Scholars and analysts looking for the roots of the extraordinary creativity and innovation found in Europe from the Middle Ages have thus far neglected the important role of religious heresy. The papers collected here – reflecting the disciplines of history, literature, theology, philosophy, economics and law – examine the intellectual and social investments characteristic of both deliberate religious dissent such as among the Cathars of Languedoc, the Balkan Bogomils, the Hussites of Bohemia and the attempts to police or eradicate it, such as the Inquisition.
