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But it is difficult to distinguish clearly, from the accounts that have come down through history, who might best be described as heretics and who as false prophets. One of the two sides of every dispute inevitably imputed the other side to be heretical, while posterity has been kinder to the records of those who prevailed, either by sound arguments or by resort to force. Nevertheless, among the more extreme claimants, Eusebius preserves the names of Simon the Magus and his successor Menander, who,'actually claimed to be the saviour', and Montanus the Paraclete (53:2) The records of later periods also leave much that is suspect, but if we can trust them, the Mediaeval and Reformation periods seem to have had an abundance of individuals who arose to claim they were the Messiah. Eudes de l'Etoile, Tanchelm, Konrad Schmid, Bockelson and a number of others all appear to have claimed to be Messiahs or divine heralds of the last days. According to the historian Norman Cohn, many such Messiahs led their followers in ruthless campaigns of plunder and conquest as they sought, in the most contradictory of ways, to establish the Kingdom of God. (53:3) Neither was the faith of simple Christians protected from the endless procession of doctrinal disputes. Nearly every century appears to have had an unfortunate share of insincere and self-seeking leaders intent on enthroning their views, right or wrong, at the cost of splitting the Church.
(53:4)
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