# Puritan Kathari



## VirginiaHuguenot (May 10, 2006)

While reading David Dickson's _Truth's Victory Over Error_, I came across several references to a heretical group which he referred to as Puritans (he makes clear is not referring to the "old Non-conformists"). The 1787 edition by John Wilson added a glossary of the heretical groups, which provides further clarification: 



> Puritans, otherwise called Kathari, because they esteemed themselves purer and holier than others.



This designation appears to have reference to the Novatians, a third century heretical group with tendencies in common with the later Donatists.

There are articles about the Novatians here:



> The Novatians called themselves Kathari, or Puritans.



and here. There is an article about the Donatists here which references the Novatians.


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## Contra_Mundum (May 10, 2006)

Cathari is from the Greek, katharos= clean, pure

It is interesting that the Pharisees were also "puritans" of a kind, but actually "separatists" like the Pilgrims of Plymouth, who were not the Puritans of Mass. Bay.

"Puritan" in the English sense was a pejorative. It was adopted however with grace. There's something about being tagged with a derisive label that becomes an honorific, rather than claiming the "title" for onesself.

In that same series of Cathcart essays, he expressely states that the Albigenses were sometimes called "Cathari" as well.

[Edited on 5-10-2006 by Contra_Mundum]


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## VirginiaHuguenot (May 10, 2006)

> _Originally posted by Contra_Mundum_
> There's something about being tagged with a derisive label that becomes an honorific, rather than claiming the "title" for onesself.
> 
> [Edited on 5-10-2006 by Contra_Mundum]



 Thanks, Bruce.


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## Peter (May 10, 2006)

The Cathars were a heretical gnostic group in Southern France during the middle ages circa 1000-1200 There was a crusade against them.


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## Contra_Mundum (May 10, 2006)

That is the "Albigenses" reference, Peter. Cathcart claims them for Baptist stalwarts, but they may not have been that "orthodox", just because the papists were their enemies and they disdained infant baptism. The record is a bit murky, and they may well have had more gnostic in them than gospel.


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## VirginiaHuguenot (May 10, 2006)

> _Originally posted by Peter_
> The Cathars were a heretical gnostic group in Southern France during the middle ages circa 1000-1200 There was a crusade against them.



I believe it was during the 1209 Albigensian Crusade that the famous phrase "Kill them all, God will know his own" was uttered by the Papal Legate to the Crusaders, Arnaud-Amaury, the Abbot of Citeaux.


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## Peter (May 10, 2006)

> _Originally posted by Contra_Mundum_
> That is the "Albigenses" reference, Peter. Cathcart claims them for Baptist stalwarts, but they may not have been that "orthodox", just because the papists were their enemies and they disdained infant baptism. The record is a bit murky, and they may well have had more gnostic in them than gospel.



I thought they were on the "Trail of Blood". Unfortunately I believe J.A. Wylie claims them too.



> _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> I believe it was during the 1209 Albigensian Crusade that the famous phrase "Kill them all, God will know his own" was uttered by the Papal Legate to the Crusaders, Arnaud-Amaury, the Abbot of Citeaux.




Arnaud-Amaury? I always thought that was Dirty Harry!

[Edited on 5-11-2006 by Peter]


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## VirginiaHuguenot (May 11, 2006)

> _Originally posted by Peter_
> 
> 
> > _Originally posted by VirginiaHuguenot_
> ...



Perhaps Ah-nold, the Governator?


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