In the early Church, the clergy were obliged to lead studious lives, and no pleas were allowed as just apologies for the contrary. Their chief studies were to be the Holy Scriptures, to which special attention was demanded, and the approved writers and canons of the Church. Other books were to be sparingly and cautiously used. Heretical works were to be read only upon necessity to confute them or caution others against them. Beyond this, there was no obligation on them to read human learning, nor was there an absolute prohibition of it. Where such study could be made to minister to divinity, it was not only allowed, but encouraged, and the study of such learning rightly applied did very great service to religion in the primitive ages of the Church. See Bingham, Christ. Antiq. bk. 6, ch. 3, 1 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