Medieval Heresy

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Medieval Heresy
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Medieval Heresy

• How can we describe the heretical movements in
  western Europe during the Middle Ages?
• How can we accurately describe the Churchs
  methods of responding to heresy?

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Medieval Heresy

• Heresy in Medieval Western Europe
• Regarded as serious sin, spiritual infection
• Viewed as treason against the state
• Responses persuasion, repression

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Medieval Heresy

• Cathars (Albigensians)
• World and matter evil, created by evil god
• Old Testament vs. New
• Christ not truly human, but heavenly guide
• Salvation
• Liberation of spirit
• Through acknowledging human condition, contempt
  of matter

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Medieval Heresy

• Cathars
• Consisted of perfect, believers
• Severe asceticism for perfect
• Major rite consolamentum
• After period of probation, fasting
• Begins journey home, apostolic life
• Bishops, deacons

Consolamentum
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Medieval Heresy

• Peter Waldo (d. ca. 1218)
• Wealthy merchant of Lyon
• Inspired by Gospel to life of poverty, preaching
  (1173)
• Attracted disciples
• Church would not sanction their preaching

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Medieval Heresy

• The Waldensians (Poor of Lyon)
• Refused to submit ? excommunicated, expelled from
  Lyon
• Detested Roman Church, its corruption
• Maintained lives of strict poverty, preached
• Survived Middle Ages

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Medieval Heresy
Chiesa Valdese, Piazza Cavour, Rome
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Medieval Heresy
Pope Francis seeking forgiveness from Waldensians
of Turin (June 2015)
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Medieval Heresy

• Questions?

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Medieval Heresy

• Medieval Inquisition
• Established 1231
• Founding objectives
• Detect, combat heresy
• Convert the heretic
• Inquisitors
• Usually friars trained as priests
• Traveled in pairs with aides, notaries

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Medieval Heresy

• Inquisitio
• Upon inquisitors arrival, summons delivered to
  those suspect
• The inquest
• Summary of charges presented, suspect given time
  to respond
• Witnessed summoned (identities not revealed)
• Suspect questioned regarding heretical beliefs,
  contact with heretics
• Goal abjuration of heresy
• Torture used after 1252, with restrictions

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Medieval Heresy

• Punishments
• Regular penances
• Wearing yellow cross
• Imprisonment
• Burning

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Medieval Heresy

• Witchcraft
• Considered mixture of heresy, sorcery
• Focus of inquisitors during Late Middle Ages
• Hammer of Witches (1486)
• Inquisitors manual on witchcraft, demonology
• Misogynistic!
• Joan of Arc executed as a heretic-witch (1431)

Hermann Stilke, Joan of Arcs Death at the Stake
(1843)
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Medieval Heresy
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Medieval Heresy

• The Spanish Inquisition
• Instituted 1478 by Ferdinand and Isabella
• Efficient and brutal!
• Supervised first by Tomás Torquemada (1420-1498)
• Principal target crypto-Jews among conversos
• Abolished 1834

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Medieval Heresy
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Medieval Heresy

• The Albigensian Crusade (1209-1229)
• Cathars lived securely in Languedoc
• Unsuccessful preaching, murder of legate ?
  Innocent III called for crusade
• Northern army led campaign against Cathars, their
  protectors
• Cathars eliminated

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Medieval Heresy

• Questions?

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Medieval Heresy

• How can we describe the heretical movements in
  western Europe during the Middle Ages?
• How can we accurately describe the Churchs
  methods of responding to heresy?

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Primary Source

• The Laws concerning Mashiach
• Who was the author?
• What kind of source?
• According to the document, who was Mashiach? What
  could be expected during the messianic era?
• What did the author have to say about
  Christianity? Why do the quotations in the
  footnotes matter historically?

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Primary Source

• Fulcher of Chartres Source
• What kind of source?
• Who was the speaker?
• What were the problems in the East, and in the
  West? What did the speaker urge those present to
  do about it?
• How were the Muslims described?

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Primary Source

• The Crusaders in Mainz
• What kind of source?
• Who was the author?
• What happened?
• How did the author view Christians and their
  religion?
• How did the author view his coreligionists and
  their response to the Christians?

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Primary Source

• Inquisitorial Technique
• What kind of source?
• Who was the author?
• What do we learn about the inquisitorial process?
• What can we discern about exchanges between
  inquisitors and suspected heretics?