An attempt was then made to deal the new religion a fatal blow by the seizure and execution of the heresiarch, Mazdak.
For the rest, the heresiarch had a mighty flow of vituperative speech.
A heresiarch,' he had written even in his Anglican days, 'should meet with no mercy.
The heresiarch did not pretend to have written it himself, nor did he ascribe it to any other person.
But, as in the case of Felix, the heresiarch was more than a match for his opponents in argument.
A tall paper cap, painted over with flames and devils, and inscribed "heresiarch," is placed upon his head.
Three out of the four patriarchs were in favour of the heresiarch, the fourth being on his trial.
After this the impious books of the heresiarch were brought together and devoutly burned in the presence of an immense crowd.
The Church disdained his aid and condemned his errors, and he became a heresiarch.
There was not a little art in the heresiarch's modes of speech; the less obtuse appreciated him and bade him live for ever.