the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Bible Encyclopedias
Hypsistarians
The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia
or Semi-Jewish sect found on the Bosporus in the first Christian century and in Asia Minor down to the fourth century. They worshiped God under the name of ÎÎµá½¸Ï Î¥ÏιÏÎ¿Ï Î Î±Î½ÏοκÏάÏÏÏ (the Most High and Almighty One), observed the Sabbath and some of the dietary laws, but not circumcision, and cherished a certain pagan veneration for fire and light, earth and sun, without observing, however, any idolatrous rite (see Gregory Nazienzen, "Oratio," 18:5; Gregory of Nyssa, "Contra Eunomium," p. 2). They are probably related to, if not identical with, the Massalians ("Meáºallin"), or the Euchomenoi, or Euphemitai, "the God-worshipers, who also worshiped the Almighty God at the blaze of many lights" (Epiphanius, "Panarion, Hæresis," 80:1-3), and the so-called CÅlicolæ ("worshipers of heaven": "yire'e shamayim") mentioned in "Codex Theodosianus," 16:5,43; 8, 19. They were undoubtedly a remnant of Jewish proselytes who retained a few pagan notions, but were regarded as hostile to Christian doctrines.
- Bernays, Gesammelte, Schriften,;
- Schürer, Gesch. 3d ed., 3:18,124;
- idem, Die Juden im Bosporanischen Reiche und die Genossenschaften der ΣεβÏμενοι ÎÎµÎ¿Ï ÏÏιÏÏÎ¿Ï , in Sitzungsberichte der Berliner Akademie, 1897, pp. 200-225;
- Cumont, Hypsistos, Brussels, 1897;
- and the literature in Herzog-Hauck, Real-Encyc. s. Hypsistarier, Himmelanbeter, and Messalianer.
These files are public domain.
Singer, Isidore, Ph.D, Projector and Managing Editor. Entry for 'Hypsistarians'. 1901 The Jewish Encyclopedia. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tje/h/hypsistarians.html. 1901.
