Catharism

Understanding Catharism: A So-Called ‘Heretical’ Faith of the Middle Ages

Catharism was a Christian dualist movement that was popular in Southern Europe, especially in present day France and Italy, in the 12th and 13th centuries. It has been seen as the most successful of the medieval so-called ‘heretical’ movements and as the one that most alarmed the papacy.

The Cathars were fuelled by the teachings of the Bogomils, a similar bullist movement in the earlier centuries. Their beliefs were seen as heresy by the Catholic Church, and the Inquisition was created in large part to suppress their faith. The term “Cathar” most likely comes from the Greek word katharos, meaning “clean” or “pure”.

The Cathars did not believe in the authority of the Catholic Church. They refused to believe in the authority of the Pope and the Saints. They did not believe in the need for a priesthood or sacraments. They believed that spiritual power came not from the Church but from the Holy Spirit. They felt that the Church had become corrupt and overly materialistic. They did not believe in the concept of purgatory or hell, as they believed that the soul would ultimately be free of the material world and the suffering that it entails.

The Cathars believed in a dualist concept of good vs. evil. They believed that the material world was created by Satan and that the only way to achieve salvation was through a renunciation of material things. They abhorred the use of the cross, which they saw as a symbol of the crucifixion. They saw the Old Testament as the work of the evil God, and viewed much of it as a book of lies. The New Testament was the only true book.

The Cathars were divided into two divisions, the absolute dualists and the mitigated dualists. The mitigated dualists believed that the evil God of the Old Testament was not as evil as the absolute dualists believed. The absolute dualists believed that Satan created the world and all things in it, and that God only created the soul.

The Cathars also believed in reincarnation and that through reincarnation a soul could become pure. They believed that a soul could move up and down the ladder of creation through their conduct. If the soul was pure enough, it would reach the top of the ladder and be freed from the cycle of rebirth. The Cathars believed that there was only one God, but that there were two principles in the world, a spiritual good one and a material evil one. They believed that the soul was eternal and that the material world was a prison for the soul.

The Cathars used the New Testament, especially the Gospels of John and Matthew. They also used the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles of the Pauline. They believed in the resurrection of the soul, not the body. They believed that the soul was the form of Christ. And they taught that Christ was an angel sent to the world to save souls from the material world.

The Cathars had a large number of people who supported them, as many felt that the Catholic Church had become corrupt. Many of the nobility of the Languedoc region supported them. The Cathars were popular in Italy as well. The Cathars were called the “Albigensians” by the Catholics, after the town of Albi in Southern France.

The Inquisition was started in 1208 to combat the Cathars. The Albigensian Crusade, in which the whole of Languedoc was devastated, was waged from 1209 to 1229. The crusade ended with the capture of Montségur in 1244. Catharism was largely eradicated, although some small groups were still found in 1320. The Inquisition was still active in 1328, although it was not as intense as it had been.

Some have argued that the Cathars were influenced by Gnosticism and by the Manicheans. Both of these were earlier Christian dualist movements. Some have also argued that they were influenced by the Bogomils, a similar Christian dualist movement that was in Europe before them.

The Cathars were opposed to the Catholic Church, and were seen as heretics by them. They were opposed to many of the beliefs of the Church and felt that the Church had become corrupt. They were popular in Southern France and Italy and many nobles supported them. The Inquisition was started to combat them and the Albigensian Crusade was waged against them. After the Crusade, Catharism was largely eradicated, although some small groups remained.