There are also some Cathar accounts of the biblical Fall that suggest that the devil seduced souls in the form of a beautiful woman no one could resist.39 The age-old implication that women could be temptresses was still present in the Cathar church. But overall it is fair to say that their approach to duality, the fact they perceived all human flesh as flawed, and their inclusive preaching of the Bible were more forgiving towards women than the views of the orthodox church. Women also had equal rights to land ownership in Languedoc and could be found at the head of powerful families across
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