Description
Book SynopsisFirst inspired by Vaudes in around 1170, the Waldensians formed a religious dissent which survived into the sixteenth century. Respecting the Gospel to the letter, their rejection of oaths, falsehood, the death penalty, purgatory and the intercession of saints marginalized them in the society of the times. Their survival depended on their will to adapt. Organisation became necessary to withstand the pressures of time and space as their community extended across Europe (France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Bohemia, Poland). Preachers, called “barbes” in the diaspora’s Romance wing, embodied the ideal lifestyle and unity of their community. This is the story and history of those preachers – celibate, arduous, pious men whose itinerant mission it was to maintain a clandestine but vehement faith.
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Foreword Introduction: The Way Ahead . . . 1. The Dawn of a Sect 2. The Poor of Christ 3. “Die Brüder” 4. The Time of the Barbes 5. A Company 6. The Barbes’ Way of Life 7. The Mission 8. When the Waldensians Spoke of the Barbes 9. Twilight 10. And the Barbes Were No More . . . Conclusion: The End of the Path? Bibliography Index of Names Index of Places Index of Authors Cited
