medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
RE Scott Matthews point:
>What John Mundy says reminds me of R. I. Moore's book
>'On the Formation of a Persecuting Society'. Moore
>also argues that local communities were inspired to
>support persecution by the outside intervention of
>centralizing political powers, not by some
>'traditional morality'. The so-called 'heretic' was
>either reacting against innovation (brought about by
>centralising ecclesiastical government) or considered
>a threat to the ambitions of the upwardly mobile
>literati. Even groups formerly tolerated were now
>being targeted as enemies of Christ.
>
Moore's work is fundamental, and I am quite sure that Mundy's views
have been affected by it (as, of course, have mine).
However, a point of clarification. I do not think that Bob Moore's
saying that the people who began being actively persecuted as
heretics in the late 12th and especially 13th c. were actually
choosing heresy as a form of rebellion against an increasingly
centralized ecclesiastical administration. Sometimes Moore trolls
this list, so I hope I am not misrepresenting him :) , but I think
his point was rather more that the activities and beliefs of
individuals and groups came under greater scrutiny, and began to
become identified as erroneous and problematic in a way they had not
been before. In other words, it was no so much that the
beliefs/activities were new, but that the perception of them changed.
I hope that this does not seem a quibble. I believe it's an
important distinction.
As for the point about heretics being perceived as "a threat to the
ambitions of the upwardly mobile literati" I don't quite think that
is accurate. Heresy was not merely the beliefs of the ignorant
masses, although certain groups (Waldensians in particular) made
great efforts to translate texts into vernacular languages for
accessibility. And how would the existence of people with "wrong"
beliefs constitute a threat to an ecclesiastic's ambitions? You've
lost me here I'm afraid.
Cheers,
--
Nicole Morgan Schulman <[log in to unmask]>
_._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.
Omittamus studia dulce est desipere et carpamus dulcia iuventutis tenere
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