Aliaksandra Valodzina

The article was received: on October 16, 2023 The article was published: on December 1, 2023 DOI:  download the article as pdf

 

Abstract: The present study analyses the Western heretical narratives dated to the 11th–12th centuries as performances representing the confrontation between a wise pious prelate and a cunning impious heresiarch. It regards the entire texts of the narratives, including obviously false evidence such as flying devils. The article shows that when the real movement leaders were well-known and respected, the texts depicted them as men acting under the influence of fictional heresiarchs, miserable characters, and medieval “others”, such as women, peasants, and demons. The aim of introducing a fictional heresiarch character was to construct a suitable opponent for a Catholic prelate who would prove the rightness of the official Church doctrine in the course of the debates. The real-life heresiarchs in the texts could receive pejorative characteristics intended to degrade the entire movement and praise the Roman Catholic Church.

Keywords: Heresy, Religious movements, Performance, Demons, Medieval woman

 

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