http://inconsistentthoughts.wordpress.com/2008/04/01/catharism-and-vedanta/ philosophical ramblings of a dialetheist, vegetarian, Arché postdoc Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:12:46 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 http://inconsistentthoughts.wordpress.com/2008/04/01/catharism-and-vedanta/#comment-68 Alexus McLeod Wed, 02 Apr 2008 10:41:04 +0000 http://inconsistentthoughts.wordpress.com/2008/04/01/catharism-and-vedanta/#comment-68 Much of the early gnostic Christian philosophy is also very similar to Vedantic philosophy (and Indian metaphysical thought on these issues in general). The Cathars were surely influenced by the gnostic movements, which, like the Manichaeans, tended to hold that the physical world, including the body, was either illusory or evil--this is why the Manichaeans, for example, were so dead set against sexual activity (which is where the Catholics got it, through Augustine who was at first a Manichaean, even though they don't like to admit it). Some of the gnostic groups held that Jesus' human existence and suffering were illusory, because they were antagonistic to the notion that something divine would have any physical nature at all. Gnosticism flourished in Eastern Christianity, in Egypt, Syria, etc., and there are lots of texts written in Syriac. No doubt this gnosticism itself was influenced by Indian modes of thought, as Indian philosophy (particularly Buddhist philosophy) was big in the region at the time (we're talking from around 2nd century CE to around the 4th or so when the catholic/orthodox unification movement of Ambrose and those guys gained ascendancy and the gnostics were basically run out of town). Thus, if the Cathars were influenced by gnosticism (which they probably were), and gnostisicm was influenced by Indian philosophy (which is almost certainly true), then Catharism was influenced by Indian philosophy, though distantly (like the dub of a dub...) Much of the early gnostic Christian philosophy is also very similar to Vedantic philosophy (and Indian metaphysical thought on these issues in general). The Cathars were surely influenced by the gnostic movements, which, like the Manichaeans, tended to hold that the physical world, including the body, was either illusory or evil–this is why the Manichaeans, for example, were so dead set against sexual activity (which is where the Catholics got it, through Augustine who was at first a Manichaean, even though they don’t like to admit it). Some of the gnostic groups held that Jesus’ human existence and suffering were illusory, because they were antagonistic to the notion that something divine would have any physical nature at all. Gnosticism flourished in Eastern Christianity, in Egypt, Syria, etc., and there are lots of texts written in Syriac. No doubt this gnosticism itself was influenced by Indian modes of thought, as Indian philosophy (particularly Buddhist philosophy) was big in the region at the time (we’re talking from around 2nd century CE to around the 4th or so when the catholic/orthodox unification movement of Ambrose and those guys gained ascendancy and the gnostics were basically run out of town). Thus, if the Cathars were influenced by gnosticism (which they probably were), and gnostisicm was influenced by Indian philosophy (which is almost certainly true), then Catharism was influenced by Indian philosophy, though distantly (like the dub of a dub…)

]]>