In the late 1100’s Peter Waldes had a transformation of thought and belief. He was a rich man, and it is assumed that he acquired his wealth though “wicked practice of lending interest.” He heard someone singing about St. Alexius, who had given up his wealth to live the life of a beggar and in return experiencing spiritual bliss. Waldes invited the minstrel to his house out of curiosity and intrigue. The conversation had an impact on Waldes, and the next day he consulted a local theologian on the matter. He was curious about how to be the best Christian, and the theologian told him the story in Matthew of the rich man. From that point on Waldes gave up all of his wealth and possessions to live as what he thought was a good Christian. People thought he was crazy, but he accumulated followers who all renounced their worldly possessions to minister to the poor, trusting in God to provide for their daily needs.
They adopted simple names to go along with their simple lifestyle such as the Poor, Friends, the Known, and even the Good Christians. The group grew and traveled, eventually finding acceptance in Lombardy. The Poor sided with the Catholic church against the Cathars, and one of their most esteemed theologians, Durand of Huesca, wrote a book against the heresy of the Cathars. This opposition gained support of not only laymen and women, but also some clergy. The movement didn’t last long, however, as they soon met the opposition of the wealthy clergy and rulers of the Catholic Church.
Even though the Poor were living what they saw as apostolic lives, committing to voluntary poverty and preaching the gospel, the leaders of the Church had some issues. The first of these issues was the way the group’s poverty made the wealthy clergy look. There was a deep ravine in between the poor, impoverished Waldenses and the rich, highly esteemed clergy of the Church. Imagine how bad the clergy would look if a successful group of Christians was ridding themselves of all material possessions zealously preaching the gospel to anyone who would listen. They claim to be living true apostolic lives, while the clergy sit in their nice homes adorned with fancy clothes and possessing wealth and riches far above the average layman. One of these two parties looks really bad, and anyone can figure out which one that is.
The second issue dealt with the fact that unqualified and uneducated laymen and even laywomen were preaching. This wasn’t acceptable to the clergy. The consent of the local clergy had to be given for a layperson to preach; they couldn’t just go around preaching willy-nilly. This was the biggest issue the Catholic Church had with the Waldenses, and the one Walter Map had the most to say about at the Third Lateran Council.
At the council the pope actually accepted the Waldenses, but forbid them from preaching. Walter Map’s choice words included calling them “dabblers” and compared them to “birds who see not the fine snares or the nets to suppose that everywhere there is free passage.” He really does not like Waldes or what his group stands for, and even calls them ignorant. He uses harsh imagery, saying, “Let waters be drawn from the fountain, not from puddles in the streets.” Map was appalled that it took the council as long as it did to condemn the Poor as heretics. He asks two Waldenses a trick question if front of the council, asking if they believe in the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the mother of the Christ. Both answers would have been wrong, and Map knew it. This account states that the council laughed at their answer, pointing to the attitude that Map had towards these people. He clearly saw them as ignorant, inferior, and stupid, and wanted nothing to do with them.
What is so interesting about this whole scuffle is that Waldes and his followers weren’t that far off. He used scriptures encouraging poor living and trusting in God to provide for you. His statement of faith is almost identical to one you would see from a clergy in the Catholic Church. This debate and claiming of the Waldenses to be heretical shows just how power hungry the Church was. They ousted the Poor not based on what they believed, or their interpretation of the scriptures, but solely on the way it made the clergy look and the disobedience of authority, even if Waldes never explicitly stated that he was trying to disobey the leaders of the Church. Waldes started a movement based on what he found in the same canonical scripture that the Catholic Church was using. His belief took authority and power away from the leaders of the Church, and was therefore deemed heretical. He didn’t believe in two gods, or a pleroma of gods for that matter. He believed in the Trinity and the divinity of Christ. He stayed true to the belief of the Virgin Mary. He accepted all the scripture. He seemed to have all the right beliefs, but when it came down to power, the Catholic Church had to have its way.