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What are the effects of the Protestant Reformation
A term paper on the roots of Humanism
What are the effects of the Protestant Reformation
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How the Rise of Humanism Influenced Society Imagine a citizen of Europe during the Middle Ages. Their life revolves around work and the Church. It is currently the era of the Renaissance and new ideas are arising every day. One day they hear ideas that go against their beliefs and the Church's. Everyday more and more people are supporting those facts. Before they know it the Protestant Reformation is occurring. This all happened because of something called the Humanist movement. The rise of humanism in the modern Middle Ages was the main cause of religious conflict due to people discovering new information that had to do with Church views which resulted in new interpretations of the Bible and the Protestant Reformation. Humanism was the rediscovering of ancient texts during the Middle Ages which caused a major development in society at the time."Humanists placed a renewed value on classical texts, not only those rediscovered in their …show more content…
"The Reformation, despite its quick development along heretical and schismatic lines, was rooted in what was most profound in the humanist movement (Bouyer)." Humanism was the root cause of the Reformation because of the different ideas that came about because of it. There have been multiple instances in history where the introduction of new ideas has caused conflict among people and some,"objected to how the structure of the Church tended towards repression. They, too, decided that they would have access to a more authentic and appropriate Christianity by paying more attention to the words in the Bible than the traditions handed to them by religious authorities (Humanism and the Reformation History)." People were tired of being told what to do by the leaders of the Church and preferred to stick to the words of the Bible and to not blend their beliefs with worldly
The period of the Renaissance was an important era of development in the world religiously, artistically, and scientifically. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, important technologies such as the printing press contributed greatly in helping advance the intelligence of all humans. A broad humanistic sense began to expand throughout Europe, giving a new vision of the human being as the center of the universe and not as something mystical or divine. With a combination of the technological and social changes taking place at the same time, the Renaissance’s advancements placed the driving force for the protestant reformation to occur. The Protestant reformation was a new era of religious revolution that brought radical changes in the vision that society had of the Catholic Church. During this period, not only did the religion change, other areas such as the economy and the development of social interactions were reformed and
4. Renaissance humanism was an intellectual trend that came from interest in Greco-Roman literature. It changed theories and education because it secularized history--events were no longer blamed on God’s will.
According to Nicholas Mann, "Humanism is that concern with the legacy of antiquity, and in particular but not exclusively with its literary legacy... it involves above all the rediscovery and study of Greek and Roman texts, the restoration and interpretation of them, and the assimilation of the ideas and values they contain." The Studia Humanitatis (Studies of Humanity) is a Latin term used by Roman writers describing a cycle of studies in the humanities including, grammar, rhetoric, history, poetry, and moral philosophy. Francesco Petrarch, an Italian scholar and poet of the fifteenth century, is considered by many to be the father of humanism. Petrarch 's influential texts had circulated widely throughout Florence and made their way into the government. Thus, humanist learning began to shape political ideologies in Florence. By inspiring humanist philosophy, Petrarch helped pave the way for the start of the Renaissance.
The church’s robust grip on religious expression shattered as medieval society transitioned into a period known as the Reformation. Characterized by the rejection of common ideology, the Reformation sparked religious curiosity. Reformers such as John Calvin and Martin Luther offered interpretations of the Bible in direct opposition to the Catholic Church’s teachings, forcing Europeans to examine and formulate their own beliefs. This style of thinking was foreign to European society because up to this point in history Europeans were passive absorbers of Catholic Church ideology. Hence, it was natural that an era considered the Age of Enlightenment followed the period of rejection and questioning known as the Reformation.
Humanism is also found throughout the Reformation. Christian humanists were the people who pushed for change of the Catholic Church. They believed that in order to change society, you had to change the individual human beings who make it up. Erasmus is one of the best know humanists of the Reformation. He wanted to spread the philosophy of Christ, provide education in works of Christianity, and criticize the abuses in the church. Overall the main tie of the Reformation and Renaissance was humanism. Both groups of people during those times wanted change towards a more secular view of things.
What happens when people start to break away from the entity that bound an entire civilization together for over a thousand years? How does one go from unparalleled devotion to God to the exploration of what man could do? From absolute acceptance to intense scrutiny? Sheeple to independent thinkers? Like all revolutions preceding it, the Protestant Reformation did not happen overnight. Catholics had begun to lose faith in the once infallible Church ever since the Great Schism, when there were two popes, each declaring that the other was the antichrist. Two things in particular can be identified as the final catalyst: a new philosophy and simple disgust. The expanding influence of humanism and the corruption of the Catholic Church led to the Protestant Reformation, which in turn launched the Catholic Reformation and religious warfare.
The reformation is generally associated with the publication of Martin Luther ninety five theses. It was his way to show the protest against the “business” made on religious people: the Holy Roman Empire was earning money on selling people indulgences. Martin Luther got the support of German princes, who were on the same side, but with different motives (they wanted to get autonomy). Luther was the great part of reformation, his influence was immediate, and people listened to him. One of the immediate effects of reformation can be observed in the development of that times writers. For example, Francois Rabelais satirized church, writing about their “business” in humorous way. The other writers, like Erasmus wrote more specifically about the pappy and their role in the lives of ordinary Christians. The major short term of reformation was about the informational acknowledgement, Luther told people the truth about the papacy and their actions, and the reaction of people was immediate: the loss of respect to church, papacy. These results were really strong, because people felt that, all the dogmas...
A religious revolution called the Reformation happened in the Western church in the sixteenth century. Martin Luther and John Calvin were its leaders. The Reformation was the source for establishing Protestantism, which is one of the three major branches of Christianity. The Reformation started to become more political than religious. Martin Luther, Henry VII, and John Calvin were some of the reformers. These people decided to challenge the Catholic Church and the way it could explain the Christian religion. The arguments over the power that was distributed to the Bible and its readings lead to wars, and later, the Counter- Reformation. The Counter- Reformation was created when the Church was a little slow to respond to the reformers such as Luther. The council of Trent then met to discuss some of the problems that the Reformation caused and Luther’s ideas along with the other reformers. The era of the Catholic Church that was with the Counter- Reformation grew to be more educated and spiritual. The effects of these two Reformations came with lasting political changes. The freedoms that were given religiously and politically lead to many rebellions and persecutions in
Humanism is a literary and linguistic movement cultivated during the Renaissance that was founded on revising classical Latin and Greek texts, styles, and values. Humanists encouraged looking to the past to discover what is good and how people should act including leaders. Many humanist wrote about how they believe a prince should act and what he should do to be successful in his rule. Most humanists believed that princes should be virtuous in order to be successful rulers as many ancient leaders were. However, Machiavelli in his work The Prince uses history as a part of his argument to undermine some humanist ideals such as being purely virtuous and morality being the key to good government but also uses it to promote humanist ideals such as looking to the past to discover how a leader should behave.
A central focus of the Renaissance was humanism. Humanism was an intellectual movement that claimed the heart of the Renaissance. Humanists studied the classical cultures of Greece and Rome. They used their newly acquired knowledge to develop a better understand of their own times. Humanists, although they were mostly Christian, did not focus of religion. Instead they were fixated on worldly subjects. It was believed that education should stimulate one’s creative mind. Humanists emphasized humanities, which are classic subjects such as grammar and poetry.
The Renaissance was a period of classical revival during the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries. In that time period, the first forms of humanism were conceptualized by intellectuals. Humanism is defined as a progressive philosophy that emphasized the value of human beings and their ability to have potential and morals. This was a complete one-eighty turnaround in contrast to the middle ages, which emphasized the sin of man and the need for salvation. During the middle ages, the church had immense power and Europe was weakened by a series of wars and plagues, which promoted much pessimism within the era. By the 14th century, there was more room for social mobility which allowed a new generation
Humanism during the Renaissance era proved to be a very important aspect that helped mold the society into one that exhibited the combination of classical teachings and a more materialistic outlook on the world . Humanism during this era was a very important theme. Humanism, in the classic sense, is the formation of ideals that are focused more on real world aspects that stray from traditional church teachings and ideals. The Renaissance period, during the 15th century, experienced a paradigm shift in the classic sense where society began to focus more so on improving the societal experience, rather than focusing on church centered ideas. Renaissance humanism brought upon more materialistic concerns, such as wealth and power for its citizens.
Humanism was the idea that the human was the center and was the only arbiter capable of determining truth and falsehood. This movement led to rejection of institutional authority and replaced with emphasis on individual capacity and reason. The ideal humanist and ultimately the purpose to strive was a holistic human being one capable of excellence in many fields in addition to functioning honorably in any type of situation. Renaissance humanism could trace its origins to ancient Greece. Greek literature, art and philosophy centered in on the human condition, and by extension the human body, especially through art.
The Reformation was a decisive period in the history not only for the Catholic Church, but also for the entire world. The causes of this tumultuous point in history did not burst on the scene all at once, but slowly gained momentum like a boil that slowly festers through time before it finally bursts open. The Reformation of the Church was inevitable because of the abuses which the Church was suffering during this period. At the time of the Reformation, a segment of the Church had drifted away from its mission to bring Christ and salvation to the world. Throughout the Middle Ages, the Church had gradually become weaker because of abusive leadership, philosophical heresy, and a renewal of a form of the Pelagian heresy.
Religion is a predominant force in our world today. It also had a strong impact on the lives of those alive during the Protestant Reformation. Many people became key figures in bringing about the ideas that founded the Protestant Reformation like John Calvin and most importantly Martin Luther. Martin Luther pinned these concerns of his to the door of his church and was not afraid to voice his opinion, I think this was the key to the Reformation, and without people willing to risk everything to bring a change like this about, then it all would have been impossible.