Lucifer, bishop of Cagliari, in Sardinia, sumamed Calaritanus, a noted character in ecclesiastical history, the founder of an independent sect known as Lucife- rians, flourished about the midcUe of the 4th centurj-. At the Council of M'dan, held in 354, he appeared as , joint legate with Eusebius of Vercelli from pope Liberi- us, and here he displayed great opposition to the Arian believers. He refused to hold any communion with the clergy who had, during the reign of Constantius, con- formed to the Arian doctrines, although it had been de- termined in a synod at Alexandria, in 352, to receive again into the Church all the Arian clergy who openly acknowledged their errors, and was, in consequence, im- prisoned for a time, and finally banished. He took up his residence in Syria, but here also became involved in disputes, and greatly increased the disorders which agi- tated the Church at Antioch by his ordination of Pauli- nus as bishop in opposition to Meletius. Disapproved and ignored by his former friends and associates, he re- tired in disgust to his native island, and there founded an independent sect, whose distinguishing tenet was that no Arian bishop, and no bishop who had in any measure yielded to the Arians, even although he repented and confessed his errors, could enter the bosom of the Church without forfeiting his ecclesiastical rank ; and that all bishops and others who admitted the claims of such persons to a full restoration of their privileges became themselves tainted and outcasts — a doctrine which, had it been acknowledged at this period in its full extent, would have had the effect of excommunicating nearly the whole Christian world. Lucifer died during the reign of Valentinian, about A.D. 370.
The number of Luciferians is believed to have been always small ; Theodoret says that the sect was extinct in his day {Hut. Eccles. iii, c. 5, p. 128, D ). Their opin- ions, however, excited considerable attention at the time when they were first promulgated, and were advocated by several eminent men; among others, by Faustinus, MarccUinus, and Hilarius Diaconus. Jerome wrote a work in refutation of their doctrines, which is still ex- tant. Augustine remarks, in his work on Heresies (c. Ixxxi"), that the Luciferians held erroneous opinions con- cerning the human soul, which they considered to be of a carnal nature, and to be transfused from parents to children. Compare the article Novatians.
Lucifer himself is acknowledged by Jerome and Ath- anasius to have been well acquainted with the Scrip- tures, and to have been exemplary in private life, but he appears to have been a man of vicilent temper and
great bigotrj'. His writings were first published entire by Johamies Tillius, bishop of Meaux (Paris, 1568, 8 vo), and were dedicated to pope Plus V: Two Books ad- dressed to the Kmjjeror Constantius in Defence of Atha- nasius : — On Apostate Kings: — On the Duty of having no Communion with Heretics : — On the Duty of dying for the Son of God: — On the Duty of showing no Mercy to those who sin against God; and a short Epistle to Flo- rentius. The best edition, however, is by the brothers Coleti (Venet. 1778, fol.). See Schonemann, i?iMo?/ieca Patr. Lat. i, § 8 ; Neander, Ch. History, ii, 396 sq. ; Mos- heim, Eccles. History, bk. ii, cent, iv, pt. ii, chap, iii, § 20 ; '!sli\raan, Hist, of Christianity, \i,i^29 sq., 438, 457; Walch, Gesch. d. Ketzereien (Lpz. 1766), iii, 388 sq. ; Smith, Diet. ofGk. and Rom. Biog. and Mythnl.yol.u,s,v. (J.H.W.)
Luciferians (I.) is the name of a sect foimded by Lucifer of Cagliari (q. v.), which originated as follows: In 360 the Arians of Antioch had chosen Meletius of Sebaste, formerly a Eusebian, but afterwards an adhe- rent of the Nicene Confession, their bishop. But his in- augural discourse convinced them of their mistake about his views, and they deposed him after the lapse of only a few days. Sleletius was next chosen bishop of the Homoousian congregation at Antioch. The appoint- ment of one who had been an Arian was, however, re- sisted by a part of the people, headed by Paulinus, a presbyter. Athanasius and the Synod of Alexandria, A.D. 362, used every influence to heal this schism. But Lucifer of Cagliari, whom the synod for this purpose de- puted to Antioch, took the part of the opposition, and ordained Paulinus counter-bishop. What next followed has been narrated under Lucifer. A comparison of this sect with the English Puritans is made by Puuchard, Hist, of Congregationalism, i, ch. iii.
(II.) The same name was afterwards applied to some heretics of the Middle Ages, who were accused of ad- dressing prayers to the devil (Lucifer). It was particu- larly applied to fourteen of these heretics who were burned alive at Tangermtinde, in Prussian Saxony (1336), by order of the elector of Brandenburg, infiu- enced by the representations of the superior of the Fran- ciscans. These heretics were probably Frairicelli (q. v.).
Lucifugas, or Lucifugax natio, Light-haters ; a term of reproach given to the early Christians, because in times of persecution they frequently held their as- semblies at night, or before the break of day. — Farrar, Eccles. Dictionary.
Lucilla. See Donatists.
Lu'cius (AevKioQ V. r. AovKiog), a Roman consul (vTvaTOQ 'Pw/<aiaij'), who is said to have written the letter to Ptolemy (Euergetes) which assured Simon I of the protection of Rome (B.C. cir. 139-8; 1 Mace, xv, 10, 15-24). The whole form of the letter — the mention of one consul only, the description of the consul by the prcenomen, the omission of the senate and of the date (comp. Wernsdorf, Dejide Mace. § cxix) — shows that it cannot be an accurate copy of the original document; but there is nothing in the substance of the letter which is open to just suspicion. Josephus omits all mention of the letter of " Lucius" in his account of Simon, but gives one very similar in contents {Ant. xiv, 8, 5), as written on the motion of Lucius Valerius in the ninth (nineteenth) year of Hyrcanus II; and unless the two letters and the two missions which led to tliem were purposely assimilated, which is not wholly improbable, it must be supposed that he has been guiltj' of a strange oversight in removing the incident from its proper place.