ABSTRACT
Waldensian Women's Activities ( 13th c.) The twelfth and thirteenth centuries saw an upsurge in "heresy"— religious beliefs and practices which were contrary to the teachings of the Catholic church. Several heretical sects, including the Waldensian movement, became widespread. As we see here, women sometimes found a larger role in these heretical groups than they were allowed in the orthodox church. The writers of the following selections were all concerned with describing heresy in order to combat it. Source: Heresy and Authority in Medieval Europe: Documents in Translation, ed and tr. Edward Peters (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1980); Margaret Deanesly, The Lollard Bible and Other Medieval Biblical Versions (Cambridge University Press, 1920). Reprinted by permission of the University of Pennsylvania Press and Cambridge University Press.
