Elaine B.
Summary:
After the Dominican friar, Bernard of Gui, was appointed to the Inquisition in 1307, he wrote, as a teaching tool for the identification of Cathar, or Albigensian, heretics, Manual for Inquisitors (Allen, Amt 241). Although the Cathar’s were devout in their profession of faith in Jesus Christ and the importance of the Apostle’s teachings, they rejected the authority of the papacy. Bernard of Gui first enumerates the points where the Cathar’s depart from Roman church’s teachings, then provides instructions for the interrogation of the accused, and finally, offers a warning to the inquisitor to guard themselves from being duped by the heretic’s verbal tactics.
Analysis:
The Cathars posed a problem for the Catholic Church primarily because they believed they were being true to apostolic teaching by abstaining from the rituals of the church. The Cathars held the conviction that matter was evil and that resulted in the denial of the incarnation of Christ – he could not have been flesh, because flesh, being matter, is evil (Voltz 141). It was considered heretical that the Cathars denied the authority of the priests to cleanse or purify, as they were unclean themselves, and they did not accept the sacraments of the church as sacred. For example, the Cathars argued that the Eucharist could not be Christ, as the Catholic church taught, because the bread was made of straw (grain), the flour passed through a sieve made of horse tail, and, once we ate it, became anything but pure (Allen, Amt 242). While the Cathars certainly had significantly different beliefs and practices, what may have been their most threatening practice was that of speaking to the laity of the church regarding the impurity and corruption of their leaders – even calling them Pharisees (Allen, Amt 241).
The Catholic Church saw the increased potential for the “infection” of others with heretical beliefs because the Cathars’ translated the Gospels and Epistles to their language and then interpreting them to support their beliefs and denounce the position of the church. By openly questioning the validity of the church’s authority with its laity and examining texts on their own, the Cathars were able to navigate the interrogation process so well that they might confuse their inquisitor (Allen, Amt 244). Guilt of the heretics could not always be readily determined, and Bernard of Gui was clear that threats were an acceptable method of persuasion. Because a single adverse witness against an accused would mean their death (Allen, Amt 245), they were doomed, not likely to find mercy in their inquisitor.
Summary:
After the Dominican friar, Bernard of Gui, was appointed to the Inquisition in 1307, he wrote, as a teaching tool for the identification of Cathar, or Albigensian, heretics, Manual for Inquisitors (Allen, Amt 241). Although the Cathar’s were devout in their profession of faith in Jesus Christ and the importance of the Apostle’s teachings, they rejected the authority of the papacy. Bernard of Gui first enumerates the points where the Cathar’s depart from Roman church’s teachings, then provides instructions for the interrogation of the accused, and finally, offers a warning to the inquisitor to guard themselves from being duped by the heretic’s verbal tactics.
Analysis:
The Cathars posed a problem for the Catholic Church primarily because they believed they were being true to apostolic teaching by abstaining from the rituals of the church. The Cathars held the conviction that matter was evil and that resulted in the denial of the incarnation of Christ – he could not have been flesh, because flesh, being matter, is evil (Voltz 141). It was considered heretical that the Cathars denied the authority of the priests to cleanse or purify, as they were unclean themselves, and they did not accept the sacraments of the church as sacred. For example, the Cathars argued that the Eucharist could not be Christ, as the Catholic church taught, because the bread was made of straw (grain), the flour passed through a sieve made of horse tail, and, once we ate it, became anything but pure (Allen, Amt 242). While the Cathars certainly had significantly different beliefs and practices, what may have been their most threatening practice was that of speaking to the laity of the church regarding the impurity and corruption of their leaders – even calling them Pharisees (Allen, Amt 241).
The Catholic Church saw the increased potential for the “infection” of others with heretical beliefs because the Cathars’ translated the Gospels and Epistles to their language and then interpreting them to support their beliefs and denounce the position of the church. By openly questioning the validity of the church’s authority with its laity and examining texts on their own, the Cathars were able to navigate the interrogation process so well that they might confuse their inquisitor (Allen, Amt 244). Guilt of the heretics could not always be readily determined, and Bernard of Gui was clear that threats were an acceptable method of persuasion. Because a single adverse witness against an accused would mean their death (Allen, Amt 245), they were doomed, not likely to find mercy in their inquisitor.