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Rating: 
Summary: Barber does it again-magnificent!
Review: You'd be hard pressed to find someone who has done more scholarly work on the Templars and Cathars than Malcomb Barber. Simply stated, Barber's work, which traces the genesis of the Cathar religion from original source documents, to their ultimate demise in the 1400's. Barber begins his study with the origins of the cathars from the Manchieans to the Bogomils and either supports or refutes various other conclusions concerning the Cathar history. He identifies the ideology from original source documents, and ultimately the schisim within the Cathar Church as to theology. Perhaps the most profound impact this book will have, at least to those who take the time and read it, is to emphatically refute the claims of that nice little cottage industry that has been percolating throughout the years that the Cathars were the guardians or holders of this magnificent treasure, or that they were the guardians of the true teachings of Christ. Nothing could be further from the truth, as wonderfully pointed out by Barber. Yes the Catholic Church was bad, but enough with the conspiracy stories. I implore you to read Barber's books on the Templars and then compare those books and their research to this cottage industry, I think you will find not only that Barber is unquestionably one of the finest historians today, but that books like Holy Blood Holy Grail simply don't make sense.
Rating:
Summary: Barber does it again-magnificent!
Review: You'd be hard pressed to find someone who has done more scholarly work on the Templars and Cathars than Malcomb Barber. Simply stated, Barber's work, which traces the genesis of the Cathar religion from original source documents, to their ultimate demise in the 1400's. Barber begins his study with the origins of the cathars from the Manchieans to the Bogomils and either supports or refutes various other conclusions concerning the Cathar history. He identifies the ideology from original source documents, and ultimately the schisim within the Cathar Church as to theology. Perhaps the most profound impact this book will have, at least to those who take the time and read it, is to emphatically refute the claims of that nice little cottage industry that has been percolating throughout the years that the Cathars were the guardians or holders of this magnificent treasure, or that they were the guardians of the true teachings of Christ. Nothing could be further from the truth, as wonderfully pointed out by Barber. Yes the Catholic Church was bad, but enough with the conspiracy stories. I implore you to read Barber's books on the Templars and then compare those books and their research to this cottage industry, I think you will find not only that Barber is unquestionably one of the finest historians today, but that books like Holy Blood Holy Grail simply don't make sense.
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