Aquarii

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This article is about the Christian sect. Aquarii is also the Latin genitive of Aquarius, and so refers to stars in the Aquarius constellation.

Aquarii is a name given to the Christians who substituted water for wine in the Eucharist. They were not a sect, for we find the practice widely in vogue at an early time, even among the orthodox (It should be noted that this claim is not shared by all. For instance Catholics consider the substitution an act of heresy.) In Greek they were called Hydroparastatae, or those who offer water. Theodosius I, in his persecuting edict of 382, classes them as a special sect with the Manicheans, who also eschewed wine.

[edit] Etymology

Aquarii is considered a misspelling associated with Aquarians, as it has another meaning — "Slaves who carried water for bathing into the women's apartments" [1]. Other terms used in reference to the Aquarians include the Encratites ("the Abstinent") and Ebionites.

[edit] See also

• Aquarian

[edit] External links

• Triumph of the Church from Catholic Truth Publications
• False Religious Denominations Throughout History from Traditional Catholic Apologetics
• Material of the Host
• The Church, The Mystical Body from Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
• History of the Christian Church: Heresies of the Ante-Nicene Age from the Interactive Bible

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.