Column C17: The Doctors of the Catholic Church These are the Catholic theologians who have had perhaps most input into shaping or misshaping Christian theology over the years. There are now thirty-three Doctors of the Church, of whom eight were from the Eastern church (Byzantium) and twenty-four from the Western church (Rome). They include two Carmelites, two Jesuits, three Dominicans, three Franciscans, a Redemptorist, and five Benedictine monks. The eight marked in italics are considered the greatest Doctors of the Church, four from the Eastern, and four from the Western church. Thomas Aquinas was also very important in his pronouncements about demons and other spiritual creatures, and St Albertus Magnus has more than a passing interest for those interested in magic.