Lectionary Calendar
Friday, April 26th, 2024
the Fourth Week after Easter
Attention!
Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause!
Click here to learn more!

Bible Dictionaries
Brethren of the Common Life

1910 New Catholic Dictionary

Search for…
or
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z
Prev Entry
Brethren Church
Next Entry
Brethren of the Lord
Resource Toolbox
Additional Links

Community founded by Geert de Groote (1340-1384), a Dutch priest and mystic. After spending several years in solitude, he came forth and began to attack the evils of the clergy. A group of secular priests and lay persons, attached themselves to De Groote and became known as the Brethren of the Common Life. They took no vows, but aimed at the interior life and devoted themselves to education and literature. They transcribed numerous manuscripts and founded free schools at Windesheim (1386) at Deventer, where there were 2,000 students in 1500, and in many places in Germany and the Netherlands. Men like Thomas a Kempis, who wrote a life of De Groote, Pope Adrian VI, and Gabriel Biel, were trained in their schools, which were almost all swept away during the Reformation.

Bibliography Information
Entry for 'Brethren of the Common Life'. 1910 New Catholic Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/​dictionaries/​eng/​ncd/​b/brethren-of-the-common-life.html. 1910.
adsFree icon
Ads FreeProfile