THE CATHARS

The Peoples of Europe

by Malcolm Lambert

The Cathars of medieval Europe were so named, wrote one German theologian, because in their satanic rituals they kissed the backsides of black cats. Had he known his Greek, he would have recognized that the Cathars took their name from a word meaning "purified," but he certainly had a firm grasp on Christendom's official sentiments: the Cathars, members of various sects who rejected the opulence of Roman and Byzantine Christianity alike and took vows of poverty and chastity, were despised wherever their heresy traveled.

Originating in Asia Minor and brought to Europe by way of Bulgaria, the rise of Catharism prompted the first recorded burnings at the stake in France, led to the establishment of the papal Inquisition and the Dominican order of monks who conducted it, and caused the deaths of untold thousands of men, women, and children over a three-century period from about 1200 to 1459, when the official Cathar church was outlawed in its final stronghold, Bosnia. Lambert writes with dry authority on the curious history of this doctrine and official response to it. --Gregory McNamee

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Religion, Gnosticism, Medieval History, France, Medieval

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

c1998: This is a very dry academic tome packed full of references, latin sayings, ibids and the like. It will be an excellent source book but not a very joyful read. There is also a very interesting section about the survival and legacy of the 'heresy'. Recommended if you want some solid academic research on the Cathars - but it is not a light or easy read at all - but worth trawling through the pages if you have an interest in the subject,

[Jim Peterson]

Dry but informative outline of the history of the Cathars. Read while in vacation in the south of France where they were ultimately wiped out. Sad history.

[Samantha Strong · Rating 3 out of 5]

This seems to be an incredibly thorough book chronicling the history of the Cathars. I'm giving it 3 stars, but the problem is most likely me and not the book. I'm more interested in the philosophy of gnostics & other heretics than I am about the precise date that Lord such-n-such was chased from his castle by Inquisitor so-n-so. I say "this seems to be thorough" because I just simply could not keep track of what was going on. There were way too many names, and when we finally got hold of one major player, the story was not in chronogical order.

Long story short, history buffs might love this, but my poor brain needs more diagrams, fewer people, and way more back story.

[Luca Borghi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Come testo introduttivo e divulgativo l'ho trovato piuttosto disordinato e confuso. E' evidente che si basa su competenze notevoli e su ricerche accurate, ma l'Autore sembra rivolgersi ad esperti del settore più che a lettori da introdurre all'argomento.

[Sasha Alessandro Volpi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Estremamente interessante, una parte perduta di una religione sconosciuta della storia europea.

[Alessandro Nicolai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessante anche se datato, ricco di notizie sconosciute sull eresia piu diffusa del 200, da una panoramica soprattutto su Limguadoca e meno su Lombardia