The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (507 page)
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Cathars
(Lat., Cathari, from Gk., katharoi, ‘pure ones’). Christian dualist
heresy
in W. Europe, which, in the 13th–14th cents., was a serious threat to the Catholic Church especially in S. France (see
ALBIGENSES
) and N. Italy. The origins of the movement are obscure, and although its doctrines were influenced by the
Bogomils
of Bulgaria, it remains a possibility that its dualism was an independent development or inheritance.
The inner circle of the Cathars were the ‘perfects’, who followed a life of rigorous asceticism and praying the
Lord's Prayer
. Admission to this circle was by the rite of
consolamentum
after an arduous probation, but other adherents received it on their deathbed. Those thus ‘consoled’ saw themselves as the only true Christians and denied the title to Catholics.
heresy
in W. Europe, which, in the 13th–14th cents., was a serious threat to the Catholic Church especially in S. France (see
ALBIGENSES
) and N. Italy. The origins of the movement are obscure, and although its doctrines were influenced by the
Bogomils
of Bulgaria, it remains a possibility that its dualism was an independent development or inheritance.
The inner circle of the Cathars were the ‘perfects’, who followed a life of rigorous asceticism and praying the
Lord's Prayer
. Admission to this circle was by the rite of
consolamentum
after an arduous probation, but other adherents received it on their deathbed. Those thus ‘consoled’ saw themselves as the only true Christians and denied the title to Catholics.
Cathedral
Catherine of Alexandria, St
(
c.
4th cent.?).
Christian
martyr
. Despite her wide popularity in the Middle Ages, extremely little (some would say nothing) is known of her. She is said to have been martyred during the persecution under Maxentius, by being tied to a wheel (hence the Catherine wheel), tortured, and beheaded. Her feast day (25 Nov.) was suppressed in 1969.
c.
4th cent.?).
Christian
martyr
. Despite her wide popularity in the Middle Ages, extremely little (some would say nothing) is known of her. She is said to have been martyred during the persecution under Maxentius, by being tied to a wheel (hence the Catherine wheel), tortured, and beheaded. Her feast day (25 Nov.) was suppressed in 1969.
Catherine of Genoa, St
(1447–1510).
Christian mystic. Born of a noble family, Caterinetta Fieschi married young. Ten years later she experienced a sudden conversion and gave herself to the selfless care of the sick in a hospital in Genoa, at the same time experiencing strange, almost pathological, religious experiences, and supposedly receiving the
stigmata
. Her spiritual doctrine is contained in the
Dialogues on the Soul and the Body
and
Treatise on Purgatory
:
purgatory
is the final cleansing of the soul from self-love, to be accepted, therefore, with joy.
Christian mystic. Born of a noble family, Caterinetta Fieschi married young. Ten years later she experienced a sudden conversion and gave herself to the selfless care of the sick in a hospital in Genoa, at the same time experiencing strange, almost pathological, religious experiences, and supposedly receiving the
stigmata
. Her spiritual doctrine is contained in the
Dialogues on the Soul and the Body
and
Treatise on Purgatory
:
purgatory
is the final cleansing of the soul from self-love, to be accepted, therefore, with joy.
Catherine of Siena, St
(1347–80).
Christian saint who saw a vision of Christ when she was 7, after which she took a vow of virginity. She became a member of the Third Order of
Dominicans
when she was 16 (or perhaps 18), and committed herself to work among the poor and the sick. Her holiness became widely known and she attracted many followers. In 1376 she went to Avignon to persuade Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome, and in the Great Schism which followed his death, she urged support for Urban VI. She looked for a Church renewed in holiness (‘The only desire of God is our sanctification’), united under the pope. Many of her letters survive, as does the
Dialogo
(tr. F. Noffke, 1980), a spiritual work in which she relates contemplation and action. She was canonized in 1461 and made a Doctor of the Church in 1970; feast day 29 Apr. (30 Apr. until 1969). Raymond of Capua's
Life
was translated by C. Kearns, 1980.
Christian saint who saw a vision of Christ when she was 7, after which she took a vow of virginity. She became a member of the Third Order of
Dominicans
when she was 16 (or perhaps 18), and committed herself to work among the poor and the sick. Her holiness became widely known and she attracted many followers. In 1376 she went to Avignon to persuade Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome, and in the Great Schism which followed his death, she urged support for Urban VI. She looked for a Church renewed in holiness (‘The only desire of God is our sanctification’), united under the pope. Many of her letters survive, as does the
Dialogo
(tr. F. Noffke, 1980), a spiritual work in which she relates contemplation and action. She was canonized in 1461 and made a Doctor of the Church in 1970; feast day 29 Apr. (30 Apr. until 1969). Raymond of Capua's
Life
was translated by C. Kearns, 1980.
Catherine wheel
:
:
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