Church History, Volume 2 (of 3)Kurtz, J. H. (Johann Heinrich)
History
Church History, Volume 2 (of 3)
Kurtz, J. H. (Johann Heinrich)
Church history
and threatenings proved of no avail, driven away along
with his adherents. The latter increased and spread
by-and-by over the earth. After a violent persecution,
which had almost cut off all of them, Peter Waldus made
his appearance with his companion, John of Lyons, as
the restorer of the apostolic life and calling, etc. To
this there was subsequently attached another legend. The
brethren had previously based their right to discharge
all priestly functions with the greatest confidence simply
on their apostolic life, and so they could not conceal
from themselves at a later period the fact that the want
of continued apostolic succession, on which the Catholic
church rested the claims of their priests, would place the
Waldensian masters very much in the shade as compared with
the Catholics. They began, therefore, not only to claim that
their founder Waldus had been previously a Roman presbyter,
but also to devise the fable of a bishop or even a cardinal
of the Romish church, through whose favour that defect had
been overcome.--Continuation, § 119, 9.
§ 108.16.
6. =Relations between the Waldensians and Older and
Contemporary Sects.=--Owing to the extraordinarily lively
and zealous propagandist activity of the sects at the
time of the origin and early development of the Waldensian
movement, there can scarcely be a doubt that the latter,
after it had freed itself from all obligation of obedience
to the pope and bishops, and had been driven out by them,
must at various points have come into close relations with
the other sects which, like it, had risen in rebellion
against the papacy and the hierarchy, and like it had been
persecuted by these. The numerous sect of the Cathari holds
a conspicuous position in this connection. That Waldus and
his companions must have decidedly repudiated the dualistic
principles which all these otherwise greatly diverging
Catharist sects had in common is indeed quite self-evident;
but this by no means prevented them from recognising
and appropriating such particular institutions, forms
of organization or modes of worship, peculiar moral
requirements, etc., practised by them as might seem fitted
to further their own ends. And that this actually was done,
many noticeable points of agreement between the two plainly
indicate. Thus on both sides we find a similar division of
members, the _Perfecti_ and _Credentes_ corresponding to
the _Fratres_ and _Amici_, and the kind of spiritual care
which the former took of the latter, the grace at table
said by the itinerant preachers, the importance attached to
the possession and use of bread that had been blessed by the
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