Last of the Gnostics: The End of the Cathars, Paperback

The brutal (and largely unknown) Albigensian Crusade took place from 1209 to 1229 in Languedoc, France, and was perpetrated by the Catholic Church. The victims were thousands of Cathars - the members of the region's popular religion. In this extraordinary work, author Don Durrett follows six women of the time to capture the Cathar's final years in rich and historic detail. Although scrutinized for their beliefs, disciples Sarah, Miriam and Mary Magdalene, and later Margaret, Blanche and Joanne, offer Jesus' true teachings of love and oneness and a Gnostic philosophy that transcendence comes from within. "Last of the Gnostics" weaves actual battles and historic figures in a fictional fabric, and uses this backdrop to explore a version of deeply feminine Gnostic spirituality that is quite similar to modern, new age philosophy. Its inspiring, loving message blankets the pages - maybe most notably through the Cathar's subsequent persecution as heretics and extinction.