Albigens

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A member of a Christian sect in the 12th century known for its dualistic beliefs, which emphasized the conflict between good and evil
2. Followers of a heretical group in medieval Europe who rejected the material world, believing in a spiritual battle against darkness
3. An adherent to a religious movement that sought to reform Christianity by promoting a strict interpretation of Biblical teachings, often in opposition to the Catholic Church

Etymology: Members of this movement were not known by this name to themselves. Their own term was "boni homines" (good men or good Christians), and the label they are now known by comes from a place. Albi, a town in southern France, was an important centre of the movement in the late 12th century, and church writers called its adherents "Albigenses," meaning "people of Albi," from the Latin "Albiga." The name became standard in the early 13th century, when the papacy launched the Albigensian Crusade (1209–1229) against the movement in the Languedoc region. The English adjective "Albigensian" comes from the same Latin base, with the suffix "-ian" added. "Albigens" is a shortened form of the same root, and it is used in the same way: as a noun for a member of the sect and as an adjective for their beliefs or practices. Modern historians often prefer the name "Cathars," from Greek "katharos" ("pure"), but "Albigensian" remains the common term in older histories and in English usage.

Synonyms: Albigensian, Cathars, heretics, medieval sect, Southern French heretics

Antonyms: orthodox, Catholics, church followers, believers, conformists