Piotr Czarnecki
Studia Religiologica, Tom 41, 2008, s. 111 - 138
The Origin and Doctrine of Slavic Dualism in the Middle Ages
The article touches upon the poorly source-documented issue of Slavic dualism, a heresy which existed in the 12th-to-15th centuries in Dalmatia and Bosnia. The dearth of vernacular sources makes it difficult to trace either the history or the doctrine of Slavic dualists. On the other hand, Inquisition sources concerning Italian Cathari mention an „ordo Sclavoniae,” next to „ordo Bulgarie” and „ordo Drugonthiae,” as one of three main dualist currents to inspire Western heretics. The article tries to determine the identity of the Slavic version of the dualist heresy by inquiring into its origin and doctrinal peculiarities which distinguished it from its contemporary variants of dualism. In order to cast a fuller light on the subject, it is worth bringing together what laconic Slavic or Byzantine sources are available and the Inquisition’s comprehensive documentation covering especially Italy, including its Cathari, who were described as Slavs.
Piotr Czarnecki
Prace Historyczne, Numer 134, 2007, s. 25 - 40
The Origin and Evolution of the Theological Dogma of the Bogomil Sect (10–12 c.)
The problem of the Bogomil sect which was founded in the 10th century is not important exclusively from the point of view of the history of Bulgaria, or else generally of the Byzantine Orient. The fact that the Bogomils contributed in a significant way to the creation of the Cathar heresy which constituted a serious threat to the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages, is the reason why this problem is important also from the point of view of the history of Western Europe.
Both Bogomils and Cathars have been frequently referred to in the sources as adherents of Manichaeism. Therefore, the main goal of the present article is to verify the legitimacy of this type of assertions, by analyzing the origin of the most characteristic and at the same time, the most “Manichaean” element of the Bogumil doctrine, namely its theology. In the article, the author confronts the existing theories in this respect with the testimony of the sources, whereas a comparative analysis of the theological doctrines of the three fundamental varieties of Bogomilism with the teachings of their potential initiators is legitimized by historical testimonies, that point out to the possibility of actual contacts between them.
Piotr Czarnecki
Studia Religiologica, Tom 40, 2007, s. 279 - 283
Piotr Czarnecki
Studia Religiologica, Tom 49, Numer 2, 2016, s. 99 - 117
https://doi.org/10.4467/20844077SR.16.007.5228Controversies over Heresies of the 11th Century
The article presents one of the most controversial issues in the history of the medieval heresies – the issue of the eleventh-century heresies – those discovered in Aquitaine (1016–1018), Orléans (1022), Arras (1025), Monteforte (1028–1040), Châlons-sur-Marne (1043–1048) and Goslar (1051). Their origins and character have been highly controversial since the middle of the 20th century. The article presents the conceptions of scholars, adherents of the two main streams of interpretation. The first of them was started by the works of the French Dominican historian Antoine Dondaine, who claimed that these heresies were dualistic in nature and were seriously influenced by the eastern heresies of this kind, mainly Bogomilism. The second one was created by the Italian Medievalist Raffaello Morghen, who believed that eleventh-century heresies were a genuine invention of the Westerners, trying to revive early, pure Christianity, based on the testimony of the New Testament. He and his followers deny their dualistic character. Besides these two streams, the article also presents the conceptions of the scholars belonging to the deconstructionist school, which has recently become more and more popular. Its adherents completely deny the existence of the eleventh-century heresies, claiming that in fact they were invented by the Church authors, trying to discredit the innocent reformers.
All the conceptions mentioned above are compared with the testimonies of the sources describing the eleventh-century heresies. Their information concerning heretical beliefs and practices are strikingly similar to the analogous eastern (Bulgarian and Byzantine) sources about the Bogomils, which is a strong argument for the traditional interpretation of Dondaine and his followers.
Piotr Czarnecki
Studia Religiologica, Tom 41, 2008, s. 229 - 235
Piotr Czarnecki
Studia Religiologica, Tom 51, Numer 1, 2018, s. 47 - 65
https://doi.org/10.4467/20844077SR.18.004.9493Piotr Czarnecki
Studia Religiologica, Tom 43 , 2010, s. 93 - 112
The Third Way of Dualism – the Religious Doctrine of the Italian Cathar Church in Concorezzo
This article raises the issue of the religious doctrine which developed at the end of the 12th and beginning of the 13th centuries in one of the Italian Cathar Churches in Concorezzo, near Milan. This original doctrinal conception, concerning the question of the origin of evil, constituted a combination of moderate with radical dualism; it assumed that, other than the good principle – of God the creator – there is also an evil principle – an eternal four-faced spirit which does not have the power to create and is therefore not a god. A radical dualism of two principles not previously encountered therefore results, which attempts to remain moderate by force through retaining the idea of one God. Although this doctrine has been known to scholars since the 1940s, nobody has previously conducted a careful analysis of it. This article therefore attempts to explain the origin of this conception in the light of the events of the early history of Italian Catharism, separating the inspirations of the former dualistic doctrines from the original input of the Italian perfecti, to understand the motives of its creation and also to establish its place among the forms of dualism which we know.
Piotr Czarnecki
Studia Religiologica, Tom 42, 2009, s. 67 - 84
The Impact of Doctrine on Interpretation of the Dualist Ritual of Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Middle Ages
The article addresses the controversial problem of the meaning of doctrine in interpreting the dualist sacrament of baptism of the Holy Spirit. Some researchers into Catharism downgrade the role of doctrinal differences in medieval dualism, believing that they were of secondary importance while all dualists agreed about a single, salvation-giving sacrament of baptism of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands. In analyzing the doctrines of various schools of medieval dualism, the article demonstrates that the sacrament of baptism of the Holy Spirit, while identical in form, meant widely different things to radical dualists and for moderates, what with their profound differences in soteriology, Trinitarian theology, and eschatology. Such distinctions in meaning between radical and moderate dualism may supply a significant argument for the doctrinal change made by the Saint-Felix-De-Caraman Synod.
Piotr Czarnecki
Studia Religiologica, Tom 52, Numer 2, 2019, s. 153 - 164
https://doi.org/10.4467/20844077SR.19.011.11197The article rises a question of the attitude towards carnality in the religious doctrine and practice of medieval dualists (Bogomils and Cathars). Its main aim is to answer the questions: why did the adherents of these heresies consider sexual intercourse as the worst of all the sins? What was the doctrinal justification of such position and how did it determine their attitude towards women, marriage and procreation? The article also shows how this severe condemnation of sexuality influenced the ways of life of the cathar perfects, and what the simple believers (credentes) thought about it.