Catharism (/ˈkæθərɪzəm/; from the Greek: καθαροί, katharoi, "the pure [ones]") was a Christian dualist movement that thrived in some areas of Southern Europe, particularly northern Italy and southern France, between the 12th and 14th centuries. Cathar beliefs varied between communities, because Catharism was initially taught by ascetic priests, who had set few guidelines. The Catholic Church denounced its practices and dismissed it as "the Church of Satan".
Catharism had its roots in the Paulician movement in Armenia and eastern Byzantine Anatolia and the Bogomils of the First Bulgarian Empire, who were influenced by the Paulicians resettled in Thrace (Philipopolis) by the Byzantines. Though the term "Cathar" (/ˈkæθɑːr/) has been used for centuries to identify the movement, whether the movement identified itself with this name is debatable. In Cathar texts, the terms "Good Men" (Bons Hommes) or "Good Christians" are the common terms of self-identification. The idea of two Gods or principles, one being good and the other evil, was central to Cathar beliefs. The good God was the God of the New Testament and the creator of the spiritual realm, contrasted with the evil Old Testament God—the creator of the physical world whom many Cathars, and particularly their persecutors, identified as Satan. All visible matter, including the human body, was created by this evil god; it was therefore tainted with sin. This was the antithesis to the monotheistic Catholic Church, whose fundamental principle was that there was only one God, who created all things visible and invisible. Cathars thought human spirits were the genderless spirits of angels trapped within the physical creation of the evil god, cursed to be reincarnated until the Cathar faithful achieved salvation through a ritual called the consolamentum.
This is a list of Star Wars species, containing the names of fictional sentient species from the Star Wars franchise beginning with the letters A through E. Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series, Star Wars, was released on May 25, 1977 and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by five sequels and three prequels. Many species of alien creatures (often humanoid) are depicted.
The Abyssin inhabit the planet Byss. They are a nomadic race, often described as "brutish and violent." They stand approximately two meters tall and have a humanoid appearance, with long limbs and weathered skin. They also possess a single large slit-pupiled eye which dominates their greenish-tan foreheads. Abyssins do not take kindly to derogatory nicknames regarding their eye, such as "monoc," "one-eye," or "cyclops." They are quick to anger, especially when taunted or insulted. They are known to look for conflict and rarely show restraint. All Abyssins have the ability to heal quickly and to regenerate body parts, which leads to their belief that change is impossible, and as such they rarely stray from their home world. Abyssins dislike blaster fire and space-battles.
A Cathar is a name given to a Christian religious movement with dualistic and gnostic elements that appeared in the Languedoc region of France and other parts of Europe in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries.
Cathar may also refer to: