Snapshots from my Library-20

Massacre at Montsegur- Zoe Oldenburg

Today’s selection is quite different. This is actually a secular history book that details the crusades against the Albigenses. Details of the era are generally hard to come by and most all history was written by the Catholics. This in turn has carried over to most secular history books- they are decidedly pro-Catholic and tend to vilify the Albigenses. What sets Oldenberg’s work apart is that she is decidedly sympathetic to them and their plight. While she does repeat some of the (in all likelihood false) Catholic accusations against their doctrine she does so much less than others and is balanced in her approach. I do realize that of all groups that have been linked in Baptist heritage the Albigenses are probably the most controversial largely because of Catholic accusations of Manichean dualism. (which could be explained as a Catholic reaction to being accused as satanic.) One point that Oldenburg makes is that there were Waldenses scattered among the Albigenses areas. She also portrays very clearly the Catholic barbarism in the crusades. As with any secular history book you need to filter and as such I would recommend this to those that had already read some works such as DB Ray to get some context before. It is certainly not intended as a Baptist history book but as a fairly neutral secular history book that is useful in research.

I became aware of this book as I was browsing through a used bookstore history section and thought it looked interesting and might be worth a read. I went into this with low expectations and was surprised that it was helpful. It just goes to show you that many things can be found in secular history books. I have found much on local churches in local history books. One can think of this as a broader version of this idea.

This book is recently in print so you will need to get a hard copy from one of the usual book sources such as Barnes and Noble, Amazon etc- Kindle copies are only 4 and about 20 for a new paperback. There is one way to read it online free. Archive has electronic copies that you check out- this is different from regular books on Archive. Think of it kind of like a virtual library book. You must be a registered user and you check it out one hour at a time and renew it. It is subject to availability (unsure how many can do it at a time though)