Lecture Notes Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards from lecture notes.

Leo the Great

A Doctor of the Church, one of the three popes to be called "Great", known for facing heresies, being an excellent administrator and peacemaker. Convinced Attila the Hun not to destroy Rome.

Attila the Hun

Known as "the Scourge of God", he was a well-educated Barbarian ruler who negotiated peace with Rome but often broke his word. He was persuaded by Leo the Great not to destroy Rome.

Gregory the Great

Born into a wealthy family, he became a monk and was unanimously elected Pope. He reformed the Mass, negotiated peace with Barbarians, and sent monks to England to spread Christianity.

St. Patrick

Originally from Britain, he became the patron saint of Ireland as a 5th-century missionary and bishop.

Justinian

Expanded the Byzantine Empire and sought to rid the empire of other religions. He had a feud with the Persians over a Christian Kingdom.

Jerome

Translated the Bible from Hebrew and Latin into the language of the people, creating the Vulgate.

Gutenberg

German inventor who revolutionized printing by using moveable type to mass produce books and documents.

Ignatius of Loyola

Founder of the Society of Jesuits, known for his spiritual exercises.

Benedict

Created precepts for monks on how to live a monastic life, emphasizing peace, prayer, and work. Founder of Western Monasticism.

Scholastica

Sister of St. Benedict, she established a monastery for nuns.

Pepin the Short

Donated the Papal States to the Vatican and was the first king of the Carolingian dynasty.

Charles Martel

Engaged in the Battle of Tours, fought the Saxons, and became the King of France.

Charlemagne

Educated by monks, united much of Western Europe, established schools and libraries, and was crowned emperor of Rome by Leo III. Known as a strong military leader and father of Europe, oversaw the Carolingian Renaissance.

Monks

Men sent on missions beyond the Roman Empire to spread Catholic teachings, creating books and Bibles to educate the poor.

Bishops

Church officials who tried to work towards peace but also became political and overstepped their roles.

St. Bede

A Benedictine monk who felt that science and faith could coexist and used metaphors in his homilies. He was the headmaster of Charlemagne's school.

Boniface

Known as the "Apostle of Germany", he was sent on missions by popes, established monasteries, and converted pagans.

Leo III

The pope who crowned Charlemagne emperor on Christmas Day 800. Started off poor and worked his way up to become pope.

Gregory VII

A Church reformer who addressed corruption within the Church and called officials back to their vows of poverty and obedience.

Abraham

The "Father" of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

Muhammad

Credited with the development of the Islamic tradition, visited by the Archangel Gabriel and given the Qur'an. Prophet of Islam.

Henry VIII

Broke away from the Catholic Church after being denied an annulment and established himself as the head of the Church.

Catherine of Siena

Had recurring visions of the Lord and combated the Avignon Papacy through letters, prayers, and treaties.

Teresa of Avila

The first female doctor of the church, reformed the sisters to live a very strict lifestyle. Founded the 1st reformed convent, St. Joseph's.

Francis of Assisi

A friar who adopted a lifestyle of severe poverty, ministered to outcasts, and is the patron saint of animals. He is known for creating living nativity scenes.

Clare of Assisi

Gave up her wealth to found a group of religious women, the Poor Clares, who placed their total faith in God.

St. Dominic

Spoke out against the Albigensian Heresy, founded the Dominicans, and fostered excellence in scholarship and education.

Thomas Aquinas

Known as the "Dumb Ox", he wrote Summa Theologiae and was a great scholar who used Greek and Arabic thinking in theology.

Martin Luther

A German monk who wrote the 95 Theses, was excommunicated, and sparked the Protestant Reformation.

East Roman Empire

Also known as the Orthodox Roman Empire, it was located in the Byzantine empire. Defining characteristics include liturgy in Greek, priests permitted to marry, great city is Constantinople, people remain standing during liturgy, leaven bread used in Eucharist, God the Father is the originator in the trinity, patriarchs are leaders who are not infallible.

West Roman Empire

Also known as the Roman Catholic Church, its great city is Rome. Characteristics include liturgy in Latin, priests are not permitted to marry, kneeling during the liturgy, unleavened bread, Pope is the head of the Church on earth, and the trinity is one God with three parts.

Papal States

Territories in central Italy ruled directly by the Pope from 756 to 1870.

Dark Ages

The time period following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, characterized by a decline in classical learning and culture (400-1000).

Chalcedon

A council that settled the debate about the nature of Christ.

Carolingian Renaissance

A time when classical learning emerged under Charlemagne.

Constantinople

The city now known as Istanbul, Turkey, and the capital of the Byzantine Empire.

The Crusades

"holy wars", the intention of which was to help pilgrims from the eastern church get to Jerusalem safely

Albigensian Heresy

Believed everything was evil (especially the body), each person had two souls, and in 2 Gods: one good God, and one evil God. Also known as Catharism.

Council of Trent

Called in response to the Protestant Reformation to reaffirm Catholic canon and authority.

Protestant Reformation

A period of religious, social, and political upheaval that led to the formation of Protestantism, started by Martin Luther.

Avignon Papacy

A period when the papacy was moved to France under the influence of the French king. The Sacred College of Cardinals was later made to combat this.

Printing Press Invention

Invented by Johannes Gutenberg. The first book that came from this invention was the Gutenberg Bible.

Bubonic Plague

An event that caused a major decline in the European population; the Church expanded hospitals and orphanages to combat this.

Peace of Augsburg

A treaty that ended civil war between Catholics and Protestants in the Roman Empire and allowed princes to decide what religion their people would practice.

Monotheism

The doctrine or belief that there is only one God.

Monasticism

A religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual works, dwelling alone under religious vows and subject to a fixed rule.

Germanic tribes

Known for their destructive behavior, uneducated nature, and pursuit of wealth. Also known as barbarians.

Barbarians

Also known as the Germanic tribes, invaders known for being ruthless, uneducated, and destructive with no political system in place after they hit.

Virtues

Morally good traits or "habits" that lead us to live in communion and closer to Jesus. There are two types: cardinal and theological.

Theological virtues

Faith, hope, and charity.

Cardinal virtues

Prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.

Quran

The Islamic sacred book, believed to be the word of God as dictated to Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel and written down in Arabic.

Renaissance

"Rebirth"; a time frame that gave way to the sciences, literature, art, and architecture.

College of cardinals

A group of men who evolved from the clergy to assist the pope and elect the next one.

Indulgences

Sold by the church to save one's soul from purgatory or hell.

Heresy

A false teaching against an essential Catholic doctrine or truth.

Lutheranism

The first religion that splinters off of Catholicism.

Excommunication

A ban from the Catholic Church which excludes you from receiving communion and participating in the sacraments.

Lay investitures

The practice where secular rulers (like kings or nobles) appointed religious officials, particularly bishops, rather than the Church itself.

Papal Schism

Also known as the Western Schism, a period when there were two or three rival popes claiming to be the legitimate successor of Saint Peter. It was driven by political and personal rivalries, rather than theological disagreements.

Schism

Split or divide.

Papal Inquisition

Instituted to flush out heretics.

Spanish Inquisition

Went too far and targeted Jews and Muslims.

Augsburg Confession

A profession of faith that agreed with Martin Luther's reforms, based on the Scriptures and the first centuries of Church tradition, and also expressed Luther's theological views.

Monte Cassino

The first monastery established by St. Benedict.

Monophysitism

This teaching says that Jesus' two natures mixed together and the divine outweighs the human.