History of the Catholic Church from the Renaissance to the French Revolution — Volume 1MacCaffrey, James
Religion
History of the Catholic Church from the Renaissance to the French Revolution — Volume 1
MacCaffrey, James
Catholic Church -- History -- Modern period, 1500-
Hurter, /Nomenclator Literarius Theologiae Catholicae/, 3 auf.,
1903. Werner, /Geschichte der apologetischen und polemischen
Literatur der Christlichen Theologie/, 1865. Turmel, /Histoire de
la theologie positive/, etc., 1906. Slater, /A Short History of
Moral Theology/, 1909. Gigot, /General Introduction to the Sacred
Scriptures/, 1900. De Smedt, /Introductio Generalis ad Historiam
Ecclesiasticam/, 1876. Benigni, /Historiae Ecclesiasticae
Repertorium/, 1902. Collins, /The Study of Ecclesiastical
History/, 1903.
In the latter half of the fifteenth and the first quarter of the
sixteenth centuries theological studies had reached a very low ebb.
The great philosophico-theological movement of the thirteenth century
had spent its force, and it seemed highly probable that in the
struggle with Humanism theology would be obliged to abandon its
position of pre-eminence in favour of the classics. Yet as events
showed the results of Humanism were far from being so harmful to
theology as seemed likely at first. Zeal for the pagan authors of
antiquity helped to stir up zeal for the writings of the Fathers, new
editions of which were published in various centres; while at the same
time the value of the spirit of historical and literary criticism, so
highly prized by the devotees of Humanism, was recognised by
theologians, and availed of largely in defending the authority of the
documents that they cited. In the controversies with the Reformers,
who rejected entirely the authority and the methods of the
Scholastics, Catholic authors and controversialists were obliged to
fix their attention upon the Scriptures and on the historical side of
theology as evidenced in the doctrines and usages of the early
centuries. The revival, too, at this period of the older religious
orders, particularly the Benedictines and the Dominicans, and the
establishment of new bodies such as the Jesuits and the Oratorians
were in the highest degree providential. It gave to the Church the
services of trained and devoted scholars, who were free to devote all
their energies to the defence of Catholic interests. In the remarkable
theological movement of the sixteenth century Spain and Italy held the
leading place. The University of Salamanca contended with the
/Collegium Romanum/ for the supremacy once yielded freely to the
theological faculty of Paris. The founder of the new school of
theology, which had its seat in Salamanca but which exercised a very
considerable influence on the Jesuit teachers in Rome, Ingolstadt, and
Prague, was the Dominican, Francis of Vittoria (1480-1546). Realising
the necessities of the age better than most of his contemporaries he
put to an end the useless discussions and degenerate style of his
immediate predecessors, re-introduced the /Summa/ of St. Thomas,
insisted on supplementing it by a close study of the Scriptures and
the writings of the Fathers, and inaugurated a new style of
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