Northern humanists were frequently referred to as Christian humanists. The Christian humanists, like their Italian counterparts, meticulously researched classical sources. However, they also strove to imbue humanism with a distinctively Christian flavor. They did so by adopting many of the tools and techniques of biblical criticism, such as textual analysis, grammatical reconstruction, and historical writing. These efforts produced works that are important contributions to the development of modern science, philosophy, and theology. In addition to being called Christian humanists, northern humanists were also often referred to as Catholic humanists. This is because many of them were educated in European universities where the Catholic Church was both the main patron and source of knowledge. In fact, some northern humanists were ordained as priests or monks to carry on the work they had begun. Despite these connections with the Catholic Church, few Northern humanists were Roman Catholics; rather, they were mostly Protestants. Finally, northern humanists were also often called orthodox humanists. Orthodox here does not mean religious but rather referring to the belief that humans have the ability to know truth through their own senses and reason - thus the label "orthodox humanist". This view was shared by many intellectuals in Europe at the time. It was an accepted part of culture that people should seek knowledge through rational thinking.