Montsegur and the Mystery of the Cathars

by Jean Markale

Book Overview

The history and philosophy of the mysterious Cathar religion and its lost treasure - Demonstrates that Catharism is not simply a heretical Christian cult as it is often portrayed - Examines the evidence for the existence of a lost Cathar treasure and its possible connection to the Holy Grail On March 16, 1244, over 200 Cathars were captured in their fortress stronghold of Monts gur and were burned alive by troops of the Inquisition. While some Cathar...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0892810904
• ISBN13: 9780892810901
• Release Date: September 2003
• Publisher: Inner Traditions International
• Length: 298 Pages
• Weight: 1.17 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Outstanding Celtic & Medieval Scholarship

Jean Markale presents his case with great erudition - he knows his topic and shares his knowledge in a remarkable manner. He discusses the castle at length - and oh so vivdly- and his inclusion of the valiant Esclarmonde de Foix was a testimony to his scholarship. He examines the Cathar's vegetarianism, nonviolence and practice of tolerance,as well as the Church's ruthless persecution and massacre of these "holy ones." He presents the material through the element of mystery, reaching its height with a brilliant discussion on the elusive treasure of the Cathars. Was the treasure a cache of secret documents? Or was it a material treasure? Read his theory which he arrives at from various and numerous documents from that period. This is a fascinating read!

THE DEFINITIVE BOOK ABOUT CATHARISM AND THE CATHARS ?

I have to admit that I didn't know much about Catharism before reading the book of Jean Markale. I knew, yes, that one could find, in the southwest part of France a touristy region whose main attractions were the Cathar castles, that's all. If you have general notions about the myth of the Holy Grail and about the History of religions, reading MONTSEGUR AND THE MYSTERY OF THE CATHARS, written in 1986, will be a rewarding experience. As the Cathars didn't leave any written testimonies of their belief, Jean Markale's plan to unveil to us the saga of the Cathars was not so easy to fulfill. So the first part of the book is more the narration of how Jean Markale took an interest in Catharism than a pure historical essay. Markale tells us how he journeyed through Catharland and discovered the beauty of the castle of Montségur. Markale takes also this opportunity to give us some informations about the political relations between the Occitan region and the French monarchy. At last, Markale gives us the historic facts concerning the Cathars and the mass murder that happened on March 16, 1244. In the second part of the book, Jean Markale shows us how Catharism is linked to very old religions such as Manicheism, Dualism or Mazdeism. We soon understand that the Catharism wasn't an heresy because it simply wasn't a doctrine derived from Catholicism. In the third and last part of the book, the one I personnally prefer, Markale takes an inventory of the impact of the beliefs of the Cathars in European legends, in the artworks and in the esoteric ramblings of the thinkers of the Third Reich. A book for your library.

Henge of Keltria Review

If you are looking for a scholarly read that explores the Cathars and untangles myth from fact with many Celtic and Druid references, Montségur and the Mystery of the Cathar is highly recommended. See Complete review at: http://www.keltria.org/hengehap/HH69/HH69-Rev.htm

Probably not for the general reader.

Jean Markale's book is very dense-it is a book that will challenge any perceptions you might have about what you know about the late medieval period: philosophy, theology and collectively, the heresies that proliferated before the Protestant Reformation. I read this French title in translation and thought, stupidly in hindsight, that I was familiar enough with the general topic of the Cathars and their modest place in the history of France and Europe. Ah-how wrong I was! Please don't let me put you off reading Markale's challenging book-just be somewhat aware of what you are in for because the author does not tread lightly over the intricate history of the Cathar theology. For instance in Part 2 he writes in-depth about Cathar philisophical/theological antecedents: the Mazdeans of ancient Persia, the Gnostics, Manicheans and finally the Bulgarian Bogomils. Markale is too wise to stitch a seamless sheet leading inexorably to the flowering of Catharism but he does trace the many common points where these early pre-Christian religions meet and the similarities they share with Catharism. There is no dross in this book; seemingly every word, every sentence is a brick in the solid wall Markale is building. His is not a book to skip over and be assured that you will be able to pick up the substance pages-indeed paragraphs-later. It is a book to be savored. His first chapter is one of those wonderfully literary compositions where the reader is left wondering if he/she is reading a rich novel or a piece of historical research. In later chapters this trails off but initially it reads like a beautiful piece of literature. If you have time, background and interest I suggest that you find this wonderful book and enjoy it.

An Important Book to Read

This book is about dualism. A dualism is created when a human thinks about two antagonistic principles such as God/Satan, good/evil, light/darkness, mind/body, etc. Markale is a teacher. People who are beginners on the subject of dualism will certainly benefit from Markale's rather simple style of writing. Markale's book focuses on the dualisms used by the Carthars. The thought of the Cathars are very similar to the thoughts of Christians. Unfortunately, the thoughts of the Cathars were silenced by the Inquisition.I recommend this book because the current good/evil dualism of Christianity is being rejected rapidly by keen Christians. This failing dualism of Christianity, which is also known as Original Sin, is the good/evil story of Adam and Eve told by Moses in the Genesis. Along with the rapid rejection of this Christian dualism, the Christian theory of eschatology will also be rejected by these keen Christians. The loss of the Christian theory of eschatology means that our world has no end, which means that Heaven and Hell are false ideas. All Christian should consider this book in order to prepare for the radical changes that are certain to come in Christianity soon.