Christian History
Great Schism, The
Three councils met one after another in an attempt to bring order out of chaos and to reform the Church. These three are called the Reforming Councils, and they constitute an important chapter in the history of the first half of the fifteenth century.
Reforms among the Bohemian clergy
The death of Hus was resented bitterly by the Bohemians and led to a long war with the German Empire, a conflict that was both national and religious in character. Inspired by Hus, anti-Catholic church groups like the Bohemian Brethren and the Waldensians produced vernacular translations of Scripture and their aggressive evangelism won many converts to their cause.
Inquisition, The
The persecution of so-called heretics had unfortunate results. It brutalized the people and destroyed some of the great figures in the Church. It also alienated many Catholics and caused economic loss from the destruction of property and enforced emigration.
Establishment of universities
Though the universities held to accepted philosophy and theology, some of them became centers of progressive thought. Out of the universities came all the great reformers and progressive leaders including John Wycliffe at Oxford, Martin Luther at Wittenberg, John Calvin at Geneva, and John and Charles Wesley at Oxford.
Rise of the Schoolmen
Clergy who became Schoolmen were suspected by the Church of heresy, yet they were only trying to understand the Christian teachings that had been handed down from the ancient Church and to justify it by their reason. Even Thomas Aquinas did not escape the charge of introducing dangerous doctrines, though he became the accepted master of Catholic theology. They did not intend to overstep the bounds of authority, but they mark the beginning of the modern tendency toward critical thought directed toward even the most sacred themes of the Christian tradition.