The Relationship between Humanism and the Reformation

The reformation was a drastic event in the early modern period that launched Europe into a massive conflict of widespread violence, through both political and religious factors. The political scene had remained very much the same before the beginning of the reformation in 1517, with many philosophers sharing similar ideas on how to handle the issues of sovereignty and private property. Religion was a long debated factor before the reformation however was brought inadvertently to the forefront of most political works in the early years of the Protestant Reformation. This event completely changed the way in which philosophers constructed their political discourse as seen with More and Martin Luther, who although despite being placed on

Arguably the greatest and longest impacting movement brought about by the forward thinkers of the Renaissance was humanism. Humanism was a cultural and intellectual movement that emphasized the human potential to attain excellence through direct study of the literature, art, and civilization of the classical Greek and Roman societies (Merriam-Webster). The scholars and believers in humanism sought to change the course of society away from the narrow pedantry of medieval scholasticism and utilitarianism. Humanism was a basic desire for every citizen to be able to speak with eloquence and read and write with clarity, so that common citizens were capable of engaging in the civic life of their communities (Gray). The movement also emphasized the value of a human being as well as the importance of rational thought rather than blind faith in spiritualism or superstition. It also pushed people to explore human desires and pleasures while also enriching their minds. The influential nature of humanism was far reaching and most notable for its effects on Renaissance art, literature, and philosophy.

Through different inspirations, the Protestant Reformation and Age of Enlightenment sought to change the stagnant traditions of European thinking in the 15th and 16th centuries. Began by German priest named Martin Luther in 1517, he was one of the first people to publicly call out the Catholic Church and their bargaining of indulgences by pasting the 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg church for everyone to see. The 95 Theses was a short list of the 95 flaws of the Catholic Church revolving around the use of their indulgences. Luther believed that people should not be scammed by the church and pay for fake indulgences for salvation, but rather come to a new understanding of salvation that came through faith alone. The other change of tradition was not getting your source of beliefs from the Catholic Church, but solely the Bible, which was a

In one of his most famous works, the Praise of Folly, Erasmus, “attacked monks, theologians, and other Christians for not seeing the true purpose of life, which is to imitate Christ”(Luthy Chu) This belief displayed how to be a better person, a key part in the individualistic element of humanism. It also helped spread new ideas of reformation. One of Erasmus’ other literary accomplishments was publishing the New Testament translated and annotated in Greek. By doing this, “Erasmus promoted the spread of Classical knowledge to encourage a better morality and greater understanding between people.” (Erasmus Biography, biography.com) classical study was a great component of humanism during the Renaissance, especially using Greek materials. In addition to promoting classical study, encouraging morality is part of humanism. The third way translating the New Testament supported humanism was it advanced education. During the time of the Renaissance, education included the study of languages. Making popular texts available in Greek helped in the education of

During the 1500’s a movement away from traditional Catholicism started to take hold. The most notable figure during this time was Martin Luther. He had ideals that, at the time, were extremely radical. As Gerald Strauss put it, “His doctrine of the two realms- the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of the world, derived directly from Augustine – entailed the strictest segregation of things spiritual and things material” (22). He did not believe that the people of the church had any right to control the population at large. He believed that they were meant to be spiritual guides, not rulers, and that they wielded way too much control over the common people. One of the most radical things that he did, which was also the most influential

Furthermore, The Protestant Reformation saw a major European movement that challenged the religious practices and beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church. With the rise of religion attracting many individuals, intellectuals began to challenge religious teachings and expose the corruption of the Church. Rather than offering salvation, the Church became corrupt and stingy for control, power, and money, in which German theologian Martin Luther, highlighted. Luther argued that people only achieve salvation by God through faith alone and criticized the use of indulgences, wealth, corruption, and other religious practices within the Catholic Church in his 95 Theses. For example, one of Luther’s theses says, “Ignorant and wicked are the doings of those priests who, in the case of the dying, reserve canonical penances for purgatory.” Luther believed papal authorities utilized the people to their own advantage in gaining wealth by fostering beliefs that indulgences relinquished sins. The immorality surrounding the Church made it unfair to people of all social groups who “devoted an enormous amount of their time and income to religious causes and foundations” – only finding themselves fooled into bribery (A History of Western Society 402). Luther’s arguments served a pivotal role in influencing others to fight for their own beliefs and redefine the meaning of religion. The common good of the people and their opinions mattered as Protestant thought grew. In the “big picture” of European

Without their contributions towards idea of reformation, what people see today could be a lot different. However, it was not just those two men who gave birth to a new age of reasoning and thought. Men such as Petrarch founded a completely different school of thought than what Wycliffe and Hus had started with their dissentions. Petrarch delved into the lost classics, literature of antiquity, and rediscovered many things that were lost when Rome fell in the 5th century. He is considered the founder of Humanism, a school of thought that allowed for the return of the pagan classics and the philosophy of secularism. Above all things Humanism is considered the assertion of a man or woman’s personal independence and expression. The idea that Humanism was one of the major reasons for the causes of the reformation is one that is not often put forth. However, if Humanism is broken down into its simplest form, it is the idea that a man can challenge what he sees before him, and indulge in knowledge outside the scripture, however much John Hus and Wycliffe suffered for the people’s right to follow the Scripture. Because of the beliefs of Petrarch, and his rediscovery of the lost classics, people were able to gravitate away from the Scripture that had dominated their lives and dictated how they lived their

14. ’05 Compare and contrast the motives and actions of Martin Luther in the German states and King Henry VIII in England in bringing about religious change during the Reformation.

Christian humanism is an intellectual movement in Northern Europe that combined the interest in the classics of the Italian Renaissance with an interest in the sources of early Christianity. It helped pave the way to the protestant reformation by bringing the focus of old Christianity back into modern Christianity, which was a protestant ideal. Erasmus paved the way for Luther’s break with Rome and Catholicism by writing the Handbook of Christian Knight, stating his belief that Christianity should show people how to live good lives on a daily basis, not just to provide believes for them to be saved. This belief was shown also by Luther, it being his belief that a common man should be sanctioned to interpret the bible in his or her own way.

Humanism, an enlightening and theoretical viewpoint that emphasize the special value of the entity, as well as the fundamental meaning of human standards while conflicting to spiritual principle, that was urbanized within Europe in the new beginning. This was predisposed through the lessons of early Greek along with Latin literature in addition to philosophy (“Humanism” 1). Humanism became a learning agenda, which was called “The Humanities”; this program had Christian teachings and secular values. Renaissance humanist were devoted Christians, they had a love for classical antiquity and also supported and promoted secular values. Humanism is by the way of an answer toward the absolute corruption of regular practice. The effects of humanism

The move to the north occurred before 1497. But spread in the 15th century. The Renaissance moved northward into western and northern Europe of Italy. Northern industry had a lot of trade expands. The feudal and religious society weakened .

There has been many changes during the middle ages to now of days in the twentieth century. Even humanism has affected us today through many obstacles every now and then. It is the belief that people can achieve happiness and live good without religion in their life. It helps in many ways one is Education that includes students. Another way is poetry or music how it has changed over the years. Their are other reasons, but many movies replaced to better ones throughout.

The humanist researchers contemplated the works of art intently in light of the fact that the antiquated compositions communicated humanistic thoughts regarding instruction. This investigation of antiquated composition, which the church considered obviously agnostic, made numerous insightful issues in accommodating the humanities, or humanistic

The first step of the Protestant Reformation was carried out by a monk called Martin Luther to adjust the unfairness of the Catholic Church. He believed that the Christian faith was a simple religion, misrepresented on account of inadequate papal authority. Like the Roman Empire the Church had broadened its territorial domain and bureaucratic function. The moral authority of the church was corrupted because of its tainted clerical practices. In his Ninety-Five Theses, Martin mainly targeted the doctrine of indulgences. Also, Luther argued that the relationship between man and God is nurtured by individual faith and subject to no greater authority than the Bible and the person should actively participate in his/her faith. Thus Luther

During this time the people wanted to know truth. They wanted to know where the soul went after death, and to have a meaningful religious experience. The man that gave them their answers was Martin Luther. Luther claimed that salvation was gained by faith, not good works, and that the selling of indulgences was wrong. The princes of Germany took a liking to Luther’s beliefs and soon made a church of their own. Luther was eventually excommunicated