Bieke was heading back to Belgium this morning, congratulating herself on missing the air traffic controllers stike yesterday.
Unfortunately the radio was on on the bus... so she knew what was happening in Belgium as she headed towards it, worrying desperately about her family and her flight.
In the event the flight was fine and there was a special bus from Charleroi, 'all incredible well organised' she writes. Anxiety abounds but all well in her life. Phew.
Spent today in Carcassonne and had the pleasure of the company of our refugees on the journey. Papers are begining to come through and they are begining to be able to make decisions about their future. One young man of 26 years who was studying to be a lawyer in the Sudan is learning French so that he can return to university.
Ferren appeared at Limoux so the theological debate became enriched. It seems that The Prophet parted company with the Christians after the Council of Nicea (325AD) where the Christian relationship with God became trinitarian (that is, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit), contradicting the 'There is no God but God' maxim. Three Gods in one was two too many.
Thinking about it, the trinitarian structure was a response to the Arian heresy which as we all know figures large in the Cathar thinking of these parts. So perhaps the divisions amoung the peoples of the book is traceable to the Languedoc?
Or not.
There was a bishop in Toulouse in the 7th century who was removed because of his Arian beliefs...I think the Arians came with the Goths as they held those beliefs and of course came into the south of France. Former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Williams wrote a book on Arianism (good scholarship but limited in scope). There was the Council of Arras (1025) which was northern France and they were anti-Manichean too (Manichaeism being a catchphrase for anything which the church thought heretical). There is a noted scholar (now with the Uni at Toulouse),Philippe Roy who lived at Pegaillous, past Montferrier but before Montsegur who has written at least three books on the Cathars but, helas, in French for those who do not read it.
ReplyDeleteHis wife is an artist (if she's still his wife). I came to Ariege on vacation in 2000 not knowing I would fall down a metaphysical/whatever rabbit hole and end up spending every vacation for the next 10 years in Ariege or Aude or both. I've kept most of the books (fact, in French) and my take would be that they would have more in common with a good Moslem than with most Christians.
Nicea had a lot to answer for but by then it was more politics than religion (except when religion is political).
I rented a house in Couiza one trip and loved the Esperaza market; reading your blog is a wonderful visit to an area that captured my heart. I envy you in the best possible ways...
I love your comments :) Always erudite - what a minefield the Arian/Manichean stuff is - I did a Ba in Theology but always got dizzy confused between that lot. Or maybe that was the booze that I took to get me through the Ba... Interesting that the Arians came with the Goths, I wasn't aware of that.Any sources I should read?
ReplyDeleteRowan Williams has to be circumspect. I hope now hes in the acedemic pond he's o
allowed to be more unlimited:) He looked at and approved of my Masters work in Esotericiam so Im a fan :)
I'm still doing research on the Goth history and will then try to run parallels to see what I come up with. So many tie the Cathars to the Bogomils but they seem more of a second wave rather than the first (founders). How great you know Dr Williams! When he was called to be Archbishop I thought it was good to have such an open-minded cleric. The subject of Arianism is considered an unspeakable heresy by some (various sects) church people.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that California and the Grand Sud have so much in common (not the least the trees, fish, fungi and some fauna) but they're both on major fault lines. Perhaps like the ley lines, the fault lines bring a capacity for human change and creativity. A friend who spent many vacations with me (he was at U of A'dam) commented on the sense of freedom and creativity. He had his own spirituality but found both peace and stimulation in the mountains and he said he thought that some peoples' esthetics were such that it was a form of spirituality for them.
I read of a stone garden in Ariege.com and knowing my friend's interests took him there for a healing visit (he was dealing with his MA thesis at the time). An hour by himself had great effect. Sorry to say the site no longer has photos or directions but here's another site with both if such things interest you (and you don't already know it)
http://outsider-environments.blogspot.com/2008/12/anonymous-jardin-de-pierresstone-garden.html
Sorry, seems the Ariege site in French does have the info:
http://www.ariege.com/que-visiter-en-ariege/sites-insolites/jardin-de-pierres
site looks beautiful - if I get the chance will track it down. Being a non-driver Im rather restricted but maybe a summer visitor will take me.
ReplyDeleteYou live in California? I like the idea that fault lines bring possibilities - will talk to Ferren Macintyre, local but originally Californian, whio is an oceanographer and understands techtonics and almost everything else:) -