The Free Spirit followers actually derived themselves from an earlier heresy. In a sense, they became a heresy upon the shoulders of another heresy. Deriving their basic beliefs from the Beghards and the Beguines, the Free Spirit followers were considered to be the most radical of these.
What the Free Spirit Heresy Believed
Rejecting all church authority like the Beghards and Beguines whom they originated from, the Free Spirit followers followed a form of pantheism wherein they perceived God in everything all around them.
Also embracing a form of Neoplatonism, they believed in the oneness of the soul with God.
Interestingly, because the Free Spirit followers believed that they had become one with the will of God, they believed that no matter what they might choose to do, they were incapable of sin. It was this belief that caught the attention of the Catholic Church, which expressed disapproval of the Free Spirit followers.
Many of the Free Spirit followers lived immoral lives in the name of their faith.
The Response of Pope Clement V and the Roman Catholic Church
Pope Clement V issued a bull summarizing the beliefs of the Free Spirit followers in order to legitimize their condemnation. Eight core beliefs defined the Free Spirit heresy:
- People could attain perfection and be beyond sinning in this life.
- Since such a person had no control over his own passions or sensible appetites, there was no need to fast and pray.
- The the Free Spirit brothers and sisters were no longer required to adhere to obedience to the Roman Catholic Church.
- The the freedom of spirit could attain to full sanctification in this life.
- That those with such freedom needed no divine light in order to love the Lord.
- That only those who remained imperfect needed to practice virtue.
- Sexual intercourse, if desired, was not sinful.
- They believed that no respect need be shown to the Eucharistic Host, as they did not accept the doctrine of transubstantiation – the physical presence of Christ in communion.
At the same time as the bull was issued against the Free Spirit heresy, Pope Clement V spoke out against the Beghards and Beguines.
The Free Spirit were found most commonly in Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Czechoslovakia.
Heresy According to the Early Church Fathers
The Free Spirit heresy exacted harsh words from the Early Church Fathers. After all, they were a heresy which derived itself from yet another heresy.
“For all of those persons have fallen from the truth. The heretics bring strange fire to the altar of God – namely, strange doctrines... And those persons who rise up in opposition to the truth and exhort others against the church of God shall remain among those in the pit of Hades,” according to (Irenaeus) A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers.
Another heresy which actually emerged from a legitimate order of monks who went their own way were the Fraticelli. Perhaps the most enduring heresy, however, is Gnosticism.
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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