Summary
The Cracow’s pious laymen or Beghard heretics? From the study on the 14
th
century
Tractatus contra beghardos
by Henryk Harrer
Tractatus contra beghardos
written by a Chech Dominican Henryk Harrer is a ma
sterpiece of
exceptional value for both historians of the medieval heterodox movements as well as for scholars
inte
rested in the history of theology and law in the 14
th
century. The treaty was commissioned by
Cracow Dominicans in the years 1328 to 1334. Commis
sioning the treaty to Henryk Harrer, a stranger
expert from the Prague monastery of St. Clemens was dictated b
y a series of controversies among
Cracow clergy around the jud
gement of conduct of a certain group of people whose religious practices
and a way of life stood out from the rest of the congregation. Undertaking the task of writing the
treaty Henryk Harrer
based his work around three charges pressed against the suspected of he
resy:
breaking off the Church and establishing an illegal organization (
singularitas vite
); corrupted attitude
towards recognized religious practices (
contemptibilitas sacramenti eucha
ristiae
); numerous flaws and
perverse disposition (
pertinax voluntas
). Not only did Harrer decide to comment on all aspects of life of
central figures of
Contra beghardos
but he also honestly mentioned all arguments he was not able to
undermine. Despite th
ese objective difficulties, the Czech Dominican was certain that the expertise he
came up with was sufficient to link the lay movement with the sect of Beghard Heretics.
The author of this study proved that, contrary to Harrer’s keen intention, his
Tracta
tus contra
beghardos
does not unambiguously show heresy in the Cracow diocese. What is more, the reader,
instead of indictment against the conduct of a group of laymen para
doxically received a confirmation
of their innocence and orthodoxy. In the light o
f ana
lysis of the text
Contra beghardos
, the claim that
Beghard Heretics from Harrer’s work turn out to be pious layman, living in communion with the
Church, seems to be fully substantiated. Of course their way of life and the practice of asceticism made
them stand out from the other members of the congregation but were completely in line with the
Church legislation. In this context, Harrer’s work is an original testimony of numerous
misunderstandings about the Beghard movement and stormy times of forming
a new kind of piety
among lay members of Church.