Counter Reformation
During the middle of the 16 Century the church based in Rome sought to reunite the church. Pope Paul III continued to use of the Inquisition. It had been successful in closing Italian protestant growth.
With the Catholic counter reformation started the zeal for revival missionary work was taking a fresh hold and in particular in Spain. From the council of Trent Roman reforms were starting but not as fast or as much as the church on the ground wanted. With the Pope endorsing public interpretation of scripture, bishops preaching, and teaching taking place in parishes these were good signs of an establishing revolution by the new pope Paul IV. Dominicans and Franciscans eagerly shaped the work. But in Scotland by 1557 the first covenants (bonds) were signed by several earls and lords which declared their intention to overthrow the Roman Church.
One person who shaped Scottish Presbyterianism more than John Knox was Andrew Melville (1545-1622). After study at St Andrew's and Geneva Melville returned to Scotland in 1574 on the request of the bishop of Glasgow. As a “Charismatic” teacher who made Glasgow a city of learning , he also influenced the seats of learning in Aberdeen and Edinburgh. He for a time lectured in Oxford and Cambridge (1584) whilst he had fled from king James VI's Earl of Arran who wanted to imprison him. Melville was rector of St Andrew's between 1590-1597.
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