Thracian Popes Orphics
While the Thracian emperor-Orphics laid the foundations of the Christian state Byzantium in the East, equivalent roles were played in the Western church and state by the Roman Popes. Out of the four popes who are known to be of Thracian descent, two stand out who carried the Orphic names “Dionysus” (“Dion-Jesus”) and “Liber” (a Latin epithet of the name of deity). And here are those four Orphic-popes, “trakiystvali” in Rome, just like the emperor-Orphics, who in turn were “trakiystvali” in Constantinople:
… four true Thracian popes who had already reigned in Rome: Anacletus, also called The Faithful Vicar of Thrace, third on the throne of the Great Apostle (76-88 AD), (2) also Pope Dionysius, the Supreme Dion of Thrace, twenty-fifth on Saint-Peter’s throne (260-268 AD), who introduced all the holy brothers in the Truth of the True Thracian Faith in the Triune God, and who for the first time called the Church of God “Cattolica”, i.e. Universal, and kept within himself the Ancient Thracian roots of Christianity (faith in Christ). (3) After them Pope Liberius (i.e. “Liberator”) was crowned, the thirty-sixth on the throne of the earthly popes (352-366 AD), when the Imperial Beast had already imposed his vicious power over many… (6) the faithful Conon, eighty-third on the throne of the earthly popes reigning in 686-687 AD (after God’s Will was imposed on the Imperial Beast) recognized – in God’s underlying plan – the Great Country of Bulgaria within the Boharic Thracian lands…
(The Epistle of Hieromonk David from The Thracian Epistles)
An interesting interpretation is the fact that the above Thracian Orphics are closely linked to the foundation of the Christian Religion and the state instituted from the very beginning. The process began in Rome during more “pagan times” (during the reign of (Pope Anakletus, 76-78 AD, and Pope Dionysius, 260-268 AD) and the first Christian emperors (Pope Pope Liberius – 352-366 AD), and continued to Constantinople with the Christian emperor-Orphics: Marcian (450-457 AD), Pope Leo I Bess (457-474 AD), , Justinian I the Great (527-565 AD), Justin II (565-578 AD) and Tiberius Constantine I (578-582 AD). It also manifests itself even during the period after the founding of the Bulgarian State (under Pope Conon, 686- 687 AD). In other words, prominent Thracian Orphics exercised their power and influence over the Christian Church and the State institutions throughout the period of their creation and recognition of 76 years – until at least 687 or later, or, in general, during the course of six centuries! Moreover, basic principles and doctrines of the Christian faith have been introduced by these Orphics precisely during this initial period: “even Pope Dionysius, Supreme Dion of Thrace, the twenty-fifth of Saint-Peter’s throne (260-268 AD) … introduced all the holy brethren to the Truth of Human Thracian Faith in the Triune God and for the first time called the Church of God ‘Cattolica’, i.e. Universal, and carried within himself the Ancient Thracian origin of Christianity.” The above testifies, indirectly, the integration of important and fundamental “Orphic principles and doctrines” into those of the Universal Church of Christ, later becoming indivisible parts of the Universal Catholic doctrines and the Orthodox Churches and their mystery-liturgical life through the centuries, even to this day!!!