Church Matters: Retrieving the Great Tradition

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Chur ch Mat ter s : Ret r i ev i ng the Great Trad i t i on

What You Should Know about Christian History: AD 1294-1517, continued

7. Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (1469?-1536): Renaissance scholar and Catholic priest. Compiled Textus Receptus Greek New Testament. Four Terms You Should Know 1. Conciliarism : The belief that a church council has authority over all church members, including the pope. The Councils of Constance and Pisa were triumphs for conciliarism. 2. Ottoman Empire : Muslim empire, founded by the fourteenth century warrior, Othman. The Ottoman “Turks” eventually ruled the area now known as Turkey. In 1453, they conquered Constantinople, the Eastern Empire’s last stronghold. The Eastern scholars who fled to Europe helped trigger the Renaissance. 3. Renaissance Humanism : The Renaissance was a fifteenth-century revival of interest in ancient languages and in the humanities. Renaissance writers were called “humanists” because they focused on practical human actions instead of Scholastic logic. 4. Spanish Inquisition : This tribunal – formed in 1479 by King Ferdinand V and Queen Isabella – tortured, burned, and exiled thousands of Jews, Muslims, and heretics. Catholics today condemn the Inquisitors’ methods.