The Beghards were the male counterpart of the Beguines, all of whom were women. Those who embraced the Beghard lifestyle were religious people who hoped to imitate the life of the Apostles, but did not wish to enter into formal religious orders of the church.
The Mysterious Beghards
Most of the Beghards were in the areas now known as Germany and Belgium and one of their distinguishing features was that they chose to follow no ecclesiastical authority.
The Beghards counted blacksmiths, shepherds, artists, farm workers and others like them in their ranks. Most of their preaching was done outdoors and often contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Many of the Beghards openly criticized the organized priesthood and clergy.
What the Beghards Believed
At the time of the Beghard revolution, the Bible was still only available in Latin. Most common people could not read its contents. They believed the Bible should be translated into the language of the people.
They also believed that any Eucharistic Mass celebrated by a priest known to be sinful, should be invalid. But they also held that any believer, not just a consecrated priest of the church, should be able to hold a Holy Mass.
They gave no validity to any of the other six sacraments of the church.
Despite their heretical status, many of the Beghards were referred to very commonly as good men. Man of them became wandering preachers, while others gathered in communities and worked to support themselves and their works of charity.
Many of the Beghards utilized the rule of the third order of St. Francis of Assisi, but many of them had different rules depending upon their location.
Several requirements were made of the Beghards, that they remain chaste, receive communion seven times a year, keep all secrets of the order and they were not allowed to leave the communal homes of the Beghards at night.
Beghards were around primarily in the 13th and 14th centuries, and after the Black Plague in the 1340s, were known for their charitable acts of burying the dead.
Heresy and the Early Church Fathers
Many of the Early Church Fathers held very strong views against the heretical believers. “How much more will this be the case with anyone who by wicked doctrine corrupts the faith of God, for which Jesus Christ was crucified! Such a one becomes defiled. He will go away into everlasting fire, and so will everyone that listens to him,” according to Ignatius in A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers.
A more well known heresy that occurred early in the church was Arianism, but the Beghards had a group of female counterparts, the Beguines.
Sources:
- Encyclopedia of Heresies and Heretics, by Charles S. Clifton.
- A Catholic Dictionary, by William E. Addis and Thomas Arnold, M.A.
- Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, by Dr. Ludwig Ott.
- A Short History of Christian Doctrine: From the First Century to the Present, by Bernhard Lohse.
- The Church in Crisis: A History of the General Councils, 325 - 1870, by Philip Hughes.
- A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers, edited by David W. Bercot.
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