Renaissance Influence On Religion

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By applying renaissance ideas into their religious terms, Christian humanists eventually lead to a new wave of thinking in Europe. Christian humanists like Desiderius Erasmus and Thomas More applied renaissance ideas in new ways by teaching based on biblical rules instead of Cicero or Virgil. Their wisdom was based on antiquity, but instead of being referenced to the classics, Christian Humanists referred to the New Testament and early church. These new ideas would influence changes in Europe by debating the principles of the Church.
Erasmus was able to apply renaissance ideas in new ways by separating himself from the past church’s restrictions. Erasmus ignored pastoral duties, allowing him more resources to apply renaissance ideas. He promoted …show more content…

He ridiculed ignorance, hypocrisy, Dogmatism, and gullibility in his book The Praise of Folly. In Colloquies, he held up contemporary religious practices for examination in a more serious but ironic tone. In Handbook of the Christian Knight, he speaks directly and urged the people to pursue the lives of serene inward piety. In Complaint of Peace, he supported Christian pacifism. He produced an accurate edition of the New Testament because no one could be a good Christian without knowing what Christ’s message was. All of these were applied to society in new ways by giving guidance to Christians where there was no consistent information …show more content…

They were able to make a significant collection of Christian works and ideas based on previous editions but adapted for the time. Their achievements had a direct influence to Martin Luther and other protestant reformers. This would give support to Martin’s ideas changing Christian Europe’s religious dynamics. While few of them would apply their new ideas to rejecting fundamental principles on which the power of the church was based, most tried to remain acceptable while supporting inward piety and scholarly inquiry. These ideas would influence a change in Christian Europe first by creating heresy of the decreasingly tolerant church, then influencing the Reformation in the

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