The Albigensian Crusade was one of the darker periods in the history of the Catholic Church. The Cathars were a group of Christians in France who came to believe a heretical doctrine with roots in Gnosticism. They believed the God of the Old Testament was evil and actually Satan. In the early part of the 13th century, Pope Innocent III initiated the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathars. Over a 20 year period, up to 200,000 people were killed during this crusade. The heresy was for the most part crushed, although small pockets of it remained for the next one-hundred years.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
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2 comments:
Thanks for the posting.
Innocent III wasn't very innocent. He's the one who said, "Kill them all. God will find his own." From which we get the familiar military slogan.
I read a Cathar quote that called the Roman Church "a bawd and a whore." The Cathars also published the Gospels in local vernacular long before the Protestant Reformation.
The Catholic Church has such a fascinating history. I really enjoy reading about it.
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