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The Life of Thomas Aquinas: A Medieval Theologian and Philosopher
A plain-language look at Thomas Aquinas, the Dominican friar who wrote the Summa Theologiae, covering his life, his teaching career and how the Summa is organized.
Faith and Health
Theologians and Reformers
Thinkers who shaped and challenged Church teaching.
The Life of John Wycliffe: A Medieval Theologian and Translator
John Wycliffe was an Oxford theologian who criticized Church wealth and papal authority. This article covers his life, his ideas and the Lollard movement.
The Life of John Wycliffe: A Study of the Father of the English Bible
Who made the Wycliffite Bible? This article explains the two English translations linked to John Wycliffe, who likely did the work and how the Church reacted.
The Life of William of Ockham: A Study of the Father of Nominalism
William of Ockham was a Franciscan philosopher. Learn what nominalism means in plain terms, how he clashed with the papacy, and what Ockham's razor really says.
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Monasteries and Orders Monks, monasteries and the military religious orders. Medicine and Healing Doctors, herbs, theories and beliefs about illness and magic. Philosophy and Theology How medieval thinkers joined faith and reason. The Black Death The plague of the 1300s and its effects on society. Inquisition and Heresy How medieval church courts pursued heresy, and what the records really show. Saints and Mystics Holy men and women, visionaries and a martyr. The Church and Its Power How the medieval church was organized and how it used its influence. Afterlife and Purgatory What people believed about death, heaven, hell and purgatory. Sin, Salvation and Virtue Medieval ideas about sin, salvation, providence and the virtues. Jews in Medieval Europe Jewish communities, scholarship, restrictions and expulsions. Pilgrimage, Relics and Shrines Holy journeys, saints bones and the shrines that drew travelers.