Decretists one of the two parties into which the students of canon law in the 12th century were divided in consequence of the general recognition at that period of the supreme authority of the pope. The name is taken from the title of a work, Decretum Gratiani, which formed the basis of their studies in ecclesiastical law. Neander says, "The zeal with which the study of civil and ecclesiastical law was pursued had, however, this injurious effect, that the clergy were thereby drawn away from the study of the Bible, and from the higher, directly theological, interest, and their whole life devoted solely to these pursuits." The opposite party were called Legists. See Neander, Hist. of the Church, 4:203 sq.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More