The Cathars, Bogomils, and Albigenses

The Cathari were Dualists, and shared many traits with Manichaeism. They believed that the physical body was evil, but that the spirit was good and trapped within an evil vessel. As such they believed in avoiding all sexual intercourse, and even recommended suicide in some cases. Surprisingly, even with such self-destructive tendencies, these groups persisted for centuries all over Europe and were powerful enough to be persecuted by the Catholic Church.

Sample Reading:

• Cathari, from the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia
• Albigenses, from the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia
• Cathars, Wikipedia entry
• The Albigensians, from the Inquisitor's Manual of Bernard Gui, 14th century

Updated 08-17-2005. Problems? Contact chris@osric.com