Bogomilism: The Egalitarian Belief of the Middle Ages

Among many medieval religious movements, Bogomilism emerges as a rebellious one, spreading across the Balkan hills in a longing for purity. It is far from being a mere heretical footnote; it was a revolutionary and desperate cry against the oppression of the earthly and corrupt Church and the suffering that marked the lives of the peasants. To understand Bogomilism is to understand not only its theology but the people who lived, struggled, and believed in its truths.

A Faith of Struggle

Born in the 10th century, in the rural heartlands of the Bulgarian Empire, Bogomilism took its name from its supposed founder, the priest Bogomil, whose name means "dear to God." His teachings were against the social injustice and inequality created by the corrupt church at the time. Peasants toiled under dual burdens of heavy taxation and the demands of a church that seemed increasingly indifferent to their plight. For the Bogomils, the material world was a battleground, but not really in the simplistic sense of good versus evil. Instead, it was a universal struggle where material wealth and power represented Satan, while poverty and humbleness reflected the light of the almighty God.

Theology of Bogomilism

The theology of the Bogomils can be defined with simplicity and boldness. At its heart was dualism, a belief that the world was created not by a benevolent God but by a malevolent demiurge, often identified with the Old Testament's Yahweh. For them, the true God was distant, a spiritual force entirely separate from the flawed and corrupt physical world. This belief led them to reject many practices of the Orthodox Church that dominated Eastern Europe: they spurned the sacraments, the veneration of icons, and the hierarchical clergy. What makes Bogomilism very different than Orthodox Christianity is that it was an egalitarian belief, with the importance of personal purity and value over oppressive authority.

Life in the Shadows

Bogomil communities lived with a quiet intensity, practicing what they preached. The Bogomil life was heavily ascetic, with important practices like fasting, prayer, and communal living. Bogomils rejected all types of violence; they even refused to kill animals. Such ideals made them stand apart in a world dominated by feudal lords and cruel warlords. We can say that they were like a resistance against cruelty, oppression, and authority in many ways.

The Cost of Their Resistance

But resistance has its costs. To the church and state, Bogomilism was not merely a heresy—it was an existential threat. The thing is, its rejection of material wealth and power undermined the very foundations of feudal medieval society. The church conducted inquisitions, excommunications, and brutal crackdowns to suppress the belief. The movement was forced into the shadows, its believers scattered or silenced. However, the Bogomil ideas traveled westward, influencing the Catholics in southern France and even influencing the later Protestant movements in Europe.

The Legacy of Bogomilism

What makes Bogomilism truly human is its raw response to the universal struggles of existence. It was a faith born in fields, forests, and humble homes in everyday life. It was a voice for the peasants, a challenge to the authority, and a reminder that even in the darkest times, some dare to dream of a better world. Though it seems like just a thousand-year-old story, it is still there for us to see that the ideas of egalitarianism and social justice are not modern concepts to us humans. It reminds us that faith can be as much about protest as about prayer and that in the face of overwhelming odds, humanity still dares to seek the divine.