St. Isidore of Seville
Schoolmaster of the Middle Ages 560 - 636
As compiler of all secular and religious knowledge of his time, it is easy to ascertain the reasoning behind the charism of St. Isidore of Seville. His life and work as a textbook writer allowed him to have a huge influence on education as it was to spread through the Middle Ages. Apparently, this was especially so as regards the sciences.
St. Isidore of Seville, a Brilliant Man
Born to Hispanic-Roman parents in Cartagena, Spain, St. Isidore shares sainthood with three siblings: St. Leander, St. Fulgentius and St. Florentina. If this isn’t feat enough for such a family, St. Isidore was obsessed with obtaining knowledge – ALL knowledge. As a result, he became known as one of the most well educated men of his time writing textbooks for all of the sciences, geography, liberal arts, medicine and law.
St. Isidore Brought Expanded Education into Seminaries
Not satisfied with priests and clerics having only a theological education, it was St. Isidore who founded schools and seminaries that included the sciences,geography, liberal arts, medicine and law in their educational process. It was St. Isidore’s view that priests could not serve men fully unless they had a more well-rounded understanding of many walks and vocations in life.
St. Isidore, Presider over Councils and Fighter of Heresy
Most notably, St. Isidore presided over the Council of Seville in 619 A.D. and the Council of Toledo in 633 A.D. But there were more. When his brother, St. Leander, passed away, St. Isidore continued his work in fighting the remnants of the Arian Heresy among the Visigoths.
In his own time, he was remembered mostly for his severe ascetic lifestyle and the charitable works that he undertook. Canonized in 1598 A.D., he was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict the XIV in 1722 A.D.
St. Isidore of Seville’s Written Works
The Etymologies or Origins, De Viris Illustribus, A Rule for Monks, Three Books of Sentences, Summaries of the First Four Councils of the Church - St. Isidore of Seville is credited with creating the first Summa of human Knowledge.
The Fourteenth Doctor of the Catholic Church
The Sixteenth Doctor of the Catholic Church
Sources: The 33 Doctors of the Church – By Fr. Christopher Rengers, A Catholic Dictionary – By William Addis, The Writings of the Early Church Fathers (Thirty Eight Volumes): Ante-Nicene, Nicene and Post Nicene – Hendrickson Publishers, Dictionary of Saints – By John J. Delaney, Encyclopedia of Heresies and Heretics – By Chas S. Clifton, A Scholastic Miscellany: Anselm to Ockham – Edited by Eugene R. Fairweather, A Short History of Christian Doctrine: From the First Century to the Present – By Bernhard Lohse
St. Isidore of Seville
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