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THE WAY OF THE CATHAR SHOULD COME BACK

The World would be so much nicer.
Morgan

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Snip

Meanwhile, of all the “heretic” faiths such as Manicheeism that the history books said imported Catharism into the south of France, not one of these faiths believed that Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married. Only the Cathars have ever had this belief. So where did this belief come from, how did it originate?

To answer that question, let’s look at the philosophical concept called Occam’s Razor which says that the most obvious and simple answer to a question is the most likely to be the true one. In this case that simple answer is stunning. The Cathars of Aude and Ariège believed that Jesus and Mary were married because their ancestors living there in the first century had met Mary and Jesus as a couple.

The early Jesus Christianity was the basis of the Cathar beliefs. In these mountain strongholds of Languedoc, undisturbed for centuries, these beliefs were passed down from father to son or from mother to daughter, for hundreds of years.

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Bérenger Saunière and Mary Magdalene
Three years ago I was writing “Mary, Jesus and the Charismatic Priest” all about Rennes-le-Chateau and Bérenger Sauniere. I was convinced that the priest knew something about Mary Magdalene, and that knowledge was part of his hoard of secrets. I looked at the priest’s life before he came to Rennes-le-Château. He had served for three years at Le Clat, a village in the Pays de Sault region that straddles the border between Aude and Ariège. In Le Clat village church are two bells - one dedicated to the Virgin - for the Catholics? - and one dedicated to the Magdalene - for the Cathars?

Inside the church at Le Clat

In the Pays de Sault region are three churches dedicated to Mary Magdalene, as well as ruined chapels and wayside oratories dedicated to her. Three doesn’t sound much, but the church region in which I live near to Narbonne is a similar size with a similar number of churches and wayside shrines; but not one is dedicated to Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene is well-thought of in the Pays de Sault.

A local association that had studied the religious history of the area told me the Pays de Sault was fiercely Cathar and the last Cathars of all came from that region until finally executed in 1329. The link between Mary Magdalene worship and the Cathars is strong.

Berenger Saunière loved Mary Magdalene, his church at Rennes-le-Chateau proves it. I wondered if the priest knew of the “everybody knows” legend of the region that Mary Magdalene and Jesus came to Languedoc? Everybody knows about the legend, but nobody knows where it came from. Once again, Occam’s razor tells us that the legend exists because Mary and Jesus came here. It’s that simple.

The Roman church tradition is that Mary Magdalene went to Provence where she converted the entire region overnight to Roman Christianity before retiring to her cave; 300 years before Roman Christianity began! But the Languedocian legend said that they both came to Languedoc, which means that Jesus survived the crucifixion.

Many people in the region of Rennes-le-Château today believe that Mary and Jesus lived there, not in the tiny village on top of the hill, but on the lands around which belong to today’s commune and include many caves, rivers, and a Celtic oppidum. (Some people say they have seen Mary and Jesus in the flesh, or to have spoken to them.)

But Rennes-le-Château did not exist in the first century, except for the Celtic oppidum now called Las Casteillas, and a temple to Isis where is now the church to Mary Magdalene. The cult of Isis was so widespread in the Roman Empire that many researchers have explored nearby Rennes-les-Bains and its territory, looking for a temple to Isis, but there wasn’t one, for it was at Rennes-le-Château.

The Romans lived at Rennes-les-Bains and it was their habit to built temples on nearby hilltops, to make a pleasant excursion on a nice day. I can imagine the Roman aristocracy setting out, with their servants and horses, to take a picnic to the top of the hill, to make a sacrifice, probably a bird such as a pigeon or dove, and then to admire the view and laugh and flirt over the good local wine, poured from amphores into goblets. Parts of the road linking the two villages still exists.

It was the connection of Mary Magdalene and Jesus to Romans in high places that enabled the lovers to escape after Jesus survived the crucifixion, and then take refuge in Languedoc.

Mary Magdalene and Jesus lived in Rennes-les-Bains and brought with them Jesus Christianity which later evolved into Catharism.

A comparison of beliefs
The beliefs of early Jesus Christianity, and those of the Cathars of the thirteenth century, are amazingly similar even after 1,200 years. We know this from the testimonies recorded by the Inquisition, accounts given by the Cathars themselves, which still exist in the Vatican.

The early Christianity of Jesus had its initiation ceremony - whole body baptism. Mary Magdalene baptised people in the River Sals at Rennes-les-Bains, at two places, the Fontaine des Amours and Le Benitier - the word means baptismal font. At the time, as in Judea, it was whole body baptism, the naked adherent was completely covered by water, his eyes, his hair, his nostrils, before emerging to be welcomed into the Christian community with hugs and kisses. This was a ceremony of cleansing, and the cold salty water of the Sals was considered particularly suitable.