dear r.stansbury and all
most heretical sects from 1000-1300 [which is when my knowledge runs
out, not any great change necessarily] believe that they constituted the
"true" Church, and that the RC Church was "the whore of Babylon" or
similar. Some of these sects - i.e. the Cathars - had at certain
points a fairly organised Church themselves, with bishoprics,
deaconry's and parishes - there's was therefore a "visible" church.
There are a few earlier heresies that make mention of "true" churches
that have no physical manifestation - have a look at the accounts in
R.I.Moore Origins of European Dissent, and the sources translated in
Wakefield and Evans *Heresies of the High Middle Ages*
hope this is of some interest
cheers
john arnold
centre for medieval studies, york, england
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