Humanists and the Reformation: Difference between revisions
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It could be argued one way or the other as to whether there was a link between [[Humanism]] and the [[Reformation]]. |
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Here is one line of thought: |
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The aim of the [[Humanists]] was to promote the unhampered intellectual development of [[man]], who was able to perfect himself through the study of the [[ancient]]s, the [[classical]] world, and by observation of the [[natural]] world. This was in opposition to the [[scholastics]], and to the more [[conservative]] teachings of the [[catholic church]], which promoted the [[infallibility]] of the [[pope]], the inability of [[man]] to comprehend the works of [[God]], etc. |
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Prior to, say, [[1517]], there were [[reformers]] within the [[Catholic]] church. Not only were there the radical [[reformers]] such as the [[Lollard]]s and the [[Hussite]]s but at the other end of the scale there were the so-called "[[renaissance]] [[pope]]s" beginning with [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Nicholas_V Nicholas V]. |
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After [[1517]] there was a radical change -- [[Martin Luther]] nailed up his 95 theses, and the [[Reformation]] was on for young and old. |
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The problem is that by [[1517]] the [[scholastics]] had pretty much dried up and blown away. The superior intellectual development of the [[humanists]] had lead to [[humanism]] becoming the dominant movement throughout Europe. |
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Now most of the leading [[reformers]] and many (but not all) of the leading [[humanists]] left the [[Catholic church]] and went over to the [[Protestant]]s -- [[Martin Luther]] et al. A case in point is one of the leading [[Humanists]] of the period -- [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zwingli Zwingli] who lead the [[Swiss]] [[reformation]]. |
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The [[Scholasticism]]/[[Humanism]] divide didn't always flow over onto the Catholic/Reformed debate - [[Italy]] was pretty darn Humanist, and stayed pretty darn Catholic, and of course there were others such as the numero uno humanist of the day, [[Erasmus]], who remained [[Catholic]]. |
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So the debate which had been raging for a hundred years or more changed in nature and character, but was essentially the same debate -- the thinking man vs the [[Catholic Church]] establishment, and may or may not have involved the same people on each side. |
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Having said that the [[Reformation]] did not attract all of the [[Humanists]], you also have to say that it certainly didn't attract any of the few remaining [[scholastics]]! |
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Of course there were real close links between the Gallician program of, say, either the court-centered [[Wyclif Knights]] or the pre-Humanist [[John of Paris]] (esp [[On Royal and Papal Power]]) and the program of [[Martin Luther]]. |
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[[category:sciences]] |
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