9

B

...is necessary. But if that name belongs to a corporeal thing—that is, shared with this light of ours—this occurs in other words, even in the one thought to be the most expressive of all: the Latin spirit original: spiritus, the Greek breath or spirit original: πνεῦμα, pneuma, and the Hebrew spirit original: רוּחַ, ruach. The things which BeausobreIsaac de Beausobre (1659–1738), a French Protestant historian known for his critical study of Manichaeism. (1) discusses concerning matter original: ὕλη, hyle—as if the Manichaeans' concept of matter were not correctly explained by that name, and that the Church FathersThe influential early Christian theologians whose writings established the foundations of Christian doctrine. were not concerned about it—tend toward the same end as his other arguments produced against their authority and testimony. Therefore, far from this Manichaean dogma being opposed to Christian dogma, it is found to be largely in agreement. This is all the more significant because the ManichaeansFollowers of Manichaeism, a major dualist religion founded in the 3rd century by the Persian prophet Mani, which taught a struggle between a good spiritual world of light and an evil material world of darkness. truly admitted one God; thus, we determine that they were by no means polytheists. Although they admitted two principles, they by no means admitted two Gods; and on this point—lest we be called enemies of the man—Beausobre decided correctly.

Just as we say the Fathers should be understood in this way when speaking of God and declaring Him to be light or fire, so too should many of them be understood when they say nearly the same things in their discourse on Angels—though we admit not all can be explained in this way. But here too Beausobre (2) employs exaggeration; and although theologians seem generally to agree that it is not to be held as a certain and defined matter of faith—even after the Lateran CouncilLikely the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215, which defined the nature of God's creation, stating that God created both spiritual (angelic) and corporeal (earthly) beings.—that Angels (especially the fallen ones) are entirely void and free from all matter and every body, and that asserting such a thing is rash; nonetheless, we are of the opinion that there has always existed in the Church a faith and tradition that Angels are incorporeal, immaterial, and finally spirits. Although this tradition may not have been expressed with these specific names and words, it was expressed in others which signified the same thing at that time as these words do now.

III.

And thus far concerning the errors of the AlbigensiansA dualist sect in Southern France during the 12th and 13th centuries. Like the Manichaeans, they believed in two opposing principles of good and evil; they were the targets of the Albigensian Crusade., in which these more recent heretics are found to agree entirely with the ancient Manichaeans. CaesariusCaesarius of Heisterbach (c. 1180–1240), a Cistercian monk and chronicler. adds: they mock whatever benefit is bestowed upon the dead by the living; they say that going to churches or praying in them is of no use. Peter the MonkPeter of Vaux-de-Cernay (d. 1218), a chronicler who documented the Albigensian Crusade. attributes other things to these same people, whom he seems to address precisely by the name of 'Heretics': Likewise, the Heretics used to say that the good God had two wives, Collant and Colibant, and from them he procreated sons and daughters. He adds certain things about other Heretics, but attributes these to all of them: All these members of the Antichrist, the firstborn of Satan... infected the province of NarbonneA city and region in Southern France, then a stronghold of the Albigensian movement. with the poison of their treachery; they said that almost the entire Roman Church was a "den of thieves," and that she herself was that "harlot" of whom one reads in the ApocalypseThe Book of Revelation; the "harlot" refers to the Whore of Babylon, a figure often used by medieval dissenters to criticize the corruption of the Papacy.. William of PuylaurensGuillaume de Puylaurens (c. 1200–1275), a chaplain and chronicler of the Albigensian wars. [mentions] the famous...

(1) Book 5, chapter 6.
(2) Part 2, book 5, chapter 6.