Brewer's: Catharists

A sect of the Manicheans; so called from their professed purity of faith. (Greek, katharos, pure.) They maintained that matter is the source of all evil; that Christ had not a real body; that the human body is incapable of newness of life; and that the sacraments do not convey grace. (See Ducange: vol. ii. p. 289, col. 1.)

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language