Customer Reviews

The Cathars: The Most Successful Heresy of the Middle Ages

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a short book, just 164 pages of text (plus notes, chronology, a brief lexicon of "heretical" terms, suggestion for further reading, bibliography and index), written by Sean Martin, who is identified as a filmmaker, poet and writer.

The book has the heft and feel of a television documentary. It provides a reasonably good, if shallow overview of the events that erupted into denunciation, crusade, massacre and burning from the mid-Twelfth to the early Fourteenth Century.

The book is consistently neutral in tone. It takes no sides, although there is a certain pervasive admiration for the behavior, if not for the theology of the Cathar Perfecti. Simon de Montfort, French father of the famous English Simon de Montfort, and an unmitigated villain of the first water, is mildly chided. No reader of whatever stripe is likely to be alienated by "The Cathars," save for those who simply cannot abide neutrality in anything.

The language of the book is as neutral as its content. Incidents of highest drama, such as the scandal at Verfeil, a village near Toulouse, in which the outraged and sputtering Saint Bernard was laughed out of town when he attempted to deliver a sermon against the Cathars, are treated in the flattest of tones, as is the famous siege and massacre at Montsegur.

The words of the book are as flattened as its tone. Names, wherever possible, are provided in their English forms: all Pierres, Pieros and Pedros, for example, become Peter. Latinisms are avoided if an English term can be twisted for service. This leads to the exasperating use of English Perfect as a stand-in for both Latin Perfectus and Perfecti. As Sean Martin might have written, Raymond Agulher, a Perfect and Cathar bishop, was captured at Montsegur and he was among the more than two hundred Perfect, including twenty-one Perfect consecrated at the last moment, who were burnt after the fall of the castle.

Sean Martin does not press his sources for more than they actually contain. The previous Amazon reviewer finds the discussion of Cathar "theology far too vague." It is vague in this book for the simple reason that we in the Twenty-first Century don't and can't know very much about it. The Cathars and their close theological relatives were stretched along an east-west axis that measured about 1500 miles. Their churches suffered through schisms, reorganizations and councils. Their theologians and written works perished, often in flames.

What little we do know of their beliefs is preserved in the works of the churchmen who debated them and the inquisitors who condemned them. Then as now, debaters and inquisitors hear only what they wish to hear. It is also probable that many Cathars were not very clear about their own beliefs. Eberwin of Cologne, an early debater, wrote that the Cathars condemned marriage, but he could not discover why, "either because they dared not reveal it or, more probably, they did not know." [Page 46]

Even as Martin does not strive to extract more from his sources than they contain, he is not critical of those sources that he does quote. He takes historical guidance from Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh without comment (!) and philosophical insight from Philip K. Dick (!!)

This is a short overview of the Cathars that is constructed, so far as I can see, entirely out of secondary and tertiary sources. For those who want no more than that, it is a satisfactory handbook. Those seeking a more scholarly approach should look elsewhere. For those seeking a highly readable popular account of the Cathars from a truly skilled writer, I suggest that you seek out Zoe Oldenburg's excellent "Massacre at Montsegur" from some used book source, for it appears to be out of print at the moment.

Four stars.

Sean Martin's "The Cathars" book is a concise and often well-written history of Catharism. This is the 1st piece of sustained writing on the Cathars that I have read so am unable to compare to other literature available. This book is an easy read (I read it in one day on a train journey) and does not presume an knowledge of its subject. This, along with the guided bibliography and "heretical lexicon" make it a useful resource.

However, I did find the actual discussion of the Cathar's theology far too vague. For example, in his closing comments Martin suggests that the true legacy of Catharism is "their stress on simplicity, equality, non-violence, work and love" (p.163). However, throught the text Martin cites numerous examples where Cathars engage in violent acts (following their Paulician antecedents). However, there is no discussion of why these Cathars betrayed their non-violent tenets or indeed why they were pacifist in the first instance (one suspects it was because of their non-materialism but this is not confirmed).

Overall then if you're looking for a comprehensive introduction to Cathar faith and theology then I can't recommend this book. However, if your looking for an untaxing read as an alternative to Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code then give it a go (it also bears, I suspect more relation to actual history)!

I think Martin is probably successful in what he is trying to achieve with this book. I suspect this is supposed to be a simple introduction and basic history of the Cathars. The strength of the book is its easy to read writing style that does not require much energy or analysis by the reader. The book gives the overview of the Cathars with some introductions of Christian heresies in an attempt to set this heresy in its context.

I have previously read about the Cathars, so was able to fill in some of the gaps in this book. Martin fails to present much depth in his writing of the theological nuances of the Cathars that make it a severe heresy of Christianity. I think he could have written more about their theology and why the Roman Catholic Church was so intent on wiping them out.

As Martin explains, the Cathars gained a sympathetic view then and now because of their asceticism and pietism. Their lifestyles and behavior exemplified many positive religious characteristics; however, their theology was heretical and misguided. Martin writes enough about it for readers to see where it differed from orthodox Christianity. I don't think theology is Martin's strong point, as he offers no value judgement on orthodox Christianity versus the heresies that sprouted.

Martin shows some of the political constructions of the middle ages that led to the ever-changing alliances between rulers and the Roman Catholic Church that determined the treatment of the Cathars in France. Here again Martin provides the basics but does not go into much depth about the relationships between the Roman Catholic Church and the leaders of France or from where the Inquisition got and sustained its power over people.

Despite its weaknesses in scholarship and the fact that he repeats the idea that the apostle Paul as the first Christian heretic, this is a well done primer on the Cathars and on heresies in general. It also shows the worldliness of the Roman Catholic (universal) Church during the middle ages.

As a tourist and frequent visitor to the Languedoc region of France, I found the book fascinating and instructive. It answered many questions about the history and attitudes of the people. Languedoc is still spoken and sung in the area. It is also quite relevant to the later protestant movements. The French Revolution also seems to have taken a leaf from its history with its viciousness, and digging up the bones of the Kings and church leaders at St Denis and burning them just as the church did with the heretics in the Middle Ages. Islam today seems to be going through the same evolution with its non-separation of theology and politics but with no burning. Perhaps they will evolve to allow a personal belief without chopping off heads or suicide bombers.
The book does anglicize everything it can which makes for easy reading but sometimes leads to confusion.
All in all a very easy must read for anyone interested in French history or the Languedoc region of France.

This is a clear, concise and very well researched look into one of the darkest corners of the History of Western Civilization. It is far easier to make excuses for behavior in Christian wars against the alien and poorly understood Muslim nations, who themselves had an unpleasant history of military conquest and forced conversion. While the assault on the Cathars and their fellows covers all of the Occitan, I will focus my review on The Albigensian Crusade and the inquisition in the Languedoc, the area of South Western France, that I know. The Albigensian Crusade' was a war made on peace-loving, gentle and profoundly decent Christians, which makes it far more difficult to justify or even to understand on theological grounds.

As your introduction says: "Without lifting a sword, the Cathars posed a threat to Catholicism greater than the Muslims or Jews--or so the Church believed. " Yet, the Cathars posed no threat to the Catholic religion. They challenged the absurd claim of the Roman Catholic Church that it was -- and as the absurdity continues into our day is -- the "Only True Religion," while by every criteria of their shared "Christian" religion these "heretics" were far better men than the popes who ordered their murder.

I invite you to read this thin book, as an introduction to a visit to the community where I live -- the Languedoc, in the south west of France. Then come to see the monuments that these Cathars built out of stone in Montségur & Montaiollu, still visible through the ruins that remain of them; then come to Carcasonne to see the walls that held off the siege in the best preserved (and restored) medieval city in Europe, where we have great rock concerts in the summer; then on to Bézier, where I now shop for groceries, and where -- after reading this book -- one can not help but imagine the streets slick with blood and human grease following the slaughter of what this author calls 15 to 20,000 (then "A more conservative estimate puts the number at a mere 9,000.") Mr. Martin says: a "mere 9,000" while better estimates based upon more recent census information place that number at over 22,000, men women and children slaughtered in the street then incinerated while seeking refuge in Bézier's Cathedral.

Sean Martin does an excellent job of explaining the complex theological speculations that divided these groups of Christians. However, he is not as clear about the real reasons to which historians attribute this abomination. More sophisticated historians recognize that this crusade was only tangentially theological... Look at the map of France in 1209 at the beginning of the "Albigensian Crusade" then look at the map in 1329, at the end of this charade when the Inquisition posthumously burned the disinterred bones of Peter Clergue, the randy rector of Montaiollu. Those changes in the map of what is now called "France" betray a more credible reason for a litany of atrocities. A crusade in the name of religion was the largest land-grab in European history. Parisian princes with the power of a pope misnamed "Innocent," stole all the land from very near Paris to what we now call Spain. Theological window-dressing and the slaughter of innocents aside, that is the true history of the Albigensian Crusade.

While I, obviously, have very strong opinions about this period, I also respect good work and Mr. Martin has made an excellent introduction to this subject -- well grounded in scholarship -- and with a very useful timeline and bibliography. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the historical period, the social history of the inquisition or the region and spirit of the Occitan. I would put this at the top of my recommended reading list for anyone planning a visit to the southwest of France, an experience that I recommend to everyone.

Joey Tranchina
Sète, France

this is a very good well worth the time taken to read. Its gives a good history of the cathars and what they had to suffer

If you are going to visit Southern France and want a quick study on the subject of the Cathars, then this book will suffice. You'll probably be able to read it on the plane. From the short stories about Carcassone and Montsegur, and the eventual demise of the Cathars in the midst of the Albigensian crusade, this is a nice "readers digest" version of the sect. If however, you are looking for a deeper understanding of the Cathars, look to The Other God.

This is an interesting, short book about Cathars and the history of their persecution. Because of its shortness, it only gives a quick overview of the subject. It starts with a quick explanation of the Cathar movement and their philosophy. I wish it would go deeper into detail. True, there is not much that can be said about the origin of the Cathars, for their roots were never properly recorded. We have only few pieces of the puzzle and everything else is up for speculation. The Cathars themselves probably did not know their origins and history.

But as far as their beliefs are concerned, the Church and the Inquisition did obtain a large number of confessions from them and they infiltrated their movement. Numerous Cathar preachers openly debated Catholic theologians. There should be a lot more information about the details of their religion.

After a brief explanation of Catharism, the author goes into lengthy (relatively speaking) account of the wars against it. Then, we get an account of the impact of Catharism on the present day, which usually revolves around maverick historians and archeologists searching for the Cathar treasure, as well as a debate just what exactly this treasure was (gold, Holy Grail, descendant of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene).

As I said, the book is very brief. For those who are interested in Catharism, it makes a good introduction before moving on to bigger, more academic texts. For those who are only looking for quick, basic information, this is a good, easy read.

This lovely little book deals with a heresy that has continued to echo in the modern world, as the Cathars have come to be associated with the "Holy Grail" mystery that has spawned so much popular fiction in our time. There is little of the Pythonesque here, though, and thankfully none of the "Holy Blood" silliness that spawned a recent series of films. The Cathars almost bridge the heretical gap between early Christianity and the Reformation, leaving the record of non-Orthodox, proto-democratic churches almost unbroken since the time of Christ. This was something I was not entirely expecting. Further, this Dualist heresy was remarkably successful, almost coming to dominate in the South of France around Toulouse, where I have unsuspectingly been, and surviving into the 14th Century further East across Italy and latest in the Balkans.

Their fate at the hands of the Albigensian Crusade and the Inquisition is less of a surprise, although the scale of the slaughter is more than I knew. In another personal connection, I stood only months ago on the floor of the ampitheatre in Verona where 200 Cathars were burned. The castle at Montségur, so central to Grail mythology, was taken by the Crusade after a daring night-time climb and another 200 of the "Perfect" - accredited ascetic religious leaders something like a priesthood - burned on the pyres that they watched being erected from their battlements. The power of heresy over the heart is best illustrated by the fact that another 21 of those trapped were "consoled" - meaning to join the Perfect - before the castle fell, despite their knowing that this would condemn them to the fire.

So what is Catharism? It is a form of Dualism. They believed that the Earth and the material world are evil and under the sway of Satan. Moreover, they believed that the Church was an agent of Satan, which may explain some of their unpopularity. They gave exceptional recognition to the rights of women, a factor which echoes in today's liberal mind. The Perfect lived ascetic lives, receiving a "consolation" which lapsed if they or their Consoler stayed from the strait path set for them. They ate no meat and did not drink; they were to abstain from sex. The Cathars were widely recognised as the better Christians even by the orthodox.

They have passed into time at the hands of the stake and the interrogation stool. They will be missed. The world could have been very different had they survived.

This book covers Heresy as proclaimed by the Roman Catholic Church in the years 1095 to ca 1235. The Albiginians in Southern France and Northern Italy are chastised by the Popes in this era. A Crudade is sent to this area where 5000 people were burned at the stake for what they believed. They believed there was a God of Good and a God of Evil.Other heresies are mention and described.