The novel Hills of Zion covers the religious upheaval of 1208-1209 in Western Europe. Pope Innocent III primarily targeted the Cathar movement in Languedoc and Provence; however, many dissenting groups existed during this period.
Among these were the Cathars, Albigensians, Waldensians, Humiliati, Henricians, Paulicians, and Beghards. Further confusing the student of history is the term Albi-Waldensian. This last group seems to denote Waldensians who had settled in this region of conflict, but they remained distinctly different.
The exciting part about this area of study is that the verdict remains fluid. Almost all commentary on the events surrounding the Albigensian Crusade was produced by pro-Catholic sentiment. Not surprisingly, we find all these groups clumped together, as if religious confusion were homogeneous. The reality is that belief systems were widely varied and highly developed by the early Thirteenth Century.
The novel portrays mainly the Waldensians and Cathars, in that order. An Albigensian group, with less distinction, is mentioned in Chapter Nine, when Beulan stumbles upon the galley slave, Luc. Jean is a barbe, the title given to itinerant Waldensian preachers .
Peter Waldo (Pierre Valdes in the native French) was a wealthy merchant from Lyon. According to tradition, around 1170, he witnessed the death of a close friend during a banquet. The victim likely died from a heart attack. The grim occurrence set off a series of actions in Pierre’s life that would culminate in the Waldensian movement.
Feeling that his soul was endangered, he employed a local scribe to translate the Scriptures from Latin into French. Delving into the Bible for a time, he concluded that Christians of his day were not living in accordance with God’s Word. He began to preach the message of repentance in individual households, expanding eventually to street corners.
His studies finally led him to sell his earthly possessions and embark on a lifelong ministry of preaching to the poor. His accentuated drift from Catholic orthodoxy brought him into conflict with the local bishop, who ordered that he cease his activities or suffer consequences. When the noose tightened, he journeyed to Rome and appealed to Pope Alexander.
Initially, he was granted an “unwritten” charter to continue his activities. But when thousands rallied to his pleas of salvation through repentance and faith, the Roman church lashed out, banishing Pierre from Lyonnais and threatening him with further discipline if he failed to adjust.
Valdes fades slowly from the pages of documented history, but evidence indicates that he survived well into the first decade of the Thirteenth Century. Men with higher education took the mantle and assisted in structuring the Waldensian Church on a Biblical model. By the 1220’s, though, most of the educated leaders had defected to the Catholic camp. The prime example was Durand d’Osca, who abandoned his Brethren around 1210 and is featured in the coming sequel Fields of Zion.
Confusion abounds in the many texts written about the early movement. Some sources even disagree whether Valdes was actually excommunicated. Further complications arise when the student realizes that Catholic authorities consistently confused the many groups, lumping belief systems together arbitrarily to suit their arguments.
By the Fourteenth Century, Waldensian doctrine and practice had spread throughout Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and Poland. Small numbers were found in Illyria, Slovakia, and England. The movement gradually became monolithic with prescribed practices and ordinances.
Like all Spiritually led movements, the Waldensian faith had gradually lost the fervor of the original movement. At the dawn of the Reformation, they were ripe for disintegration. Having lost the conviction of nonresistance, the Genevan branch of Protestantism convinced them to defend themselves against Catholic encroachment.
Thus, the Waldensian, who had avoided the world and her trappings for over three centuries, were seduced into armed conflict. Many lost their lives during this period. With the successful rise of Protestantism, coupled with their lack of conviction and separation from the world, the Waldensians slipped into permanent obscurity.