The Beliefs and History of the Albigenses

Editor’s Note — The following contribution significantly updates the scholarship on the Albigenses found in the “Man of Sin” chapter of The Time is at Hand, Studies in the Scriptures, Volume 2. Departing from our usual literary style, the investigation of current scholarship by Bro. Timothy Krupa is based on visiting the Cathar Museum in Mazamet, France, and is told as an engaging first-person account.

Following is a quote from Studies in the Scriptures, Volume 2, pages 335, 336. “The Waldenses and Albigenses were the most numerous bodies of Protestants against Papacy; and when the literary awakening of the thirteenth century came, it was mainly from these that the truth shone out … their doctrines, backed by simplicity and morality, shone out with the greater luster in contrast to the pompous pride and flagrant immoralities of the then exalted Papacy. … “Pope Innocent III first sent missionaries to the districts in which the doctrines of the Albigenses had gained foothold, to preach Romanism, work miracles, etc.; but, finding these efforts unavailing, he proclaimed a crusade against them and offered to all who would engage in it the pardon of all sins and an immediate passport to heaven without passing through purgatory. With full faith in the pope’s power to bestow the promised rewards, half a million men — French, German and Italian — rallied around the standard of the cross, for the defense of Catholicism and the extinction of heresy. Then followed a series of battles and sieges covering a space of twenty years. The city of Beziers was stormed and taken in 1209, and the citizens, without regard for age or sex, perished by the sword to the number of sixty thousand, as reported by several historians. The blood of those who fled to churches, and were murdered there by the holy crusaders, drenched the altars and flowed through the streets.

“Lavaur was besieged in 1211. The governor was hanged on a gibbet, and his wife was thrown into a well and crushed with stones. The citizens were without discrimination put to death, four hundred being burned alive. The flourishing country of Languedoc was devastated, its cities burned, and its inhabitants swept away by fire and sword. It is estimated that one hundred thousand Albigenses fell in one day; and their bodies were heaped together and burned.

“All this rioting in blood and villainy was done in the name of religion: professedly for the glory of God and the honor of the church, but really to uphold Antichrist, sitting in the temple of God [the church], showing himself that he is a god — a powerful one — able to conquer and destroy his enemies. The clergy thanked God for the work of destruction, and a hymn of praise to God for the glorious victory at Lavaur was composed and sung. The dreadful carnage at Beziers was accounted as the ‘visible judgment of heaven’ on the heresy of Albigensianism. The crusaders attended high mass in the morning, and proceeded throughout the day to waste the country of Languedoc and murder its inhabitants.”

Cathar Museum Mazamet, Southern France

VARIED CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE

The Christian experience was very different, depending upon when in the past 2000 years you happened to live. The period historians call the Middle Ages has recently had more light shed on that era’s Christian life. Documents have come to light giving a much-changed viewpoint of what it meant to be a follower of Jesus and to be living in that time period. It is both a humbling and enlightening experience to realize what these people went through.

I was recently exposed to the accounts of a group of Christians who lived from 1100 to 1200 AD, about 900 years ago. This was not a small group, but consisted of thousands of people spread over what today are multiple countries, mostly in southern Europe. There is an expression, “History is recorded by the victors.” One of the important things to remember is that the historical accounts that we have from this period of history are very likely inaccurate. The original histories we have of this group were written by the people who wanted them destroyed. We have what the persecutors want us to believe. We have been previously given accounts by the people who hated them and by the people who killed them. Since the 1950’s, new material, new records, new documents, have come to light. I want to start their story with the list of their beliefs, because that is what attracted my attention.

1. They believed in one God. They did not believe in the Trinity.
2. They based their beliefs on the scriptures and they were able to make a translation of the Bible into their everyday language.
3. They did not believe in hell fire or eternal torment.
4. They did not accept the idea of the Mass.
5. The doctrine of transubstantiation was an anathema to them.
6. They were basically in conflict with just about everything Papacy promulgated, including worshiping the cross, obeying the Pope, believing in indulgences, etc. They even rejected having buildings of worship.
7. They did not believe in infant baptism. To them baptism was only proper for thinking adults.
8. They were ardent believers in the workings of the holy Spirit.
9. They favored the New Testament, and their favorite book was the Gospel of John. They doubted some of the New Testament cannon because the inclusion of these books was a decision made by the Papacy.
10. They had no priesthood. Each congregation chose its own leaders, they had elders and deacons.
11. Their daily behavior was so commendable that they were commonly called “the good men,” “the good women,” or “the pure ones [Cathars].” Those were not their chosen labels, but what other people saw in their behavior. And their behavior in almost all cases led to persecution and death by papal Rome.
12. Each congregation was independent. There was no central governing body or lead bishop.
13. Women were prominent in the group and in the gatherings. Likely the women were the actual majority.
14. They were very willing to die for what they believed. They were tortured, thousands were burned at the stake, but they chose that rather than succumb to the dictates of the Catholic Church. Records show that over 200,000 of these believers were killed by Papacy.

When I saw what they believed and how they lived, it became my opinion, that they were a group of consecrated Bible Students.

WHAT ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES?

What beliefs listed above would we not be in agreement with? As stated earlier we have to always keep in mind the idea of “fake news,” or in this case, “fake history.” We have to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1) and test especially the documentation by the Catholic Church. With that in mind, let us discuss some of the differences.

1. One example would be their view on how a person receives the Father’s holy Spirit. Here is what they did. After an adult person was baptized in water, someone who had previously been baptized would lay his hands on this new person and the Spirit was then transmitted by the “Laying on of hands.” We do not do it that way, but we will acknowledge that the idea of “laying on of hands” is mentioned in the scriptures. Some good references are Acts 8, Hebrews 6:2, and 1 Timothy 4:14.
2. Another difference is their observance of the Memorial supper. We observe it annually. They observed a weekly communion.
3. Another difference is that they frequently preached abstention from marriage. I will leave that discussion for someone wiser than I.
4. They also had “food rules,” and clearly the majority were vegetarians. I do not think the apostle Paul would have liked the food rules, judging by what he said to the Colossians and to Timothy.
5. They were accused of some gnostic beliefs (see the article “Gnostic Belief” in this issue), but I am not sure how accurate or widespread that accusation really was. I think that is what the Catholic historians wanted you to believe to put these believers in a bad light. It is also frequently said that they believed in two gods. And we would agree there is a God, our heavenly Father, and there is a god of this world 2 Corinthians 4:4. Context is important and it is doubtful if we can fully understand every detail of their beliefs, especially given their large numbers.
6. They were definitely confused on the resurrection. What they did perceive correctly was the need for an opportunity to reform after this life, but I am not thrilled with what they came up with in their understanding. I will repeat that their list of beliefs, that they clearly did subscribe to, absolutely amazes me.

WHAT WERE THEY CALLED?

This group was a humble group and they did not create a name for themselves, simply calling themselves “the poor of Christ,” “apostles,” or “God’s Christians.” What is interesting is what other people called them. The initial label they were given was “Arians,” then “Publicans, apostles of Satan,” and other pejorative labels. But one other name stuck with them, and it was quite respectful and scriptural. The Apostle Paul uses a word in his letter to the Colossians that means to be “pure.” This Greek word is “Cathar” (G2513). When Paul used this word, he chose to use it as a double negative, so he actually says “do not be un-pure.”

In health care you hear the expression, this medicine is a “cathartic.” That means it will clean you out. So, “cathar” means “pure,” “clean.” When their neighbors saw the daily behavior of these people, they acknowledged that these people were “pure,” and they gave them the nick-name of the “Pure people,” or the “Cathars.”

Additionally, they were also labeled for the city they came from, and Albi, in southern France, was one of their centers of activity. So frequently they were referred to as Albi-gen-sian’s.

HOW DID THEY LEARN THESE TRUTHS?

We would hope that they had some connection to the written word. We wonder: did they have any access to the scriptures? The short answer is yes.

There are several ways this happened. First, there was a cultural history in their part of the world that had a strong connection to the scriptures. Could this have been the various translations of Wycliffe, Tyndale, or Luther, etc.? No — all of these translations that we are familiar with were by men who lived hundreds of years after this group of Christians. However, there was a translation made in the 300’s AD. I am not sure why we do not hear more about this, because it had to be one of the earliest, common language translations of the scriptures. It had a profound effect on the people that lived in this same geographic area that years later the Cathars inhabited.

This is the story of Ulfilas. He was born in Asia Minor, present day Turkey, and educated as a Christian. As a young man he was sent to Europe as a Christian missionary. He did his missionary work with the people known as the Goths — “Goths,” as in Gothic architecture, etc. Remember, this was in the 300’s. [1]

Ulfilas converted these people to Christianity. He was amazingly effective. So much so that the entire nations of the Ostrogoths and the Visigoths were considered Christians. You might remember that the Romans called these people Barbarians. But, none the less, they were Christians.

The point here is that Ulfilas, in the 300’s AD, created for these people a translation of the Bible into their common language. This took place in the same geographic territory where the Cathars would live 800 years later. It was a cultural influence of being oriented to the scriptures. Additionally, both groups, Goths and Cathars, were Arians!

WHAT ELSE COULD HELP THEM WITH THEIR BELIEF SYSTEM?

We have the above-mentioned heritage of the Gothic scriptures initiated by Ulfilas. Secondly, as the Cathars grew in size, the Catholic Church reacted strongly. The first label of Arians was quickly switched to “Heretics.” [2]

One of the first approaches to subdue the Cathars was that Papacy enlisted the services of the monastic order of the Dominicans. The Dominicans were famous for their militaristic approaches to everything. But their brutality and physical attacks on the Cathars actually backfired. A large number of Dominican monks resisted the strong-armed approach and left the Dominican Order and joined the brotherhood of the Cathars. This group of former monks brought into the Cathar brotherhood a group of relatively well-educated Christians, a group familiar with the scriptures.

Dominican Inquisitor presents his findings on the Cathars to Pope Gregory IX.

This specific influx of educated monks added to the Cathar understanding and literacy of the scriptures. Records show that a number of this group were fluent in Greek, Arabic, and Hebrew, in addition to their native language, Occitan. It was not the Pope’s intention, but this involvement of the former Dominicans strengthened the academic belief system of the Cathars. It helped them get closer to the written word.

The next step, in helping these people develop their belief system, was the translation they made of the scriptures. This happened in the early 1200’s. They focused primarily on the New Testament, and the records say that their favorite book was the Gospel of John. This Bible and other of their writings are currently preserved in the French city of Lyon.

So, to the question, “did these people have any access to the written Word?,” the answer is yes. Their access had to be limited, especially in comparison to what we are blessed with in our times. But for that time period, it was remarkable.

BUT WAS THIS ENOUGH?

The majority of these people were illiterate. But is it possible that there was one more thing that could bring them to the level of understanding they demonstrated? [3]

We are drawn to the words of Jesus. Something he said on his last evening with his disciples. As we read these words, keep your mental vision on these groups in southern Europe, most of whom could not read, but they were ardent believers.

In John 14:26 Jesus said, “in my name, the Father will send you” (and I want to use the Greek word here) “the parakletos.” Jesus continues, “the parakletos … is the holy Spirit. The holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will be your teacher and will teach you all things.”

The Cathari may have been illiterate, with minimal leadership, surrounded by all the evils of the papacy, but they had beyond a doubt the parakletos right at their sides, guiding them. They threw out the Trinity doctrine, the mass, and big cathedrals. They would not worship the cross, nor transubstantiation, and observed no infant baptism. The apostle John, who recorded what Jesus had said that evening in his Gospel, later wrote about this subject again in his first epistle. In 1 John 2:27, it is as though he is quoting Jesus. “The holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will be your teacher and it will teach you all things.”

This is the most important part of our story. In the midst of the dark ages, in the midst of illiteracy, in the midst of the caldron of evil fomented by Papacy, these people had so much of the truth. My conclusion is that they got it because the Father’s Spirit was standing right along side of them.

WHAT HAPPENED?

What eventually happened to these people? From a human standpoint, it did not go well. They were the first major rebellion against the Catholic Church in Europe, and the church responded with great brutality. The Cathari were the reason for the creation of a special office within the Catholic Church that was named the Office of Inquiry. History has called this the Inquisition.

In 1184, Pope Lucius III sent bishops to southern France to track down heretics called Catharists. These efforts continued into the 14th Century. In 1231, Pope Gregory charged the Dominican and Franciscan Orders to take over the job of tracking down heretics. The use of torture was approved by Innocent IV in 1252. [4] Historians say a minimum of 200,000 were killed, and maybe it was close to a million people. This was truly a genocide. Most of them died by being burned at the stake.

In 1167, about 15 years before the inquisition was established, it is stated that the “Arians” of the regions surrounding Albi and Toulouse, in southern France, enjoyed an amazing amount of tolerance provided by the secular, anti-papacy authorities. They were allowed to preach and they even had public debates with the priests of the Catholic Church.

So in 1167, publicly and in complete security, they gathered in convention in Saint Felix, a small city between Toulouse and Albi. Brethren came from that area, also from northeastern France, from Champagne and Burgundy, from Italy, Lombardy, and one brother came from Constantinople. It must have been a wonderful gathering.

This story cannot be a depressing story. It is actually a story of the triumph of good people, God’s people, Christians who did what they were supposed to do. Let us be inspired by these brethren. Let us emulate their humility and courage.

— Br.  Timothy Krupa

 

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[1] Editor’s note: Ulfilas is the Latin version of the Greek Ourphilas, meaning “Beloved of Heaven.” In German this became Wulfila. He was an Arian in his beliefs. For further reading there is a good biography written by a Trinitarian author who grudgingly respects Ulfilas: Charles A. Anderson Scott, Ulfilas, Apostle to the Goths, MacMillan and Bowes, Cambridge (1885).

[2] Editor’s note: In German, “Katharer” (Cathars) was switched to “Ketzer,” meaning “Heretics.”

[3] Editor’s note: An expanded consideration of this “most important part of our story” may be found in the author’s discourse at the New York Labor Day Convention, September 3, 2023.

[4] Editor’s note: Papal Bull Ad Extirpanda, see Nielson.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Julie Roux-Perino, and Anne Brenon, The Cathars — In Situ, MSM Publishing (2006) ISBN 978-2-3508-0029-5.

Michele Aue, The Cathars — In Focus, MSM Publishing (1998) ISBN 978-2-9115-1541-5.

Brenda Lewis, A Dark History: The Popes, Metro Books, New York (2009) ISBN 978-1-4351-0210-1. (Especially chapters 2 and 3: Genocide: The Cathars, Part I and II).

Musée du Catharisme de Mazamet, History Museum in Mazamet, France, 16 Rue des Casernes, 81200 Mazamet, France. Personal visit and interviews of staff, 2023.

Multiple internet sources. Among the best: “Cathars and Cathar Beliefs in the Languedoc, Cathar Church vs. Catholic Church.”

Daniel Walther, “A Survey of Recent Research on the Albigensian Cathari,” Church History, Volume 34, Number 2 (June 1965), pages 146-177, Cambridge University Press.

Arno Borst, Die Katharer, Stuttgart: Hiersemann Verlag (1953) in German, pages 121f., etc. Arno Borst points out that there were two kinds of Cathars: Radikalen (Radicals) and Gemassigten (Moderates), which historians mostly overlook The Radicals believed there were two equal Gods, one good and one evil (page 154). “The Moderates suppose the generation of the Spirit from the Spirit and the Life from the life continues to the End of the World; only the Perfected need no more roam (the Earth); their souls await — and that is a western idea — in a Pre-paradise for the Last Day, which will decide between Good and Evil” (pages 168f.). It is often difficult to tell which group of Cathars is being accused, which makes it difficult to know how close to Bible Student teachings most of the Moderate Cathars were.

Donald A. Nielsen, “Rationalization in Medieval Europe: The Inquisition and Sociocultural Change,” International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society, Volume 2, Number 2 (Winter, 1988), pages 217-241.

 

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