The word, Beguine, describes an unmarried woman who lives a religious life without entering an order and taking the vows of a nun. The Beguines were the female counterpart to the Beghards.
The Itinerant Female Beguines
Unlike other heretics, the church approved of some Beguines.
Like their male counterparts — the Beghards — the Beguines sought to follow the example of the twelve apostles and live as itinerant preachers, wandering among the poor. They called this doctrine or belief "Vita Apostolica."
Most Beguines did not have a clear relationship to either society or the church, although many were known to be weavers, spinners and crafters.
It was at Liege, Belgiun in the 1170s that one hears of the first group of Beguines entering into history, and they continued throughout the 13th and 14th centuries. Unlike their male counterparts, the Beghards, they faded away slowly. It was Pope John XXII from 1316 to 1334 who really began to persecute them, but the Black Death is what significantly slowed them down.
However, the Beguines persisted even until the Reformation. And several groups still remained in the twentieth century in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
Interestingly, it is believed by some that many of the Beguines were actually widows of crusaders. Their lifestyle erupted out of an inequality in the number of living men and women during the times of the crusades, and these women joined together in such groups to live out lives of prayer and charitable works.
Similar to the third order Franciscans, the primary difference in their way of life was that they did not have to surrender their personal property to the church and they had the freedom to leave the order if they so chose.
How the Beguines were Ordered
Many Beguines had spiritual directors, somebody who stood in the place of a male cleric. Often this function was fulfilled by Franciscan Brothers.
A famous Beguine was Blessed Christina von Stommeln who was born in the year 1242. She was a mystic in her teen years and joined a Beguine community until her eighteenth birthday. After, she lived as a Beguine in her hometown.
Many Beguines were women of very different backgrounds, both rich and poor. Their lifestyle was chosen in a sense to protect many of them from marriage, childbirth and from controlling husbands who would engage them in legal battles over their estates and inheritances.
The primary complaint against the Beguines was not about their doctrines, but rather, their austere lifestyle which embraced a level of "holy poverty" which was criticized by the church even though when the Franciscan Orders began flourishing worldwide.
As a result of this piety, the church remained concerned that the Beguines would be treated as religious authorities outside the church.
Any heretical sect in the church before Vatican I and II was treated with great disdain as evidenced by the quotes of some of the Early Church Fathers on the matters. It was only after Vatican I and II that tolerance really became integrated into the Holy Faith and those with different lifestyles, views or ways of practicing their faith were accepted and treated with compassion.
Heresy According to the Early Church Fathers
The Early Church Fathers held strong views against any people who failed to stay fully in line with the Catholic Doctrine which had been defined at the time. “They were hypocrites, and introducers of strange doctrines. They were also subverters of the servants of God, especially of those who had sinned. For they did not require them to repent, but persuaded them by foolish doctrines,” according to Hermas in A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers.
The male counterparts to the Beguines were the Beghards and another interesting heresy in the history of the Catholic Church would include the Bogomils.
Sources:
- Encyclopedia of Heresies and Heretics, by Charles S. Clifton.
- A Catholic Dictionary, by William E. Addis and Thomas Arnold, M.A.
- Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma , by Dr. Ludwig Ott.
- A Short History of Christian Doctrine: From the First Century to the Present, by Bernhard Lohse.
- The Church in Crisis: A History of the General Councils, 325 - 1870, by Philip Hughes.
- A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers, edited by David W. Bercot.
