El Camino de Santiago

Priscillian
Historical Background

The print in italics is from 'Priscillian of Avila, The Occult and the Charismatic in the Early Church' by Henry Chadwick, Oxford 1976. This book (available from Amazon) is well worth buying if you are interested in the subject.

Possibly a native of Galicia. (Noted in 'Legio VII Gemina' by A. Quintana Prieto.446 n. 90)

In the seventies of the fourth century he began his teaching as a 'devout cultivated layman of high, probably senatorial standing'. His was a call to strenuous Bible study combined with strong asceticism. The 'spiritual man is celibate, dedicated to voluntary poverty, practising vegetarianism to make himself more readily open to the charismatic gift of prophecy.'

Where Priscillian's family estate was and where his activities began is not known.

His teachings were condemned at the Council of Saragossa in 380 A.D. He was not named in the published Canons of the Council nor was he excommunicated. However 'the minutes of the Council would have included attacks on named individuals, including . . . Priscillian.'

In 381 the see of Avila fell vacant. The bishops Instantius and Salvianus went there and achieved the election and consecration of Priscillian. No other bishop is named as being present which may have cast doubts on the 'consecration' itself. Three bishops and the permission of the Metropolitan (senior bishop of the area) were required by the Council of Nicea.

By early 382 a number of charges against "pseudo-bishops and Manichees" were made in a report to Ambrose of Milan by Hydatius of Bishop Mérida and Ithacius Bishop of Ossonuba (Estoi near Faro in the Algarve). Because of the threat posed by a rescript of banishment from the emperor Gratian, Priscillian, Instantius, Salvianus and a number of followers visited Rome and Milan. They were denied audience by both pope Damasus in Rome and bishop Ambrose in Milan. However (by bribery?) they did managed to get the rescript overturned by the secular authorities.

In 383A.D. the emperor Gratian was defeated by Maximus and murdered . The new emperor was approached by the Bishop Ithacius who presented grave criminal charges against the Priscillianists. Priscillian was convinced that there would be no justice for him and his followers at the synod in Burdigala (Bordeaux) and went to appeal to the emperor Maximus in Trier.

In the secular court in Trier the charges brought by Ithacius were that Priscillian held a heretical doctrine of the Trinity, studied heretical apocrypha, practiced magic and taught the radical dualism of the Manichees. 'Under "judicial examination" (torture!) Priscillian confessed to his interest in magical studies, to having held nocturnal gatherings of (loose) women, and to having prayed naked'. He was condemned to be executed along with two other clergy, a wealthy widow Euchrotia and Latronianus a Christian poet.

The trial at Trier was condemned by Martin of Tours, Ambrose of Milan and pope Siricius.

In 388 Maximus fell to the emperor Theodosius and was declared to be "a wicked usurper" (389-90 by Pacatus Drepanius in a speech to Theodosius). 'The fall of Maximus spelt a reversal of policy which was golden news for the Spanish Priscillianists. Ithacius was canonically deposed from his see. Hydatius of Mérida resigned and both went into exile.'

In Galicia Priscillian was celebrated as a martyr, his body recovered from Trier and taken back to Spain for burial. His shrine seems to have been somewhere in Galicia, rather than at his own church in Avila. Oaths were solemnly sworn at his shrine and Priscillianism became the major 'creed' of the Galician church. (For quote from primary source see below *)

In 400 A.D the Council of Toledo condemned "everything that Priscillian wrote contrary to the catholic faith". Priscillianist bishops had the choice of renouncing their heretical beliefs or deposition from their sees. Four of the bishops present at Toledo refused to recant. They stated simply, that they would lose the support of all their clergy and their people if they did so.

From 407 onwards,edicts outlawing Priscillianism began to come from the imperial chancery. These were overtaken by events as by 409 the Vandals, Alans and Sueves invaded Spain across the Pyrenees.

The influence of Priscillianism was still to be found in 538 A.D. and may have continued in some places until 585 A.D. when Leovigild and his Visigoths conquered the Sueve kingdom in northern Spain.

As late as 631 - 651, a letter from Braulio, bishop of Saragossa to the Galician monk Fructuosus, warns that care is needed when handling the heresy of Priscillan.

This gives over 200 years when a shrine of Priscillian, the martyr of Trier, could have been a focus of devotion in Galicia.

Where was it?

* The document by Sulpicius Severus is commented on by Chadwick giving a reference in a footnote. I found it quoted in full in:-
"Prisciliano y el priscilianismo Historiografía y realida" Francisco Javier Fernández Conde 2004

“ Muerto Prisciliano, no sólo no fue reprimada la herejía que este había propalado, sino que se afianzó mas, pues sus sequidores, que antes le veneraban como un santo, después comenzaron a darle culto como un mártir. Traídos los cuerpos de los condenados a Espana, se celebraron sus pompas fúnebres con gran solemnidad, de tal modo que jurar por Prisciliano era considerado como una expresión acabada de religiosidad. Y entre los nuestros se ensendió la guerra perpetua de la discordia . . . .”
S. Severo Chr II n. 51 (final de la Chr)

“On the death of Priscillian, not only was the heresy not reprimanded that this had pushed forward, but it was made stronger, because his followers, that before had venerated to him as a saint, later began to give him the cult of a martyr. The bodies of the condemned were brought to Spain, their funerals held with great pomp and ceremony, in such a way that to swear by Priscillian was considered to be the highest expression of religiousness. And so was ignited the perpetual war of discord between us….”
Sulpicius Severus Chr II n. 51 (Chronicle of Sacred History c. 403)

The full text of the book by Conde can be found here:-

http://www.durango-udala.net/portalDurango/RecursosWeb/DOCUMENTOS/1/0_419_1.pdf