[22]Part II, pp. 273, 274, Venice.[23]v. infra, p. 83.[24]Chronicle, Migne's "Patrol," Tom. 141, p. 63.[25]"History," Book III, Chap. 8.[26]D'Achery "Spicilegium," Vol. I, p. 604.[27]Incidentally we may note the fact of a Council called to decide a matter of faith presided over by a layman, with laymen as co-judges with ecclesiastics.[28]Agono.[29]"Chron. epis. Albig. et Abbot. Cast.," D'Achery, III, 572. Radulf Ardens, however, preacher of William IX, Duke of Aquitaine (d. 1137), speaks of the heretics as Manichees ("Sermons," p. 325),v. infra, p. 39.[30]Peter himself was dead byA.D.1121.v.Abelard, opp. p. 1066.[31]Migne, "Patrol," Tom. 189, p. 719.[32]Ibid., p. 1079.[33]Preacher of William IX, Duke of Aquitaine. This wasc.A.D.1101. Thirteen years later (A.D.1114) Robert of Arbrisselles, summoned by the Bp. Amelius to Toulouse, by his eloquence and reasoning brought back many into the fold of the Church (Percin, II, 3).[34]"Sermones in Cantica," LXVI (Song of Solomon, ii, 15).[35]This heresy cannot be identified with that of the Publicani, if William of Newbury can be trusted in his account of the Council of Oxford,A.D.1160. (L. ii. cap. xiii.) "At the same time there came into England certain wayfarers (erronei), believed to be of that body commonly called Publicani. These, doubtless, had their originin Gasconyfrom an author unknown, and had poured the poison of their perfidy into many regions. They were, however, ignorant rustics and dull of understanding.... From this and other plagues of heresy England has certainly been free (immunis), although in other parts of the world so many heresies have sprouted up. There were thirty of them, both men and women, under the leadership of one Gerard, who alone was educated. In nation and language they were Teutons, but they had contrived to bewitch with their sorceries a little woman of England." Examined by the Council of Bishops summoned by the King, Gerard said they were Christians and venerated Apostolic doctrine, but rejected Holy Baptism, the Eucharist, marriage and Catholic unity. Refusing to recant, they were handed over to the secular arm, branded on the forehead, beaten, expelled out of the city and made outlaws. Only "the little woman" recanted; the remainder perished miserably by cold and exposure.[36]For 1165 Labbe and Fleury; also, the Archives of the Inquisition of Carcassonne. Trenveçal, Viscount of Albi, who was present, died in 1167. For 1176 Roger de Hoveden.[37]Neander, without authority, calls them Catharists.[38]Hugo, Bp. of Durham; John, Bp. of Norwich; Robert, Bp. of Hereford; and Reginald, Bp. of Bath—the maximum number invited.[39]Laurence, Archbp. of Dublin, and Catholicus, Archbp. of Tuam, and five or six bishops (Binius).[40]Binius mentions some of their opinions, which he assigns, erroneously, to the Waldenses. (1) No obedience to the Roman Pontiff; his decrees are nullius momenti. (2) Judgement by blood forbidden. (3) Righteous laymen can consecrate: unrighteous laymen lose their power. (4) Consecration of the elements once in the year, without "hoc est corpus meum," but by saying Pater noster seven times. (5) Derided indulgences, purgatory, invocation of saints, miracles, feasts and fasts of the Church, Angel's salutation and Apostles' creed. (6) Urenti carnis libidine omnem carnalem commixtionem licitam esse. (7) The "Perfect" ought not to do manual labour.[41]"Gretzer," Vol. XII.[42]The first creator was (i) a liar, because he said man should surely die if he ate of the tree, and he did not; and (ii) a murderer because he sent the Flood.[43]Paschasius Radbert used the same argument.[44]"Gretzer," Vol. XII.[45]This view of carnal Matrimony being a sin is also given in a book called "Supra Stella," by Salve Burce, a citizen of Piacenza,A.D.1235, in which all heretics are charged with agreeing that "Matrimony makes us debtors to the flesh," which saints must not be (Rom. viii). Frederick William Garsias declared before the Inquisition of Carcassonne that there was no Matrimony except between the soul and God.[46]It is worth while noticing that this withdrawal was made when it was pointed out to him that theEastern Churchdid not enforce celibacy on its clergy. Does this show a lingering preference for the East as against the West?[47]v.p. 60, note.[48]v.p. 58. Had they been Cathari, the points of controversy would have been more pronounced and fundamental.[49]v.p. 63.[50]This was also the opinion of Origen.[51]Or the Satan-God.
[22]Part II, pp. 273, 274, Venice.
[23]v. infra, p. 83.
[24]Chronicle, Migne's "Patrol," Tom. 141, p. 63.
[25]"History," Book III, Chap. 8.
[26]D'Achery "Spicilegium," Vol. I, p. 604.
[27]Incidentally we may note the fact of a Council called to decide a matter of faith presided over by a layman, with laymen as co-judges with ecclesiastics.
[28]Agono.
[29]"Chron. epis. Albig. et Abbot. Cast.," D'Achery, III, 572. Radulf Ardens, however, preacher of William IX, Duke of Aquitaine (d. 1137), speaks of the heretics as Manichees ("Sermons," p. 325),v. infra, p. 39.
[30]Peter himself was dead byA.D.1121.v.Abelard, opp. p. 1066.
[31]Migne, "Patrol," Tom. 189, p. 719.
[32]Ibid., p. 1079.
[33]Preacher of William IX, Duke of Aquitaine. This wasc.A.D.1101. Thirteen years later (A.D.1114) Robert of Arbrisselles, summoned by the Bp. Amelius to Toulouse, by his eloquence and reasoning brought back many into the fold of the Church (Percin, II, 3).
[34]"Sermones in Cantica," LXVI (Song of Solomon, ii, 15).
[35]This heresy cannot be identified with that of the Publicani, if William of Newbury can be trusted in his account of the Council of Oxford,A.D.1160. (L. ii. cap. xiii.) "At the same time there came into England certain wayfarers (erronei), believed to be of that body commonly called Publicani. These, doubtless, had their originin Gasconyfrom an author unknown, and had poured the poison of their perfidy into many regions. They were, however, ignorant rustics and dull of understanding.... From this and other plagues of heresy England has certainly been free (immunis), although in other parts of the world so many heresies have sprouted up. There were thirty of them, both men and women, under the leadership of one Gerard, who alone was educated. In nation and language they were Teutons, but they had contrived to bewitch with their sorceries a little woman of England." Examined by the Council of Bishops summoned by the King, Gerard said they were Christians and venerated Apostolic doctrine, but rejected Holy Baptism, the Eucharist, marriage and Catholic unity. Refusing to recant, they were handed over to the secular arm, branded on the forehead, beaten, expelled out of the city and made outlaws. Only "the little woman" recanted; the remainder perished miserably by cold and exposure.
[36]For 1165 Labbe and Fleury; also, the Archives of the Inquisition of Carcassonne. Trenveçal, Viscount of Albi, who was present, died in 1167. For 1176 Roger de Hoveden.
[37]Neander, without authority, calls them Catharists.
[38]Hugo, Bp. of Durham; John, Bp. of Norwich; Robert, Bp. of Hereford; and Reginald, Bp. of Bath—the maximum number invited.
[39]Laurence, Archbp. of Dublin, and Catholicus, Archbp. of Tuam, and five or six bishops (Binius).
[40]Binius mentions some of their opinions, which he assigns, erroneously, to the Waldenses. (1) No obedience to the Roman Pontiff; his decrees are nullius momenti. (2) Judgement by blood forbidden. (3) Righteous laymen can consecrate: unrighteous laymen lose their power. (4) Consecration of the elements once in the year, without "hoc est corpus meum," but by saying Pater noster seven times. (5) Derided indulgences, purgatory, invocation of saints, miracles, feasts and fasts of the Church, Angel's salutation and Apostles' creed. (6) Urenti carnis libidine omnem carnalem commixtionem licitam esse. (7) The "Perfect" ought not to do manual labour.
[41]"Gretzer," Vol. XII.
[42]The first creator was (i) a liar, because he said man should surely die if he ate of the tree, and he did not; and (ii) a murderer because he sent the Flood.
[43]Paschasius Radbert used the same argument.
[44]"Gretzer," Vol. XII.
[45]This view of carnal Matrimony being a sin is also given in a book called "Supra Stella," by Salve Burce, a citizen of Piacenza,A.D.1235, in which all heretics are charged with agreeing that "Matrimony makes us debtors to the flesh," which saints must not be (Rom. viii). Frederick William Garsias declared before the Inquisition of Carcassonne that there was no Matrimony except between the soul and God.
[46]It is worth while noticing that this withdrawal was made when it was pointed out to him that theEastern Churchdid not enforce celibacy on its clergy. Does this show a lingering preference for the East as against the West?
[47]v.p. 60, note.
[48]v.p. 58. Had they been Cathari, the points of controversy would have been more pronounced and fundamental.
[49]v.p. 63.
[50]This was also the opinion of Origen.
[51]Or the Satan-God.
A movementwhich claimed to be a revival, and even a survival, of primitive Christianity would not be likely to frame its constitution and orders upon the lines of a Church which it regarded as hopelessly corrupt, and which subjected it to pitiless persecution; any likeness between the two would be due merely to the claim or fact that they were derived from a common source. The Roman Church had three Orders—Priests, Deacons, and Sub-deacons; the Catharists also had three Orders—Majors, Presbyters and Deacons; but the difference was fundamental, for whereas the Roman Orders were sacramental, the Catharist were merely executive. Apostolic Succession was not confined to commissioned officers, but included the rank and file. It was proved not by ecclesiastical pedigrees, but by personal experience and responsive conduct. For it was the direct gift of the Holy Spirit to the individual, and was not mediated through man. These Spirit-filled persons composed the true Church. It is less true to say that the heretics were "praecisi ab ecclesia"[52]than that they deliberately repudiated and left the Church because it had forfeited its status by quenching the Holy Spirit,as was shewn by its corruptions and persecutions. The loss of the Holy Spirit involved the loss of its power to excommunicate. Only those were successors of the Apostles who copied their life.
As life is in the whole body and in every member of the body, so the Holy Spirit was in their Church and in every member of the same. Hence, too, every local Church possessed the authority of the whole to elect its officers, whose authority, again, was not limited to such local Church, but could be exercised anywhere. Nor, when once conferred, was this authority regarded as a personal charisma. They did not say: "Ego te absolvo," but "Deus tua peccata tibi dimittat."[53]
The Waldenses, however, were less uncompromising in their attitude towards Roman Orders. Thus Raymond, the Waldensian Deacon, in his inquisition at Languedoc, declared that their Majors didnothave the keys of the kingdom of heaven, but did have thesamepowers of Absolution as Bishops of the Roman Church, and that their Presbyters had equal powers with the priests of the Roman Church, "quia idem sunt in fide et in credulitate." On the other hand, Raymond Valsiera of Ax, described as a Manichee, and a pupil of the intransigeant William Autéri, in his confession, denied to the prelates and priests of the Roman Church any power to absolve, because they were the enemies of the Holy Faith.
Adherents were divided into Credents and Perfects, the latter being the more advanced. A movement exposed to constant persecution and espionage would exercise the greatest care in admission to its membership, and only after the most searching examination and mostsolemn promises were its doors thrown open to applicants. Initiation into membership was called by enemies "heretication," and was of a more elaborate character with the Catharists than with the Waldenses. According to Peter de Vaux-Sarnai in his "Historia Albigensium," the Waldenses, of whom he held a higher opinion than of other heretics,[54]had an initiatory rite which involved a total renunciation of their Roman baptism and Creed. "When any one joins the heretics, he who receives him says, 'Friend, if you wish to be of us, you ought to renounce the whole Faith which the Roman Church holds,' He answers, 'I do renounce it.' 'Therefore receive the Holy Spirit from good men,' and then he breathes seven times on his face. Then he says to him, 'Do you renounce that cross which the priest made on you in your baptism on breast and shoulders and head with oil and chrism?' He answers, 'I do renounce it.' 'Do you believe that water works salvation for you?' He answers, 'I do not believe it.' 'Do you renounce that veil which the priest placed on your head for you when you were baptized?' He answers, 'I do renounce it.' Then he receives the baptism of the heretics. All then place their hands upon his head and kiss him and clothe him in a black robe, and from that hour he is one of them." This catechism confirms the statement of Ermengard, who wrote a tract against the Waldenses (although he does not mention them by name) that the sacrament of Baptism was unprofitable, unless a person answered with his own mouth and from his heart. Imposition of hands was substituted for affusion of water, the kiss of peace for the oil of chrism, so that the charge ofAnabaptism cannot be maintained.
We are better served in our information of Catharistritual since the publication by L. Cledat in 1887 of the New Testament,[55]which was translated in the thirteenth century into Provençal, and to which is appended the Catharist ritual preserved in folio 235 of MS. 36 of the MSS. in the Library of St. Peter's Palace at Lyons.
The Credents had first of all to make their confession in these words: "We confess our sins before God and you, and before the ordinances of Holy Church, that we may receive pardon and penance for all sins in thought and word and deed, and for all offences in the sight of the Father, the Son and the honoured Holy Spirit and of the honoured holy Apostles, by prayer and faith and by the salvation of all the loyal glorious Christians and blessed ancestors asleep and the brethren here present, and before you, holy Lord, that you may pardon all that in which we have sinned. Benedicite, parcite nobis. And whereas the holy word of God instructs us, as also the holy Apostles, and our spiritual brethren tell us that we should renounce all the lusts of the flesh and all impurity, we confess that we have not done so. Benedicite, parcite nobis." (Other sins are also confessed, and each confession ends with "Benedicite, parcite nobis").
"The Credent must then fast, and when the Christians agree to deliver to him the orison (Lord's Prayer) they shall wash their hands, and the Credent shall do likewise. Then one of the Good Men, who is next unto the Elder, shall make three bows (révérances) to the Elder, and then prepare a table, and having made three morebows, shall place a cloth upon it, and having made three more bows, shall place the book upon the cloth, and shall say, 'Benedicite, parcite nobis.' Then the Credent shall make his melioramentum,[56]and take the book from the hand of the Elder, who shall then admonish him and preach to him with suitable proofs (témoignages). And if the Credent is called Peter, he shall say: 'Peter, you must understand that you are before the Church of God, you are before the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. For the Church means union, and where are true Christians, there are the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (St. Matt. xviii. 20; St. John xiv. 23; 2 Cor. vi. 16, 18; xiii. 2; 1 Tim. iii. 14, 15; Heb. iii. 6). The Spirit of God is with the faithful of Jesus Christ, and Christ dwells in them [as stated] in St. John xiv. 15-18; St. Matt. xxviii. 20; 1 Cor. iii. 16, 17; St. Matt. x. 20; 1 St. John iv. 13; Gal. iv. 6. For God's people separated themselves of old from their Lord God. And they separated themselves from the counsel and will of their Holy Father by the deceit of evil spirits and by yielding to their will. And for these and many other reasons they were made to understand that the Holy Father wishes to have mercy upon His people, and to receive them into peace and concord by the advent of His Son, Jesus Christ, and this is your opportunity. For you are here before the disciples of Jesus Christ in the place where spiritually dwell the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, as we have shewn above, to receive the holy orison which Jesus Christ has given to His disciples in order that your orisons and prayers may be granted by our Holy Father. This is why you ought to understand, if you wish to receive this holy orison, that you must repent of all your sins and forgive all people. (St. Matt. vi. 15).... It follows that you purpose tokeep this holy orison all your life, if God give you grace to receive it, according to the custom of the Church of God, with chastity and truth and all other virtues which God shall please to give you. This is why we pray to the good Lord Who has given to the disciples of Jesus Christ the virtue to receive this holy orison with stedfastness, that He may give you also the grace to receive it with stedfastness, both to His honour and your salvation. P.N.'
"Then the Elder says the orison, and the Credent repeats it. Then the Elder says: 'We deliver this holy orison in order that you may receive it of God and of us and of the Church, and have power to say it all your life, day and night, alone and in company, and that you never eat or drink without first saying this orison.' And he shall say, 'I receive it of God and of you and of the Church.' He shall then make his melioramentum and give thanks, and then the Christians shall make a 'double avec veniae' (? 'Benedicite, parcite nobis,' twice), and the Credent shall say it after them.
And if he ought to be 'consoled'[57]on the spot, the Credent must make his melioramentum, and take the book from the hand of the Elder. And the Elder shall admonish him and preach to him with suitable proofs and such words as are appropriate to his consolamentum,[57]and say thus: 'Peter, you wish to receive spiritual baptism whereby is given the Holy Spirit unto the Church of God, with the holy orison, with the imposition of the hands of the Good Men. Of this baptism our Lord speaks (St. Matt. xxviii. 19, 20; St. Mark xvi. 15; St. John iii. 5; i. 16, 17; St. Mark iii. 11; Acts i. 5). This baptism by the imposition of hands has been instituted by Jesus Christ (St. Mark xvi. 18; Acts ix. 17, 18), and afterwards Paul and Barnabas practised it in severalplaces. This holy baptism by which the Holy Spirit is given the Church has kept since the Apostles until now, and it has come from the Good Men to the Good Men until now, and will be unto the end of the world. And you must understand that power is given to the Church of God to bind and loose, to forgive and retain sin, as Christ said (St. John xx. 21; St. Matt. xvi. 18, 19; xviii. 19, 20 [18, 19]; x. 8; St. John xiv. 12; St. Mark xii. 17; St. Luke x. 19). And if you wish to receive this power, you must keep all the commandments of Christ and the New Testament according to your power. And know that He has commanded that man shall not commit adultery, or murder, or lie; that he shall not swear any oath; that he shall not seize or rob; he must pardon and love his enemies; pray for his calumniators; if one strike him on one cheek, turn to him the other also; must hate the world and the things that are in the world (1 St. John ii. 16, 17; St. John vii. 7; Book of Solomon [Eccles.] i. 14; St. Jude, brother of St. James, 23).' And he shall say: 'I have this will: pray to God for me that He will give me His power.' And then one of the Good Men shall make his melioramentum with the Credent to the Elder and say, 'Parcite nobis. Good Christians! we pray you by the love of God that you grant this blessing, which God has given you, to our friend here present.' And the Credent shall make his melioramentum and say, 'Parcite nobis. For all sins I ask the pardon of God and the Church and you all.' And the Christians shall say, 'By God and us and the Church they have been forgiven you. And we pray God that He will forgive you.' And then they shall console him. And the Elder shall take the book and place it upon his head and the other Good Men shall each take his right hand, and say the 'parcias' and 'adoremus' three times, and then: 'Holy Father,receive Thy servant into Thy righteousness and put Thy grace and holy spirit upon him,' And then they shall pray to God with the orison, and he who directs the service ought to say in a low voice the 'sixaine,' and then the 'adoremus' three times and the orison once in a loud voice, and then the Gospel. And when the Gospel is said, they ought to say 'Adoremus' three times and the Gratia and the Parcias.
Before a Credent was admitted to membership he had solemnly to promise to submit to the "Abstinence" or discipline of the Church which comprised certain rules of conduct, and the Church had to satisfy itself that the applicant was of sufficient moral strength to discharge his obligations. Thus, if a Christian comes into a place of danger he shall pray the Gratia. If anyone mounts a horse he shall observe the double (i.e. says the orison twice). If he goes on board ship, or enters a town, or passes over a plank or a dangerous bridge, he shall say the orison. If he finds anything on the road, he must not touch it, if he knows the owner. If he knows the owner, but cannot overtake him, he must leave the article on the road. If he wishes to drink or eat he must say the orison twice before and twice after doing so. Christians must visit sick Christians, and inquire into their life. Christians must pay their debts, and shall not be received into membership until they have done so, but if they cannot pay, they are not to be repelled on that account. They must promise to hold their heart and their goods, both present and future, at the disposal of God and the Church. If an applicant for membership agrees to all this, the Good Men answer: "We impose on you this Abstinence that you may receive it of God and of us and of the Church, and may you keep it all your life. For if you observe it well, with the other things which you have to do, we have hope that your soul will havelife." And he shall answer: "I receive it of God and of you and of the Church."
The rite of initiation was called Consolamentum, but further consideration of this word must be deferred owing to certain obscurities in its use. It is sufficient here to remark that the ceremonies accompanying it varied according to the physical condition and ecclesiastical position of the recipient. From the chief act in the ceremony it received the alternate title of the imposition of hands, whereby was conveyed the gift of the Holy Spirit the Consolator (hence its name), but the gift could not be conveyed if the officiating minister were in sin as interpreted by their own laws.
Next to the Credents came the Perfecti,[58]who undoubtedly formed the core of the whole movement. Between the Credents and the Perfect, Peter de Vaux-Sarnai draws the distinction as follows: "Credents are those who love a secular life, and do not aim at imitating the life of the Perfect, although they hope to be saved by the same Faith. They are different in their manner of living, but are one in faith and unfaith (fide et infidelitate)." Only after a long probation and distinguished service were they chosen to the honourable position of the Perfect. Although, as such, the position carried with it no special office, yet they were required to devote their whole time to discreet propaganda and the interests of their co-religionists. They professed absolute poverty and were forbidden to work or to engage in any trade, as that would expose them to lying, fraud or taking anoath. They were supported in money, food and hospitality by the Credents. Only to avoid detection and arrest were they allowed to work; or when safe, as a protest against Catholicism on the fast days of the Church. Since from them alone were elected the officers—Majors, Elders, Deacons—it was of the utmost importance that they should observe all dietary rules as described already, since a violation of them would invalidate any ceremonial function in which they took part, e.g. the Consolamentum.[59]Their relation to women is not quite clear, and qualifications for "Perfection" varied. While strict celibacy was aimed at, facts modified the ideal. Some insisted that no Perfect could be married, and if married, he must dismiss his wife. Raymond de Costa, a Waldensian Deacon, affirmed that according to the New Testament, no one who had a wife could be ordained a Bishop or an Elder, and any ordination of the married was null and void, 1 Timothy iii. and Titus i. he referred to the one Church. A Perfect would not sit on the same bench with a woman, however long it might be. On the other hand, women travelled about with them to attend to their personal wants, a practice which provoked much unfavourable comment. Some excluded even widowers from the rank of Perfect. There were two grades among the Perfect—the Novellani, or novices, and the Sandaliati. These latter were promoted to the higher grade only after long and faithful and distinguished service, and for their proved knowledge of the Scriptures and ability to teach others. They dressed in black and wore sandals which protected only the soles, leaving therest of the foot bare.[60]They went from place to place, encouraging the "faithful," and instructing them in the Scriptures, so far as they accepted them, and taking with them interpreters when necessary.
From the Perfect were taken the three Orders—Deacons, Presbyters (or Elders) and Majors (or Bishops[61]), whose authority was derived not from the Roman Church, but from the Holy Spirit in their own Church.
The qualifications for the office of Deacon were membership of at least six years, a knowledge of the Scriptures, ability to say the Pater noster and Ave Maria (!),[62]a blameless life and unimpeachable loyalty, not under twenty years of age and unmarried; if married, he was not allowed to dismiss his wife in order to be ordained. He had to take the threefold vow of chastity, poverty and obedience to Majors or Bishops. His duties were to attend upon the Majors or Bishops, as Mark upon Barnabas and Paul, when itinerating. He might be sent from one Church to another to widen his knowledge. Thus Raymond the Waldensian said, under examination, that he had been a Deacon for twenty-seven years, having been ordained by John Lotaringa, who after two years' instruction sent him to other members of the community, and he did not return for seven years. A Deacon was ordained by the prayer and imposition of the hands of a Major only, and was subject to hisauthority. He was not allowed to hear Confessions[63]or to carry the reserved Sacrament or to preach, but he could read the Gospel in Church, although he seldom did so, and take a minor part with Presbyters and Majors in the election and ordination of a Major.
Although it is correct to speak of three orders, it does not appear that the Diaconate was that from which alone the Presbyterate was supplied. A Deacon might be "perpetual," and a Presbyter was elected direct from the ranks of the Perfect. The consent of the local Church must be unanimous. The ordination took place once or twice a year at the Conferences[64]at which all the business was transacted. He took the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. The congregation said the Lord's Prayer and confessed their sins, after which the Major and Presbyters laid their hands upon him. The only difference between the ordination of a Deacon and that of a Presbyter appears to have been that at the former the people also laid their hands upon him. A Presbyter was now qualified to hear Confessions, and impose but not remit penalties, the latter office of remission being reserved for the Major. In the absence of the Major he could "make the Body of Christ." If there was danger of the Succession failing, a Presbyter could appoint and ordain a Major, since by virtue of his forsaking all and following Christ he was like the Apostles and had Apostolic authority. As a rule, however, he only took part with other Presbyters and Deacons in the ordination of Majors. With the Waldenses theClergy of the Roman Church were not "re-ordained," but ordered to take the above threefold vow and reminded of the persecutions to which they were exposed, before being allowed to officiate.
This was the highest of the three Orders, although we find traces of a superior Major, called the Pontifical, whose relation to a Major would correspond roughly to that of an Archbishop to a Bishop. Reinéri Saccho states that the Cathari had four Orders: (1) Episcopus; (2) Filius Major; (3) Filius Minor; (4) Diaconus, and that on the death of a Bishop, a Filius Minor ordained a Filius Major to be the new Bishop, and that he in turn ordained the Filius Minor to be a Filius Major. But some objected to this procedure on the ground that it was like a son appointing a father. Hence, authority was given to a Bishop to appoint an elder son as Bishop to succeed him on his decease. But this was not general. As a rule, as already stated, the threefold order obtained, although possibly the title ofMajorwas taken from that of the FiliusMajorand made equivalent to that of Episcopus. When a vacancy in the Majoralty occurred, the Presbyters and Deacons met together, and the oldest in orders, "like Peter at the election of Matthias," explained the purpose of their assembly, and nominated a Presbyter for the vacant office. His nominee then left the room, and the president enumerated the qualifications of a Major—learning, loyalty, length of service, personal sanctity and capacity to rule the household, the Church, and declared that in his opinion the Presbyter nominated possessed all these qualifications. If the meeting agreed,[65]thePresbyter was called in, and on being questioned promised to keep the laws of the Society and to exact the obedience of all under his authority. A Major took no part in theelectionof a Major, but except in an emergency, his presence was essential to a Major's ordination. After the promise (not oath) of obedience had been given, the congregation knelt and said the Lord's Prayer; and on rising from their knees, the Major-elect made his private confession to the Major, and a general confession to the congregation, and prayed to God to give him His Holy Spirit. Then came the most important ceremony of all, the imposition of hands, first by the Major, having obtained the assent of the congregation, and then by the Presbyters and Deacons. If, however, there was no Major present, the eldest Presbyter, with the consent of the other Presbyters and Deacons could act for him.
Neither Deacon, Presbyter nor Major wore any dress distinctive of their order. Of the Majors it was said: "He is clothed in good work, fastings and prayers; his mitre is spiritual, i.e. his authority to rule is from God and man; his pastoral staff also is spiritual, viz. the threatenings of Holy Scripture against sinners, and his encouragements of the weaker brethren by word and deed; his episcopal ring was his integrity in the Faith."
The first Pontifical Major was ordained in the same way as a Major, but afterwards only a Pontifical could ordain a Pontifical. If, however, there was no Pontifical available, either by death or absence, the authority to ordain reverted to the Presbyters and Deacons.
Full disciplinary powers were vested in a Major, and therefore there could not be two Majors in one local Church. In the discipline of Deacons, he was not bound to consult the Church; for the Deacon vowed direct obedience to the Major, and therefore the Major couldinflict and remove penalties for offences. He could expel a Deacon from the Church and re-admit him. The rite for reconciliation of a Deacon was imposition of hands, but this did not imply re-ordination. In the Major alone was vested the power to impose penance upon and to receive lapsed brethren, but the addition of treacheryipso factoprecluded any re-admission, for treachery was the unpardonable sin. Penance was imposed in a prescribed form.[66]The Order of Major also carried with it the duty of preaching and making (conficere) the Body and Blood of Christ, and authority to commission Presbyters to do the same, except that at Easter only Majors could consecrate at Holy Communion.[67]
The heretics regarded their Orders as in no whit inferior to those of the Roman Church. To their own and Roman Bishops alike they denied the powers of the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, as then understood, but their powers of absolution were the same, seeing that both had the Apostolic Succession through the Holy Spirit. But this recognition of Roman Orders was only ideal and theoretical, because the heretics maintained that the Roman Church had practically forfeited its authority through its corruptions and persecutions. The Catharists regarded this forfeiture as irremediable and final: the Waldenses as recoverable by repentance and reformation along the lines of their own tenets. In this way we may reconcile the conflict of evidence as to the relationship between Catholic and heretical Orders.
[52]Inquis. of Carcassonne "De Manichaeis moderni temporis" (p. 58).[53]Inquis. of Languedoc, beginning of fourteenth century (Cod. Vat. 4070).[54]"Quidem mali erant, sed comparatione aliorum haereticorumlonge minus perversi."[55]M. Chabaneau ("Revue des langues romanes," XXXIII, 462) remarks that several of the passages quoted in the ritual from the N.T. as well as the ritual itself present features characteristic of the dialect in Vaudois books, a fact which, he points out, should not be overlooked in considering the problem, "qu'on croit peut-être à tort pleinement résolu," of the origin of the ritual of Lyons.[56]vide infra, p. 84.[57]vide infra, pp. 73, 83.[58]A title based on St. Matt. xix. 21. Outside Scripture the title meets us as early as the Council of Ancyra (A.D.314), which is noteworthy in view of the association of Catharism with Galatia, of which Ancyra was the capital; several of its Canons also deal with matters closely resembling the doctrines and practices of the Catharists.[59]Si quis de perfectis peccaret mortaliter comedendo, videlicet modicissimum carnium, etc., omnes consolati ab illo amittebant Spiritum Sanctum, et oportebat eum iterum reconsolari (Peter de Vaux-Sarnai, Ermengard, etc.). But, on the other hand, as eating flesh was distasteful to them, they might eat it on Fast Days to afflict the soul, thus reversing Catholic usage (Inquis. of Carcassonne).[60]De Paup. de Lugdano (Cod. Vatic. lat. 2648, no date or author).[61]Reinéri Saccho, a Catharist, not a Waldensian, givesfourOrders. (1) Episcopus; (2) Filius Major; (3) Filius Minor; (4) Diaconus (Gretzer, Vol. XII).[62]Others deny this on the ground that it was the custom of the Roman Church. If used at all, its use was probably understood as referring to their own pure (Catharist) Church. The Waldenses did not use either the Ave Maria or the Creed.[63]Inquis. of Languedoc, fourteenth century. But Reinéri Saccho, the ex-Catharist, says that the Deacons could hear confessions of venial sins once a month.[64]At these Conferences no Credent,youngPerfect or woman attended.[65]Their opinions were ascertained individually, beginning with the eldest.[66]v. infra, p. 86.[67]v. infra, p. 81.
[52]Inquis. of Carcassonne "De Manichaeis moderni temporis" (p. 58).
[53]Inquis. of Languedoc, beginning of fourteenth century (Cod. Vat. 4070).
[54]"Quidem mali erant, sed comparatione aliorum haereticorumlonge minus perversi."
[55]M. Chabaneau ("Revue des langues romanes," XXXIII, 462) remarks that several of the passages quoted in the ritual from the N.T. as well as the ritual itself present features characteristic of the dialect in Vaudois books, a fact which, he points out, should not be overlooked in considering the problem, "qu'on croit peut-être à tort pleinement résolu," of the origin of the ritual of Lyons.
[56]vide infra, p. 84.
[57]vide infra, pp. 73, 83.
[58]A title based on St. Matt. xix. 21. Outside Scripture the title meets us as early as the Council of Ancyra (A.D.314), which is noteworthy in view of the association of Catharism with Galatia, of which Ancyra was the capital; several of its Canons also deal with matters closely resembling the doctrines and practices of the Catharists.
[59]Si quis de perfectis peccaret mortaliter comedendo, videlicet modicissimum carnium, etc., omnes consolati ab illo amittebant Spiritum Sanctum, et oportebat eum iterum reconsolari (Peter de Vaux-Sarnai, Ermengard, etc.). But, on the other hand, as eating flesh was distasteful to them, they might eat it on Fast Days to afflict the soul, thus reversing Catholic usage (Inquis. of Carcassonne).
[60]De Paup. de Lugdano (Cod. Vatic. lat. 2648, no date or author).
[61]Reinéri Saccho, a Catharist, not a Waldensian, givesfourOrders. (1) Episcopus; (2) Filius Major; (3) Filius Minor; (4) Diaconus (Gretzer, Vol. XII).
[62]Others deny this on the ground that it was the custom of the Roman Church. If used at all, its use was probably understood as referring to their own pure (Catharist) Church. The Waldenses did not use either the Ave Maria or the Creed.
[63]Inquis. of Languedoc, fourteenth century. But Reinéri Saccho, the ex-Catharist, says that the Deacons could hear confessions of venial sins once a month.
[64]At these Conferences no Credent,youngPerfect or woman attended.
[65]Their opinions were ascertained individually, beginning with the eldest.
[66]v. infra, p. 86.
[67]v. infra, p. 81.
TheRecords of the Inquisition of Languedoc[68](beginning of the fourteenth century) preserve a description of the Lord's Supper on Good Friday which is uncorroborated. "The Major on the Day of the Supper after the ninth hour, when the Supper has been prepared, washes the feet of the company (sociorum). He then places himself with them at the table, and blesses the bread, wine and fish, not as a sacrifice or offering (holocaustum), but in memory of the Lord's Supper, and prays as follows: 'O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, God of our fathers, and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who by the hands of the Bishops and Presbyters, Thy servants, hast commanded sacrifices and offerings and various oblations to be offered: O Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst bless the five loaves and two fishes in the wilderness, and blessing water didst turn it into wine: bless in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit this bread, fish and wine, not as a sacrifice or offering, but in simple commemoration of the most holy Supper of Jesus Christ and His disciples, since, O Lord, I do not dare to offer to Thee by impure hands and defiled mouth the sacrifice of our Lord Bishop,Jesus Christ Thy Son, but this bread and the substance of this fish and wine we beseech Thee to bless in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and may the communion (communicatio) of this bread as a simple Host please Thee, Eternal Father, and so direct my soul and my body, even all my senses, and so guide my footsteps that I may be worthy to offer Thee that most sacred Body which is worshipped by angels in heaven.'" The Major eats and drinks first, and then distributes to others.
This, however, did not take the place of the celebration on Easter Day, which was the most important of the whole year, and devolved upon a Major only. For this highest service of the year the Major was the better prepared (melius dispositus) by the Lenten Fast, and particularly by the more severe fast upon bread and water only for three days previously. When the congregation, of both sexes, is assembled, a table or bench is spread with a clean cloth, and a cup of good pure wine and a cake or loaf, unleavened, placed upon it. Then the president says: "Let us ask God to forgive us our sins for His mercy's sake, and to fill us with those things which we ask worthily, for His mercy's sake, and let us say seven times the Pater noster to the honour of God and the Holy Trinity." This the congregation does on bended knee. Then the president takes a napkin (tersorium) and, hanging it over his left shoulder, with his bare right hand he wraps the loaf (panis) or cake (placenta) wholly in the napkin and holds it thus to his breast. Standing thus he repeats (some said "inaudibly") the exact words our Lord used at the Institution.[69]He then makes the sign over (signat) the bread and the wine, breaking (or cutting with a small knife lengthwise) the bread. During these ceremonies the congregationstand, but at this point they and he seat themselves at the table according to (Church) rank. As each receives the bread and wine from him, he (the recipient) says: "Benedicité, Senher," and he replies, "Deus vos benedicat." Thus "their sacrifice is finished, and they believe that this is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ." The remains, if any, are reserved (conservari) until after Easter, when they are consumed by the faithful.
First of all they stand in silent prayer, long enough to say thirty or forty Pater nosters. Before sitting down they all bless the table by saying, "Benedicite, Kyrie Eleison, Christe Eleison, Kyrie Eleison." Then the eldest says in the vulgar tongue, "God, Who blessed the five loaves and two fishes in the wilderness for His disciples, bless this table and the things that are on it and shall be placed upon it," and he makes the sign of the cross saying: "In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." After the meal the Elder gives thanks, saying in the vulgar tongue Revelation vii. 12, adding: "May God give good reward and food to all who benefit and bless us: may God Who gives us temporal food give us spiritual food: may God be with us and we with Him always," and the rest answer, Amen. In blessing the table and in returning thanks they lift their hands clasped and faces to heaven. Then, if time and place were opportune, would follow a sermon or instruction, but this was usually deferred until after supper when the day's work was done, and they could speak with less danger, and, if prudence suggested, in the dark. Teaching was positive rather than negative, for they began not by denouncing the errors and vices of others, but by pointing out what being a disciple of Christ involvedaccording to the Scriptures. These they had in the vulgar tongue, as well as in Latin. They would "read round," and those who could not read would repeat from memory. They further supported their tenets by "saint and doctor."
This rite was, according to Reinéri Saccho, peculiar to the Catharists, who gave it the alternative title of Imposition of hands, but Catholics, Heretication.[70]By it Catharists believed that a person received the gift of the Holy Ghost the Consolator, or Comforter—hence its name, and those who submitted to the rites were called Consolati. Hence, as only those were admitted who had proved themselves staunch and true to Catharism, they were called indifferently Consolati or Perfecti, although more strictly, the former was applicable only to the Catharists, and the latter to the Waldenses. Many who shrank from the austere life which the Consolamentum demanded postponed it until what they supposed to be their last illness, so that the ceremonies had to be altered to suit the circumstances, provided always that the imposition of hands was retained. The person to be "consoled" must, if in health, prepare himself by a three days' rigorous fast. At the service of initiation, a table or bench covered with white towels and a book, called the Text, upon it, were placed in the midst of the congregation arranged according to Church rank. Within their midst, but at some distance from the table, stood the candidate. The minister at the head of the table reminded him of the ascetic life he would have to lead, the dangers and persecutions he would have to endure, and that lapse meant eternal damnation, for there was no salvation in the Roman Church. He was then askedif, with all this before him, he would surrender himself wholly to God and the Gospel. On his answering, Yes, he was further asked whether he would promise never to eat meat, eggs, cheese, venison, oil or fish, never to lie or swear, never to indulge any lust, never to touch a woman, never to kill, never to eat without a companion or without saying the Lord's Prayer, never to sleep unclothed, never to betray the Faith. Having made these promises, the candidate advanced towards the minister by certain, usually three, stages (intervalla), making at each stage his "melioramentum," i.e. he bent the knee, touching the ground with his hands and saying, "Benedicite," thus shewing that the minister was better (melior) than himself.[71]At each stage the minister replied, "Deus vos benedicat." On reaching the table he said: "Good Christians, I beg for God's blessing and yours. Pray to God that He may keep me from a bad death, and bring me to a good end and to the hands of good Christians." Then the minister gave him the book to kiss, and placed it upon his head. Then all placed their hands upon his head or shoulders, saying: "We worship Thee, Father, Son and Holy Ghost," and the minister prayed that the Holy Ghost the Consolator might descend upon him. When all had said the Lord's Prayer, the minister read St. John i. 1-17. He then gave the candidate the kiss of peace, and the candidate to the one next to him, and so on until all the congregation had exchanged the salutation. If the "consoled" were a woman, the minister, instead, touched her shoulder with the book, and her elbow with his elbow, and she did the same, if the one next to her were a man. He (or she) was given a small cord, "quo pro haeresi cingeretur," to be worn round the body, next to the skin. The congregationthen separated, after congratulating the new member.
In the case of the sick, treatment varied. Some would not "console" anyone not in full possession of his faculties and able to make the answers. Others admitted such, provided that in some way other than by speech he signified his assent. Others went further and "consoled" even the unconscious at the urgent request of his friends anxious for his eternal welfare. Thus sometimes even children were "consoled." In these cases certain modifications were allowed in the ritual. Thus if the sick man could not make his melioramentum, the minister took his hands within his own, and the sick man would say "Benedicite," bending his head each time. If he could not say the Lord's Prayer, others would say it for him. If it were discovered that the officiating minister was in mortal sin (according to Catharist law), the Consolamentum was invalid.
Every inducement was now made to the sick man to end his life by any means other than by direct violence. He was urged to undergo theEndura, which took various forms. We read of this as early asA.D.1028 in connection with a community at Montfort, near Turin, which taught that death by illness or senile decay only shewed that Satan was still master of the situation and could send the soul into another body. Here probably we have the clue to the reasons for encouraging the practice of the Endura. The "consoled" had solemnly promised not to kill, and therefore could not directly commit suicide. But he could consummate the purpose of God, Who had sent him the illness, by indirect means, and thwart the world, the flesh and the devil by a speedy death.Several expedients were adopted. Thus the "consoled" sick was asked whether he would be a martyr or a confessor. If he said the former, a cushion or pillow was held over his mouth for some time. Whether he recovered or succumbed, he was henceforth held to be a martyr. If he said, a confessor, he had to remain three days without food and drink, and whether the fast proved fatal or not, he was called a confessor. At Ax, Peter Autéri, after some hesitation, "consoled" an unconscious woman, and ordered that nothing should be given her but pure water. She recovered and asked for food, which, however, her daughter refused on religious grounds, but the mother indignantly declined to be bound by promises made for her by others. Mengard, a woman examined at Carcassonne inA.D.1308, said her little boy was hereticated when at the point of death, and she was ordered to give him nothing but bread and water, for when he died he would be an angel. But she refused not to give him the breast, and so he was not fully hereticated. At the same Inquisition Raymond Issaun said that his brother, William, after heretication had placed himself completely in the Endura for about seven weeks, and stayed in a certain hut where he died, and he was buried in the house of their father. Another method was opening a vein and slowly bleeding to death in a bath; another, drinking the juice of wild cucumbers mixed with powdered glass so that the intestines were torn to pieces.
This was administered by the Major, or by a Presbyter by delegation in minor offences. After the penitent had confessed, the Major (or Presbyter) pointed out how and to what extent he had offended against the Holy Scriptures, and imposed a penance accordingly,saying: "I, being entrusted with the authority of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, bid thee on behalf of our Lord Jesus Christ Who instituted this holy sacrament of penance in His Church, perform such penance as I impose upon thee."[72]No indulgences were granted. Absolution was from the fault, not from its punishment.
"The Manichees of modern times," as they are called in the Acts of the Inquisition at Carcassonne, had three Fasts of forty days during the year, (a) From St. Britius (Nov. 13th) to Christmas. (b) Lent. (c) From Whitsun to SS. Peter and Paul (June 29th), which, therefore, could not always have been forty days. The first and last week of each Fast they called "strict," for then they fasted on bread and water, but in the other weeks of the Fast on only three days—Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Others observed these three days as Fasts throughout the year, unless they were travelling or were ill. Others, again, because flesh was repulsive to them, and to mark their difference from the Roman Church, would eat flesh on Roman Fast days, but not when their own and Roman Fasts coincided.