René Descartes, the “father of modern philosophy,” initiated a philosophical revolution against the Catholic Church. His philosophy set the stage for a broader revolt against the Church's influence, ultimately leading to new theories of moral and personal liberty.

The Scientific Revolution did not just increase our understanding of the world; it marked an inversion of man’s role in relation to God. Key figures such as Galileo, Bacon, and Newton laid the groundwork for this transformation, which would play a significant role in the French Revolution and the Vatican II.

The Protestant Revolt attacked liturgy as well as Catholic doctrine. Peasants in sixteenth-century England went to war to defend the Mass from innovations, while the Council of Trent and Pope St. Pius V confirmed the faithful in their liturgy.

With private judgment replacing Tradition, the sacramental Church and the ministerial priesthood come under attack from the Lutheran revolt, which is strengthened by John Calvin.

Nominalism rejects universal truths to focus on individual particulars that can only be grasped through internal, personal understanding. This outlook shaped both the Franciscan William Ockham and eventually Martin Luther. These ideas laid groundwork for the Protestant Revolt and later revolutions within the Church.

Kabbalah and its Christian counterparts seek knowledge of God beyond traditional notions of Divine Revelation. The incorporation of Kabbalistic ideas into Christianity has driven revolutions against the Church.

Gnosticism, associated with figures like Marcion and the Albigensians, is characterized by three core principles: dualism, the divinization of man, and knowledge as redemption. These ideas plague the Church down to the present time.

Since the time of Christ, Gnosticism has persistently attacked the Church and Ultimate Reality. It infiltrated Vatican II through Pierre Teilhard de Chardin and others. In this first part of our exploration of Gnosticism, we examine the first Gnostic, Simon Magus, and the founding mythology of this destructive heresy.  

Before Vatican II, the Church emphasized the importance of teaching St. Thomas Aquinas in pursuit of ultimate Truth. To grasp the revolutionary attacks on the Church, it is essential to have a basic understanding of St. Thomas’s ideas on how we come to know Truth.

We begin the dive into the historical context necessary to understanding Vatican II, emphasizing the importance of understanding French history and its relationship with the Church. It highlights the Church's role in medieval society, especially its sacramental and hierarchical social order.