Who was Pelagius?
Pelagius was a fifth-century lay (not ordained) monk. He was born somewhere in Britain but eventually made his way to Rome. There he attracted a following due to his piety and virtue, which by all accounts were truly remarkable. Pelagius became an itinerate teacher of morality. He found that the people of Rome were not…
Who was Albertus Magnus?
Albertus Magnus, also known as St. Albert the Great or Albert of Cologne or Albert of Lauingen, was born Albert de Groot in Bavaria sometime between 1193 and 1206. Albertus is thought of as the greatest German philosopher and theologian of the Middle Ages, though he was a brilliant scientist and teacher as well. Catholics…
Who was Hildegard of Bingen?
Hildegard of Bingen, also known as Blessed Hildegard or Saint Hildegard, was a German Benedictine abbess in the 1100s. Her life’s work included forays into writing, pharmacology, composition, preaching, and illumination. She led a female monastery, reproved an emperor, and designed an abbey with central plumbing. But she was perhaps most well-known for her visions.…
Who was Saint Thomas Aquinas?
In the middle of the 13th century, a young Catholic scholar made up his mind to join the newly formed Dominican order of monks. Though brilliant, the teen was also spectacularly ugly, suffering from obesity and edema, with one eye grotesquely larger than the other. He rarely spoke and was constantly drifting off into his…
What were the Lateran Councils?
The Lateran Councils were a series of conferences called within the Roman Catholic Church in the 12th and 13th centuries. Their name comes from the Lateran Palace of Rome, where the groups assembled. In these meetings, Catholic Church leaders produced responses to various debates and controversies within the church. At the Lateran Councils, the Catholic…
What is the Summa Theologica?
Written from 1265—1273, the Summa Theologica (or Summa Theologiae, or sometimes referred to as the Summa) is the name of the philosophical summary (summa) of the theology (theologica) of the Roman Catholic Church as presented and organized by Thomas Aquinas, 1225—1274. Aquinas used Aristotelian philosophy as a framework for the Summa Theologica, believing Aristotle to…
What impact did Duns Scotus have on the Christian faith?
John Duns Scotus (1265/66—1308) was a philosopher, Catholic priest, and theologian. The term Scotus identifies him as Scottish, so he could also be referred to as John Duns the Scot, but the identifier is commonly used as his last name. He is often referred to simply as Scotus. The precise date of his birth is…
Who was Saint Francis of Assisi?
Though never officially ordained to the priesthood, Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, known today as Saint Francis, is one of the most famous religious figures in history. Nicknamed “Francesco” by his father, Francis was a Catholic friar and preacher who lived from 1181 to 1226 near the town of Assisi, Italy. While fighting as a…
Who was Benedict of Nursia?
Very little is known about the life of Benedict of Nursia, who lived approximately 480–547, and most of what is known comes from a biography written by Gregory the Great. Gregory made the Rule of St. Benedict widely known, and Benedict is today considered the father of Western monasticism. With the passage of time, the…
Who was Bernard of Clairvaux?
Bernard of Clairvaux was a French Catholic mystic, monk (in the Cistercian order), and influential church leader in the Middle Ages. Bernard of Clairvaux is a living illustration of a turbulent phase in Western Christendom. Christianity’s triumph over the Roman Empire also marked a slow march toward the Protestant Reformation. In between the fall of…