| A | B |
|---|
| anti-pope | Any pope elected in opposition to the pope formally elected by the College of Cardinals. |
| Babylonian Captivity | aka Avignonese Captivity. The time period between 1305 and 1378 when the papal court resided in Avignon. French monarchy influenced the papacy. |
| The Carmelites | A mendicant order founded as a hermit in the Holy Land c. 1200. Unstable conditions of the 13th century forced them to migrate to Europe. |
| The Church | "The Church" referred to the Christian Church based in Rome, that is the forerunner of the Roman Catholic Church. |
| Clergy | The clergy are the officials of the Church which was divided into two classes. Monks and nuns made up one class of clergy. The other class was made up of those church members who dealt with the secular world. |
| College of Cardinals | Officially named the "Sacred College of Cardinals," it is composed of all the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church and is responsible for both electing and advising the pope. |
| conciliarism | The idea of an ecclesiastical council being the ultimate Church authority, instead of the pope, reached its zenith at the Councils of Constance and Basel. |
| Council of Constance | Summoned in 1414 to end the Great Schism, concluded in 1418 having selected a single pope. |
| curia | Officially named "Curia Romano," it is the entire body of offices and commissions that assist the pope with the adminstration and government of the Church. |
| The Dominicans | Founded by St Dominic in 1216, the order was particularly dedicated to the fight against heresy and also to the conversion of Jews and Muslims. |
| Eramus | Eramus was taught by the Brethren of Common Life. In Praise and Folly was a work in which Eramus agrued for reform in the Church. |
| Brethren of Common Life | A lay religious organization founded in the 14th century. Originally organized to remedy the lack of Scriptural writings in local languages. |
| The Franciscans | This mendicant order grew out of the movement inspired by the life and preachings of St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226). |
| heresy | Heresy is the denial or doubt of the defined doctrine of the Catholic Church. |
| Jan Hus | 1369-1415. A Bohemian preacher who called for Church reforms, based his ideas on the teachings of John Wyclif. |
| John Wyclif | An 1325-1384. English theologian and Church reformer who stressed the importance of Scripture over tradition as the source of religious authority and attacked Church wealth. |
| Hussites | Followers of Jan Hus, who were persecuted when their leader was declared a heretic. |
| Indulgences | During the Middle Ages, forgiveness for sin could be purchased from the Church as indulgences, removing the burden of penance for the commission of sins. |
| investiture | The appointment of bishops and archbishops within the Catholic Church. |
| Lollards | Based on the teaching of John Wyclif, Lollards urged a return to the simple life of the early Church and opposed many doctrines of the Church. |
| Martin Luther | 1483-1546. A German theologian and religious reformer who initiated the Protestant Reformation. |
| mendicant | Religious orders that arose in the 12th and 13th centuries that took vows or personal and corporate poverty and some preached to the urban popluations. |
| monastics | Regular members of the clergy, such as monks or nuns, who undertake vows of chastity, poverty and obedience and withdraw from the world into seclusion of monasteries and convents. |
| mysticism | The pursuit of individual union with God. |
| secular | Matters not regarded as religious, spiritual or sacred. The secular world exists outside Church orders. |
| tertiaries | The branch of religious orders composed of lay men and women living in the community. Tertiaries did not take vows of Holy Orders. |
