num_pages: 192
description: Without lifting a sword, the Cathars posed a threat to Catholicism greater than the Muslims or Jews—or so the Church believed. The Cathars believed that matter was essentially evil—especially the human body—and that the material world had to be transcended through a simple life of prayer, work, fasting, and nonviolence.  Today, the mystique surrounding the Cathars is as strong as ever. Their myths and complete history are examined here in The Cathars—the compelling true story of this once peaceful religious sect..   
language: English
title: The Cathars: The Most Successful Heresy of the Middle Ages
titlecomplete: The Cathars: The Most Successful Heresy of the Middle Ages
genres: Medieval History, History, Christianity, Religion, Gnosticism, France, Medieval, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 378
publisher: Chartwell Books, Inc.