Saint-Félix-Lauragais Midi-Pyrenees France

Beliefs such as Bogomilism had arrived in the West France via trade routes from Eastern Europe by the twelfth century.

The first confirmed report of a group espousing similar beliefs is reported being active at Cologne by the cleric Eberwin of Steinfeld.

It has been suggested that the Paulicians, the Bogomils, and the Cathars had been deeply influenced by Manichaeism.

All are certainly dualists and feel that the world is the work of a demiurge of Satanic origin, but whether this is due to influence from Manichaeism or another strand of Gnosticism is impossible to determine.

The Bogomils and Cathars, in particular, will leave few records of their rituals or doctrines.

Only a minority of Cathars hold that the evil god (or principle) is as powerful as the good god (also called a principle) as Mani did, a belief also known as absolute dualism.

It is now generally agreed by most scholars that identifiable historical Catharism did not emerge until at least 1143, when the first confirmed report of a group espousing similar beliefs is reported being active at Cologne by the cleric Eberwin of Steinfeld.

A landmark in the "institutional history" of the Cathars is the Council, held in 1167 at Saint-Félix-Lauragais, attended by many local figures and also by the Bogomil papa Nicetas, the Cathar bishop of (northern) France and a leader of the Cathars of Lombardy.

The Structure and Organization of the Cathar Church in the Languedoc (c. 1040–1167 CE)

The Cathar Church of the Languedoc was known for its relatively flat ecclesiastical structure, in contrast to the hierarchical nature of the Catholic Church. While critics and later historians have referred to a division between perfecti and credentes, the Cathars themselves did not use the term perfecti, instead referring to their spiritual elite as bonhommes ("good men").

Early Origins and Development

• The Cathar movement had roots dating back to 1040, when a system of doctrine and liturgy was first established.
• Cathar theology rejected many Catholic teachings, emphasizing dualism—the belief in a spiritual world of light and a corrupt material world.

Ecclesiastical Structure and Bishoprics

1. First Bishopric at Albi (c. 1165)

   • The first known Cathar bishopric was established at Albi, giving rise to the term "Albigensians", commonly used to describe Cathars in southern France.

2. Expansion at the 1167 Council of Saint-Félix-Lauragais

   • A major organizational council was held in 1167 at Saint-Félix-Lauragais, where:
     • The Cathar Church formally structured itself, creating multiple bishoprics.
     • New sees were established at Toulouse, Carcassonne, and Agen, forming the foundation for Cathar religious authority in the region.