The Bogomils of Bulgaria and Bosnia

L. P. Brockett's history of the Bogomils - early Protestants who worshipped in Eastern Europe - is among the most detailed and enlightening on the subject.

Brockett details his obscure subject with a scholarly depth, taking the reader through the major episodes in the establishment and growth of the early church. The original founder - a monk named Bogomil - would be instrumental in establishing the rejection of hierarchical church authority and a renewed embrace of the early teachings of Christianity. Medieval feudalism, which relied upon formal social class divisions, further aided the rise of the Bogomilists. 

Bogomilism became popular throughout the Balkans, and over the centuries it expanded into Western Europe and parts of the Mediterranean. The personal belief of Bogomil Christians was that the body was the temple and the truest embodiment of the Lord and His creation. Therefore they had no churches, and rejected the symbolism of the Christian cross. Instead of material worship, Bogomils preferred to celebrate their beliefs via fasting, dances, and convivial celebrations. 

Through Brockett's assemblage of the known histories into a single narrative, we hear of the adherents suffering persecution by the Byzantine Empress Theodora, and the hostility several Popes had toward the Bogomil group. To many outside the Balkan region, the Bogomils became synonymous with Bulgarian culture for centuries. Long after the Protestant Reformation, Eastern European sects practicing Bogomil traditions continued to exist.