- Areas Of Involvement:
- Christianity
- asceticism
- Related People:
- Raymond VII
Cathari
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Who were the Cathari?
The Cathari, also known as Cathars, were a heretical Christian sect that thrived in Western Europe during the 12th and 13th centuries. The name Cathari comes from the Greek word katharos, meaning "pure". They professed a dualistic belief system influenced by neo-Manichaeism, positing that there are two fundamental principles: one good, the other evil, and that the material world is evil.
Catharism gained traction in the 12th century, spreading through missionaries and Western dualists. They established an organized church with a hierarchy, liturgy, and doctrine. The Cathari divided their faithful into two groups: the "perfect," who underwent a ceremony called consolamentum and were expected to maintain high moral standards, and the "believers," who were not held to the same rigorous standards.
The Catholic Church viewed the Cathar doctrines as a threat to orthodox Christianity and political institutions and, therefore, united to attack them. This persecution included the Albigensian Crusade, which led to massacres and the destruction of Cathar strongholds.
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Where and when did the Cathari live?
The Cathari, a heretical Christian sect, thrived in Western Europe during the 12th and 13th centuries. Originating from dualist sects in the Balkans and the Middle East, such as the Paulicians and Bogomils, the Cathari spread through trade routes, first appearing in areas of western Germany, Flanders, and northern Italy in the 11th century.
By the mid-12th century, the Cathari had become an organized church with a hierarchy. The first bishop established himself in the north of France around 1149, followed by colleagues in Albi and Lombardy. By the turn of the century, there were 11 bishoprics, including 1 in northern France, 4 in the south, and 6 in Italy. The Cathari heresy faded in the 14th century and disappeared in the early 15th century.
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What did the Cathari believe about Christianity?
The Cathari were a Christian sect that grew in Western Europe during the 12th and 13th centuries. Cathari comes from the Greek word katharos, which means "pure".
Cathari Beliefs
- Believed in neo-Manichaean dualism, which meant they thought there were two principles: good and evil. They believed the material world was evil.
- Taught that man was an alien in an evil world, and his goal was to free his spirit and restore its communion with God.
- Practiced strict fasting and total abstinence from meat. They forbade sexual intercourse and called for complete ascetic renunciation of the world.
- Rejected the orthodox doctrine of the Incarnation, believing Jesus was merely an angel and that his human sufferings and death were an illusion.
- Rewrote the biblical story and viewed much of the Old Testament with reserve, with some rejecting it completely.
- Severely criticized the worldliness and corruption of the Catholic Church.
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How were the Cathari different from the Catholic Church?
The Cathari, also known as Cathars, were a Christian sect that emerged in Western Europe during the 12th and 13th centuries. The Cathari differed from the Catholic Church in many ways.
Key differences:
* Dualism The Cathari believed in neo-Manichaean dualism, which meant they thought there were two principles, good and evil, and that the material world was evil. The Catholic Church did not share this belief.
* Old Testament The Cathari had reservations about the Old Testament, with some rejecting it altogether.
* Jesus Christ The Cathari rejected the orthodox doctrine of the Incarnation, believing that Jesus was merely an angel and that his human sufferings and death were an illusion.
* Material world Catharism held that the universe was a battleground between good (spirit) and evil (matter), with humans as spirits trapped in physical bodies.
* Social Structure The Cathari divided the faithful into the "perfect" who maintained high moral standards, and the "believers" who were not expected to attain the standards of the perfect.
* Asceticism The Cathari followed strict rules for fasting, including a total prohibition of meat, and they forbade sexual intercourse.
* Corruption The Cathari were critical of the worldliness and corruption of the Catholic Church.2 Britannica SourcesThis answer is created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why were the Cathari considered heretics by other Christians?
The Cathari were viewed as heretics by other Christians because they held a dualistic worldview, believing in two fundamental principles: one good and one evil, with the material world being evil. This directly contradicted the orthodox Christian belief in a single, all-good God who created the world.
Other points of conflict:
* Cathari doctrines led them to rewrite the biblical story, and they rejected the orthodox doctrine of the Incarnation, believing Jesus was merely an angel whose human suffering was an illusion.
* They called for complete ascetic renunciation of the world, including prohibitions of meat and sexual intercourse.
* The Cathari also criticized the worldliness and corruption of the Catholic Church.These beliefs and practices clashed with orthodox Christianity and the political institutions of Christendom, leading to their condemnation and persecution, including the Albigensian Crusade.
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What happened to the Cathari and what is their legacy today?
The Cathari were a heretical Christian sect that practiced neo-Manichaean dualism in western Europe during the 12th and 13th centuries. Their beliefs clashed with orthodox Christianity and political institutions, leading to condemnation by church and state.
Pope Innocent III initiated the Albigensian Crusade (1209–29) against them. This crusade devastated southern France, as the nobility of northern France fought against the southern nobility, who were tolerant of the Cathari. The fortress of Montségur, a Cathar stronghold, fell in 1244, forcing the Cathari to operate in secret. Many fled to Italy, where persecution was less frequent.
By the 15th century, the Cathari had disappeared. Although the Albigensian Crusade did not eliminate Catharism, it allowed the French king to establish authority over the south.
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Cathari, (from Greek katharos, “pure”), also spelled Cathars, heretical Christian sect that flourished in western Europe in the 12th and 13th centuries. The Cathari professed a neo-Manichaean dualism—that there are two principles, one good and the other evil, and that the material world is evil. Similar views were held in the Balkans and the Middle East by the medieval religious sects of the Paulicians and the Bogomils; the Cathari were closely connected with these sects.
In the first half of the 11th century isolated groups of such heretics appeared in western Germany, Flanders, and northern Italy. In the late 11th century no more was heard of them; then in the 12th century they reappeared. A period of rapid growth came in the 30 years following 1140. At about this time the Bogomil Church was reorganizing itself, and Bogomil missionaries, as well as Western dualists returning from the Second Crusade (1147–49), were at work in the West in the middle of the century. From the 1140s the Cathari were an organized church with a hierarchy, a liturgy, and a system of doctrine. About 1149 the first bishop established himself in the north of France; a few years later he established colleagues at Albi and in Lombardy. The status of these bishops was confirmed and the prestige of the Cathar Church enhanced by the visit of the Bogomil bishop Nicetas in 1167. In the following years more bishops were set up, until by the turn of the century there were 11 bishoprics in all, 1 in the north of France, 4 in the south, and 6 in Italy.
Although the various groups emphasized different doctrines, they all agreed that matter was evil. Man was an alien and a sojourner in an evil world; his aim must be to free his spirit, which was in its nature good, and restore it to communion with God. There were strict rules for fasting, including the total prohibition of meat. Sexual intercourse was forbidden; complete ascetic renunciation of the world was called for.
The extreme asceticism made the Cathari a church of the elect, and yet in France and northern Italy it became a popular religion. This success was achieved by the division of the faithful into two bodies: the “perfect” and the “believers.” The perfect were set apart from the mass of believers by a ceremony of initiation, the consolamentum. They devoted themselves to contemplation and were expected to maintain the highest moral standards. The believers were not expected to attain the standards of the perfect.
The Cathar doctrines of creation led them to rewrite the biblical story; they devised an elaborate mythology to replace it. They viewed much of the Old Testament with reserve; some of them rejected it altogether. The orthodox doctrine of the Incarnation was rejected. Jesus was merely an angel; his human sufferings and death were an illusion. They also severely criticized the worldliness and corruption of the Catholic Church.
The Cathar doctrines struck at the roots of orthodox Christianity and of the political institutions of Christendom, and the authorities of church and state united to attack them. Pope Innocent III (1198–1216) attempted to force Raymond VI, count of Toulouse, to join him in putting down the heresy, but this ended in disaster; the papal legate was murdered in January 1208, and the Count was generally thought to have been an accessory to the crime. A crusade—the Albigensian Crusade—was proclaimed against the heretics, and an army led by a group of barons from northern France proceeded to ravage Toulouse and Provence and massacre the inhabitants, both Cathar and Catholic (see Albigenses). A more orderly persecution sanctioned by St. Louis IX, in alliance with the nascent Inquisition, was more effective in breaking the power of the Cathari. In 1244 the great fortress of Montségur near the Pyrenees, a stronghold of the perfect, was captured and destroyed. The Cathari had to go underground, and many of the French Cathari fled to Italy, where persecution was more intermittent. The hierarchy faded out in the 1270s; the heresy lingered through the 14th century and finally disappeared early in the 15th.