Gnosticism as a mystical Christian movement again challenged the hegemony of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages. This time, a branch of the Cathar movement known as Albigensianism. It had a dualist worldview and an inherent dislike for the Church due to corruption within the ranks of the clergy. Albigensianism attracted an incredibly large following, divided into the ‘perfect’ and ‘believers.’ Albigensianism, the form of Catharism found in Southern Europe, is named after Albi, the Latin name being Albiga. This town is the present capital of the Department of Tarn in France. It was a neo-Manichæan sect. The name ‘Albigenses’ was given them by the Council of Tours in 1163, and prevailed towards the end of the twelfth century. It was, for a long time afterwards, applied to all the heretics of the south of France. They were also called Catharists, from the Greek ‘katharos’, meaning ‘pure’. In reality, they were only a branch of the Cathar movement.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 19:45:26 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015