Soundings

AMIDST THE CONFUSION and chaos of the early Church’s battle against Gnosticism, there emerged the enigmatic figure of Marcion of Sinope, whose father was the Bishop of Pontus. As a young man, Marcion left Pontus and travelled extensively in Asia, before finally settling in Rome. But in AD 144, he was expelled from the Church […]

ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL heresies that plagued the early Church is Gnosticism. As a religious sect, Gnosticism is best described as a syncretistic blend of Judaism, pagan mystery religions, Hellenistic philosophy and Christianity. In it, we also find the influences of Persian dualism and Babylonian astrology. The origin(s) of Gnosticism has always been a […]

PHILIP MELANCHTHON (1497-1560)   A ‘humanist and Reformer’ PHILIP MELANCHTHON was an influential theologian who worked closely with Martin Luther and whose books were more popular in Europe than even those of Luther and Calvin. Born on February 16, 1497, in Bretten in the Electoral Palatinate, Melanchthon is often described as a “humanist and Reformer” […]

Martin Luther (1483-1546) ON OCT 31, 1517, an Augustinian monk nailed his protests against a practice of the Roman Catholic Church on the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This act sparked one of the most significant and enduring movements in Western Christianity. The monk in question was Martin Luther. The document came […]

WITHOUT A DOUBT, the 14th century is one of the most tumultuous in the history of Europe. It was the century in which ancient and established institutions were crumbling even as new centres of learning, especially universities, were beginning to proliferate. This century also saw some of the greatest political upheavals, including the Hundred Years’ […]

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) THOMAS AQUINAS is perhaps the most influential theologian in the Western Christian tradition, next to Augustine. Born in 1225 at Roccasecca, which stood midway between Rome and Naples, he entered the great Benedictine abbey of Montecassino at the age of five to begin his studies. When his family transferred him to the […]

Bonaventure (1221 – 1274) BONAVENTURE IS ONE of the most important theologians and spiritual writers in the 13th century. Born Giovanni di Fidanza in 1221, he entered the prestigious University of Paris in 1235 and came into contact with a group of mendicants known as the Franciscans. Impressed by their simplicity and embrace of poverty, […]

Peter Lombard (1096-1161) “Peter Lombard serves as an example of a theologian who is faithful to both Scripture and the Tradition of the Church.” PETER LOMBARD is without doubt one of the most influential theologians in the Middle Ages. Born in Novara, Italy, he first studied theology at Bologna and Rheims. It was Bernard of […]

Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) A consummate preacher and teacher, Bernard also authored numerous theological treatises on topics as diverse as the doctrine of God, grace and free will. IN BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX we encounter a decidedly different sort of thinker from the theologians we discussed in the previous two articles. As monk, mystic, theologian and […]

Peter Abelard (1079-1142) THE FIRST HALF OF THE 12TH CENTURY produced many outstanding theologians and writers, whose works continue to influence Christian theology in one way or another: Anselm, Peter Lombard and Bernard of Clairvaux (to name just a few). e most colourful figure in this period is surely Peter Abelard. Born in Brittany in […]

ANSELM OF CANTERBURY is one of the most important theologians in the medieval period. Hailed by scholars as the founder of scholasticism, a critical and rational approach to theology, he is the author of significant treatises on the Incarnation and on grace and free will. Anselm was born in the Piedmont near Aosta, a Burgundian […]