New Sects and Secret Meetings: Association and Authority in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries
R. I. Moore
It is always dangerous to proclaim novelty in religious matters, and seldom more so than relation the changes of eleventh twelfth centuries. In particular assertions contemporary observers, bishops, chroniclers others, that new doctrines were being disseminated or forms behaviour detected among people (a word which, like them, I use a strict sense mean unlettered unprivileged, not simply as synonym for laity) usually false, almost profoundly misleading. But themselves are new. They without precedent, course: no epoch Christian era has been bereft blessings civilisation be entirely unable produce episcopal denunciations novelty. granted dangers inherent all such pronouncements it does seem me we encounter these centuries, first time since late antiquity, rising and, turned out, continuous chorus anxiety acting collectively purposes if necessarily outside church, at any rate its initiation approval. appropriate maintain modern history voluntary associations, least source alarm despondency those positions authority, begins here. Obviously, therefore, must central preoccupation this paper, though hope only one, consider what extent lay eye clerical beholder rather external popular reality, well wonder either case needs gave rise it, purpose served.
Studies in Church History