Cathars - 2nd Edition

Name: Cathars - 2nd Edition
Brand: Taylor & Francis

Taylor & Francis

This book examines how in the twelfth century the Cathars raised fundamental issues of faith and the nature of society, issues which remain deeply relevant to our own time. > \nIn the second half of the twelfth century, the Catholic Church became convinced that dualist heresy was taking root within Christian society and that it was particularly strong in southern France. The nature and extent of this heresy and the reaction of the Church to the perceived threat have been the focus of extensive research since the mid-nineteenth century, research which has become especially intense in the last decade. \nMalcolm Barber's second edition of The Cathars (which first appeared in 2000) brings readers up-to-date with the challenges to previous conclusions of recent scholarship. At the same time, the wider implications of the subject remain relevant, most importantly the fundamental questions raised by the belief in the existence of evil, the ethical problems presented by the use of coercio.