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.

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.