Chronicle of Laon
Summary: In this anonymous account of Peter Waldo, who is referred to as Valdes, the author tells of how Waldo started off in 1173 as a wealthy man. After hearing the story of how St. Alexis died a holy death, Waldo seeks spiritual advice and is advised to give away his wealth and possessions, which he does promptly. Waldo’s wife is given his property, his daughters are given a portion of his wealth, and the wealth which he acquired through immoral means is returned. Waldo distributes food to people during a time of famine and assures people that he is not crazy, but has only realized that he was wrong to have cared more about money than about God and hopes to help others realize the same.
The author then jumps to the year 1177, when people have begun to follow Waldo and to preach publicly. When the Lateran Council later condemns heresy, Waldo and his followers are forbidden to preach unless requested to do so by priests. The author points out that this order is obeyed at first, but that Waldo and his followers eventually disobey the order “bringing ruin on themselves” (Rosenwein 405).
Analysis: Before Peter Waldo gave away his possessions and committed himself to living an apostolic life of poverty, he was a wealthy man who had made his money immorally by charging excessive interest on the money he lent out. Perhaps because of the contrasting ideals between the "immoral" way he had been living and the apostolic life of the Saint's story which struck him, Waldo became concerned about what would happen to his soul after death and sought advice about the most reliable way to secure a place for himself in the afterlife. In response to his inquiries, this passage was quoted to him: "If thou wilt be perfect go sell what thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. And come follow me." (Rosenwein 404). After heeding this advice and giving away all of his wealth, Waldo's new life imitates the apostolic life with a deep commitment to live in poverty and a focus only on serving God.
Although Waldo and his followers, the Waldensians, did not actually oppose any teachings or doctrine of the church at their time of condemnation and expulsion from Lyons, they were seen as a threat to the papacy because of their refusal to stop preaching in public while they were not ordained priests. Since "it was contrary to canon law for laypeople to preach" (Volz 140), I'm sure the disobedience of the Waldensians, and their belief that the authority to exercise priestly functions was based on the "merit of individual piety" (Volz 141) was seen as a movement that must be restrained in order to preserve the superiority and authority of the papacy, as well as the general hierarchical structure of the church.
Chronicle of Trier
Summary: Written by monks from a monastery outside of Trier, this chronicle records some of the heretical persecution which took place during the year 1231. Conrad of Marburg, a papal inquisitor, is described as being a “guiding genius” of these persecutions who feared no authority and was cooperated with wherever he went (Rosenwein 411). Suspected heretics could confess or be burned and were not given a chance to defend themselves After confessing, heretics were forced to name their associates and the author believes that many innocents were accused by people who wished them harm.
The chronicle goes on to name a few specific heretics who were apprehended and a few of the beliefs held by heretics. It is also noted that the archbishop of Trier made a public announcement concerning heretics who had given their bishop his same name so that, if questioned, they could say they followed Bishop Theodoric, though they actually were referring to a different bishop Theodoric.
Analysis: According to the Chronicle of Trier, some of the "most outstanding" (Rosenwein 412) beliefs and practices of heretics included not believing in the sacrament of the Lord's body, performing a second baptism, denying the value of the Church's prayers for the dead, refusing to keep holidays or fasts, and scorning the supreme pontiff, the clergy, and the monastic life (remember this account was written by monks). Also included in the Chronicle are some decidedly more exaggerated beliefs and practices such as taking their own mothers in marriage and kissing pallid men and cats (Rosenwein 412), probably included to emphasis the extreme immorality of the heretics.
To combat growing heresy, the Council of Verona, in 1184, began having every bishop make formal inquests in order to root out heresy, and in 1233 Pope Gregory IX established the papal inquisition (Volz 142). Anyone suspected of heresy or of being associated with heretics was given no opportunity to defend themselves, but was instead forced to confess and shave their head as a sign of penance or else be burned. No one was willing to speak up for the accused for fear of being accused themselves, and according to the pope’s decision, any defenders of heretics and any heretical relapse was grounds for immediate apprehension and burning (Rosenwein 411).
By giving the suspected heretics no chance to defend themselves, the Church was attempting to ensure that any hint of heresy would swiftly be eliminated and that others would be deterred from going against the Church as well.
By treating defenders and associates of heretics the same as heretics themselves, the Church made sure that the majority of the population was too afraid to interfere with its actions. In addition to a swift and unchallenged condemnation, making the heretic shave their head in penance would have been a good way for the Church to show off it's power and, again, warn people against challenging its authority. As Volz states, the papal inquisition was intended to "root out heresy but in practice was often an instrument of papal control" (142).