(1079-1142) Eldest son of a minor noble of Brittany. Gave up inheritance rights to younger brothers, roamed France to sit at the feet of the great masters. Lectured in Paris. Wrote Sic et Non. A couple quotes: "By doubting we come to inquiry, and by inquiry we arrive at the…

Christian scholars and philosophers and writers who arose near the end of the second century to defend the Christian faith from secular attack. Included men such as Aristides, Justin Martyr, his disciple Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus of Antioch, the unknown author of the Letter to Diognetus and Melito, bishop of Sardis…

As a farm boy in Connecticut was affected by the Great Awakening and repented while mowing a field without emotion or ecstasy, but with great clarity. Soon after joined the ranks of the revivalists and eventually formed the First Baptist Church of Middlesborough, Massachusetts. [tags]BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, Great-Awakening, history, Isaac-Backus[/tags]…

The French general who ascended to power in France after a period of confusion ending with a coup d’etat. Forged the Concordat of 1801 to give the Catholic Church a special place in France. His empire collapsed in 1815 and he was banished to an island in the Atlantic. [tags]BlogRodent,…

Canon law served the church just as civil law supported a secular government. It defined the rights, duties and powers of all people and priests within the church. It was the law administered in all ecclesiastical courts, from those of the bishop up to that of the pope. Sometime around…

During the Thirty Years’ war, when the Catholic Imperial forces crushed the Bohemians and gave control of the University of Prague over to the Jesuits, King Christian IV of Denmark was appalled by this Catholic victory. Also being eager to annex German territory, he entered the war against Ferdinand and…

An ideology extremely difficult to define. Democratic ideological perspectives tend to clump anything that identifies itself at "communism" together in the same heap. But two camps of communism may be entirely inimical to each other, and have separate means and ends. Usually, one points to The Communist Manifesto, or Das…

(1st General Council, 325) Called by the Emperor Constantine to settle the question of Christ’s divinity raised by Arius. Gave birth to the Nicene Creed. Established that Christ is fully divine, "true God from true God." [tags]1st-Council-at-Nicea, Arius, BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, Constantine, Creed, history, Nicene-Creed[/tags]  

Bishop of Alexandria. Demetrius found Origen to be uncooperative in his efforts to organize the church in Egypt. Origen thought Demetrius a power-hungry church official, consumed with his own self-importance. [tags]BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, Demetrius, history, Origen[/tags]  

One of the three major divisions in Christianity today. Perhaps the best starting point for understanding Eastern Orthodoxy is through its use of icons. Icons, to the Eastern Orthodox worshiper are a kind of window between the earthly and the celestial worlds. Through the icons the heavenly beings manifest themselves…

A Jewish faction arising near the end of the inter-Testamental period who had little or no interest in politics or in warfare. Instead, they withdrew to the Judean wilderness. There, in isolated monastic communities, they studied the Scriptures and prepared themselves for the Lord’s kingdom. [tags]BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, Essenes, history[/tags]…

(1553) When King Henry VIII died, his son Edward VI followed him to the throne. During his brief years England saw the six Articles (from Henry’s reign) repealed, priests allowed to marry, and the old Latin service of worship replaced by Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer in English. In 1553…

(1564-1642) Made a telescope to examine the planets and proved that the acceleration of falling bodies is constant. [tags]BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, Galileo-Galilei, history[/tags]  

At the Conference, under the reign of King James I of England (formerly James VI of Scotland) in 1604, some leading Puritans had a chance to present to the king their ideas for change in the Church of England. But James dismissed most of their opinions rather rudely. On only…

Pope from 1198-1216. Unlike Gregory VII and other earlier reform popes, who were monks, Innocent and other great popes of the later twelfth and thirteenth centuries were trained as canon lawyers, experts in church government. His most powerful weapons in exercising his spiritual power over the people of the land…

Was claimed by the early Christians in Alexandria to be the founder of the Alexandrian church. [tags]BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, history, John-Mark[/tags]  

Archbishop under King Charles I. Laud believed that God had ordained bishops to govern his church. Under his leadership, an episcopal party rose to resist the Puritans. With the king’s support they reintroduced stained glass windows, crosses, even crucifixes. They elevated the Communion table and called it an altar and…

(1483-1546) The most prominent leader of the Protestant Reformation, who was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic church because of his persistent efforts to change some of he church’s doctrines and customs. He taught that the Bible alone, apart from church tradition, had authority to declare what was to be believed.…

In 1532, when the Reformation spread rapidly throughout Munster, an episcopal city in Westphalia near the Netherlands, a conservative Lutheran group was at first strong there. But new immigrants who were apostles of Jan Matthijs led to fanaticism among those in power. Many looked for the creation of the Lord’s…

(1865-1955) A Methodist layman, he combined a deep religious faith; evangelistic zeal; power over public assemblies; and compelling, convincing speech. At twenty-three he became student secretary of the International Committee of the YMCA. Sensing the need for greater coordination of student work, he founded in Sweden the World’s Student Christian…

Even before Luther posted his theses on the church door at Wittenberg a distinguished and aristocratic group at Rome had formed a pious brotherhood called the Oratory of Divine Love. Their guiding belief was that the reformation of the church and society begins within the individual soul. The Oratory was…

During 1524, encouraged by Luther’s concept of the freedom of a Christian man, which they applied to economic and social spheres, German peasants revolted against their lords. Long ground down by the nobles, the peasants included in their twelve demands the abolition of serfdom — unless it could be justified from…

(1846-1878) A warm, kindle, well-meaning man. The liberals took him for a true reformer when, on 14 March 1848 he gave the Papal States a constitution that permitted the people a moderate degree of participation in their government. Some dreamed of an Italian federation under the pope. But Pius changed…

Calvin’s leadership in Geneva shaped a third reformation tradition. Today we call it Reformed or Calvinistic Christianity. It includes all Presbyterians, Dutch and German Reformed Churches, and many Baptists and Congregationalists. [tags]Baptists, BlogRodent, church-history, ChurchRodent, Congregationalists, history, Presbyterians, Reformed-Christianity[/tags]  

When, in 1527, the Anabaptists met in the first "synod" of the Protestant Reformation at Schleitheirm on today’s Swiss-German border, near Schaffhousen, the leading figure at this meeting was the former Benedictine monk, Michael Sattler. Four months later he was burned at the stake in nearby Rottenburg-am-Neckar. [tags]Anabaptists, BlogRodent, church-history,…