The Cathars of Languedoc as Heretics: From the Perspectives of Five Contemporary Scholars

Description

The purpose of this dissertation is to demonstrate that the Cathar community of Languedoc, far from being heretics as is generally thought, practiced an early form of Christianity. A few scholars have suggested this interpretation of the Cathar beliefs, but none have pursued it critically. In this paper I use two approaches. First, this study will examine the arguments of five contemporary English language scholars who have dominated the field of Cathar research in both Britain and the United States over the last thirty years, and their views have greatly influenced the study of the Cathars. Each historian represents a different approach to Cathar research, such as religious studies, political history, etc.; so their research exemplifies a broad spectrum of historical and religious ideas. This is a unique opportunity to examine a body of scholarly work that has had an impact on this area of history. Four of these scholars view the Cathars as heretics. One of the five, an American scholar, has formulated a new approach which argues that the phenomenon of "good men" and "good women" (as the Cathars were known locally) was local only, and has no important effect on European history. It is my argument that these five historians' conclusions prevent them from asking the questions that would have led to a more fair and accurate assessment of the Cathars and their place in history.