in connection with the Marcianists, possibly because the sect was extinct by his time.K. Fitschen, "Did 'Messalianism' Exist in Asia Minor after A.D. 431?", ''Studia Patristica'' 25 (1993), pp. 352–355. Timothy's description of Marcianism shows that they rejected

charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...

and believes that misfortune reflected a lack of the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

They say neither to give alms to the beggar, nor to the widow, nor to the orphan, nor to those in difficult circumstances, nor to those afflicted with leprosy, nor to those who have encountered thieves, barbarian invasion or any other misfortune. Rather they should keep it all for themselves because those other (unfortunates) are really poor in the spirit.M. Graebner
"ΜΑΥΡΙΚΙΕ ΜΑΡΚΙΑΝΙΣΤΑ: A Note"
''Byzanina'' 11 (1982): 181–188.

The name at least still existed as an accusation. In the 590s, John of Chalcedon and Athanasius of Isauria condemned for Marcianism fled from

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

to appeal their cases to Pope

Gregory the Great Pope Gregory I (; ; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great (; ), was the 64th Bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 until his death on 12 March 604. He is known for instituting the first recorded large-scale mission from Rom ...

. It is clear from Gregory's letters that the heresy of Marcianism was unknown in Rome. Gregory absolved John of heresy in 595 and Athanasius in 596, although had to first denounce a book in his possession containing

Manichaean Manichaeism (; in ; ) is an endangered former major world religion currently only practiced in China around Cao'an,R. van den Broek, Wouter J. Hanegraaff ''Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times''. SUNY Press, 1998 p. 37 found ...

errors.George E. Demacopoulos, "Gregory the Great and the Sixth-Century Dispute Over the Ecumenical Title", ''Theological Studies'' 70.3 (2009): 600–621. The emperor Maurice was accused by a Constantinopolitan mob of being a Marcianist in 602, a fact recorded by both

Theophylact Simocatta Theophylact Simocatta (Byzantine Greek: Θεοφύλακτος Σιμοκάτ(τ)ης ''Theophýlaktos Simokát(t)ēs''; ) was an early seventh-century Byzantine historiographer, arguably ranking as the last historian of Late Antiquity, writing in ...

and

Theophanes the Confessor Theophanes the Confessor (; 759 – 817 or 818) was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy who became a monk and chronicler. He served in the court of Emperor Leo IV the Khazar before taking up the religious life. Theophanes attended the Second C ...

. This accusation may have referred to the emperor's refusal to ransom captives from the war with the Avars in 598–599.

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