The Heretical Sects of the Middle Ages

The Socialist Phenomenon, by Igor Shafarevich

I bet you are thinking “aha, bionic has finally figured out the truth about the European Middle Ages and the role of the Catholic Church and tradition!”  Let’s disabuse you of this notion right off the top; the chapter title in Shafarevich’s book is entitled “The Socialism of the Heresies.”  I will focus only on his sections regarding the Middle Ages.

During the Middle Ages and the period of the Reformation, doctrines of chiliastic socialism ofte...