The Catholic Church and Heresy

Paper Summary:

This paper considers the period of c.1100 - 1215, which was an epoch that was marked by the Catholic Church's war against heretics. The paper first identifies the three different heretical movements and then reflects upon the means that the Church used to try and defeat these movements, religious groups, and apparent sects, In the conclusion, the paper attempts to determine the degree of success that was achieved.

Outline:
Introduction
Historical Heretic Movements
The Waldensian Heresy
Bolomilism, Paulicianism, and Manichaeism
The Cathars
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The Cathars, who mainly inhabited the Languedoc region of France, were also an alternative and popular movement that experienced spectacular success in attaining conversions. A phenomenon, such as had not been seen by the Roman Church since the early days of Christianity, the belief was rapidly expanding throughout and beyond the southern regions of France. The threat of this was so great that the Church offered "legally sanctioned dominion over conquered lands to northern French nobles and the King of France" (The Chronicle of William of Puylaurens, Introduction, 2003). Therefore, political and economic gain were important contributing factors, with royalty essentially behaving as Catholic mercenaries, who then received whole areas of France."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Benjamin D. Wicker, Catholic Education.org, Inquisition in the Catholic Church, Online Article, 2007. Information retrieved 04/23/2007. < http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/history/world/wh0029.html
• Jewishvirtuallibrary.org, Online Article, The Inquisition, 2007. Information retrieved 04/23/2007. < http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Inquisition.html>
• The Chronicle of William of Puylaurens: The Albigensian Crusade and Its Aftermath. Contributors: M. D. Sibly - transltr, W. A. Sibly - transltr, William - author. Publisher: Boydell Press. Place of Publication: Rochester, NY. Publication Year: 2003.

More papers on The Catholic Church and Heresy:

• Term Paper # 144836 : "Heresy in the Catholic Church"
• Term Paper # 144598 : "Magic, Heresy and the Medieval Church"
• Term Paper # 114098 : "The Reformation"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: