Church Matters: Retrieving the Great Tradition

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Appendix 57 What You Should Know about Christian History AD 1294-1517 From Timothy Paul Jones, Christian History Made Easy , Torrance: Rose Publishing, 2005. p. 70. Three Events You Should Know 1. Council of Vienne (1311-1312): Pope Clement V convened this council to disband the Knights Templar (an order of crusader monks) and give their property to the king of France. 2. Council of Constance (1414-1418): Pope John XXIII summoned this council to end the Great Schism and reform the Catholic Church. The council forced elected a new pope and declared that a church council “holds its power direct from Christ; everyone . . . is bound to obey it.” This view became known as conciliarism . 3. Council of Florence (1438-1445): This council technically reunited Catholic and Orthodox Churches. However, Orthodox laypeople rejected the reunion. The council also claimed (against the Council of Constance) that the pope was superior to church councils. The council recognized seven sacraments to guide Christians from womb to tomb – baptism, communion, confirmation, confession, marriage, ordination, and last rites. Seven Names You Should Know 1. Meister Eckhart (1260-1328): Dominican monk and mystic. Sought “the unspeakable basis of all reality” – a point at which the soul becomes united with God. Accused of heresy in 1326. 2. Marsilius (Marsiglio) of Padua (1275-1342): Wrote that the church derives its power from the state and that church councils are superior to the pope. Condemned as a heretic. 3. Jan Hus (1372-1415): Czech priest and reformer. Burned at the Council of Constance. Download paintings of Hus from http://calvarychapel.com/simivalley/hus.htm 4. Julian of Norwich (1342-1417): English nun and mystic. Focused on Christ’s Incarnation. 5. Valla (1406-1457): Italian humanist. Proved The Donation of Constantine was a forgery. 6. Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498): Dominican preacher. Introduced moral reforms in Florence, Italy. Defended Catholicism but became caught in a political conflict with the pope. Hanged as a heretic in 1498.