Humanism to Protestantism: Divide and...Divide Again.

Jenny Deal Humanities 11 January 26, 2010

The Italian Renaissance, which spanned from about 1400-1550 A.D, was a memorable time period in which many new ideas were introduced and accepted. The Renaissance is known as the era of rebirth, especially because of the rebirth of classical Greek and Roman culture. This all started in Italy mostly because of its geographical location. Not only was Italy literally sitting on top of the ruins of the Roman Empire, it was also located in between Africa, Asia, and northern Europe, which helped to make it a melting pot of several innovative ideas from many different cultures. (Burke, 1-2) According to Chris Butler (The Flow of History-FC76: The Italian Renaissance), the four main ideas of the Renaissance were secularism, the belief that this life is worth studying but not in preparation for an afterlife; humanism, the belief that humans are capable of great accomplishments on their own; individualism, the belief that individuals are able to accomplish great things on their own, not just groups of people; and skepticism, the belief that the views of the accepted authorities ought to be challenged. From what I have learned, these four ideas can all be rolled into one big problem: humanism. Humanism has been defined in many different ways, and it has undergone numerous changes over the centuries, but its basic idea is probably best defined by the significant humanist, Gianozzo Manetti (1396-1459 AD), "...Everything that surrounds us is our own work, the work of man: all dwellings, all castles, all cities, all the edifices throughout the whole world, which are so numerous and of such quality that they resemble the works of angels rather than men. Ours are the paintings, the sculptures; ours are the trades sciences and philosophical systems"(The Flow of History- FC76: The Italian Renaissance). This statement shows the basic humanistic idea of humans being capable beings who should be exalted for their accomplishments instead of just praising

God like they had done in the past. The Renaissance humanists showed more interest in the human than the divine and, coinciding with the four main ideas of the Renaissance, began to show a new willingness to question the Pope and the Catholic Church. People like Martin Luther (1483-1546 AD), displayed these new and innovative ideas conspicuously with their questioning attitude and their willingness to leave important matters of faith up to personal interpretation. This clearly paved the way for the Protestant Reformation as well as the break from the Catholic Church that was started by King Henry VIII (1491-1547). (British Humanist Association-Renaissance and Reformation) Humanism quickly became a popular concept during the Renaissance, but it did not have a definite beginning and people today still debate over it's origins. Even so, most people consider its father to be Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374 AD). Petrarch was considered to be "the light of a new day" by many Renaissance scholars because they thought of him as innovative and very wise, two traits that were very popular during the Renaissance. He is said to have implemented the studia humanitatis system of education, which stressed the dignity of humanity and the shift of intellectual emphasis off of theology and logic onto human studies. In pursuing this program, the argument goes, the humanists literally created the European Renaissance and paved the way for the modern, secular world. According to one scholar, Leonardo Bruni, "Petrarch was the first man to have had a sufficiently fine mind to recognize the gracefulness of the lost ancient style and bring it back to life" (Garin, 18). Unfortunately, the innovative and humanist ideas of Petrarch led to his love for and eventual obsession with a woman that he could never have. Not only was Petrarch a

Catholic priest, but the woman that he fell in love with, Laura, was already married when he met her. He supposedly made many advances toward her, but she rejected him since she was married. Petrarch then spent the rest of his life lusting after Laura, writing sonnets for her and having his artist friends illustrate her many times. This obsession with Laura was a classic example of the humanist attitude. As Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-1494 AD), stated, "With freedom of choice and with honor...thou mayest fashion thyself in whatever shape thou shalt prefer." Humanists believed that they were not only given their wills as a gift, but that they deserved them and the right to do what it was that they saw fit to do. (Osman, 12-including the quote.) Shortly after Petrarch died, leaving his enormous legacy behind, another Italian humanist was born who continued even further down the humanist path. Gianozzo Manetti (13961459 AD) was a politician and diplomat in Florence, Italy, as well as a significant humanist during the Italian Renaissance. As with Petrarch, many of Manetti's beliefs emphasized man, his dignity, and his privileged place in the universe. (Kristeller, 30) Manetti was apparently a devout Christian and he did not question the theological doctrines of sin and salvation, but he did think that man should be praised for his reason and his skills, due to his natural condition, as well as his knowledge. (Kristeller, 172) Manetti is best known for writing De dignitate et excellentia hominis libri IV ("On the Dignity and Excellence of Man in Four Books"), which was a response to De miseria humane conditionis ("On the Misery of the Human Condition"), written by Pope Innocent III. "The Misery" discusses the miserable hardships that all humans must face as they live their lives. "The Dignity" is a rebuttal to this claim, in which Manetti states that the human condition is something to be exalted and the abilities of man are vast and

wondrous, obviously disagreeing with the Catholic Church's views on original sin. Manetti's ideas are clearly those of humanism. Although he may have accepted that man was created by God, he ultimately believed that man is able to shine on his own. He thought of human freedom as not only a gift, but an achievement since man proves himself to be deserving of it through his works. This freedom then enables man to perfect and make more beautiful the things that were created by God. (Garin, 60) Since humanism first became popular in the Renaissance, there have been many deviations from the original beliefs, creating many different belief systems all under the same name of "humanism." Modern humanism today is very different from the humanism that came about during the Italian Renaissance and is considered to be completely contrary to faith in God. Yet one fundamental principle seems to stand out among many confusing and wordy explanations. It is best explained by Italian humanist Giovanni Della Casa in his Galateo, "It is only very rarely that an occasion for the assertion of one's sense of justice, of one's valor and of one's other sublime virtues occurs. People who are generous and magnanimous are not expected to act generously and magnanimously all the time. On the contrary, nobody is capable of always acting thus; and courageous men are very rarely compelled to prove their courage by actions." (Garin, 170) This is essentially saying that man does not need to strive for perfection, or even moral goodness on a daily basis, but only occasionally even consider approaching it, effectively nullifying God's word, "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect." (Matthew 5:48) Giovanni Della Casa reduces the struggles of life to "flies and sand flies", when in actuality it is one's attitude towards these little nuisances that prepare men for virtuous

acts. He emphasizes social skills, getting along with other men and adapting to human customs rather than getting along with God. He could perhaps be compared to a modern man who, realizing that perfection is too lofty a goal, decides to simply live in the world, content to be "only human." This is what humanism is all about. Accepting what mankind is and never striving for anything greater. Even worse, it glorifies our imperfections and attempts to assert that we have everything we need on earth and there is no need for anything else. By the time the 16th century had come around and the Italian Renaissance mentality of new ideas continued to gain popularity, the Renaissance in Northern Europe had finally caught up. The Renaissance reached it much later because it was much further away from the trade and culture centers in the Mediterranean, but it wasted no time in adhering to popular culture and thought. It was not however, merely a repeat of the Italian Renaissance. On the contrary, the new mentality of the Renaissance caused one new idea in Northern Europe to change the course of history. (The Flow of HistoryFC84: The roots and birth of the Protestant Reformation). Martin Luther (1483-1546 AD) was a German priest living right in the middle of the Renaissance. Following in the humanist tradition, Luther discovered things that he did not like about the Catholic Church, and decided to do something about it. Luther, along with other reformers, such as John Calvin (1509-1564 AD) and Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560 AD) questioned the Church's authority on several issues of theology. One of the most important arguments that is still discussed today amongst Christian denominations is whether or not humans can obtain eternal salvation by faith alone. (Breen, 69-71) Then came the famous (or infamous) Wittenberg Door incident, where

Luther nailed the Ninety-Five Theses, his ideas that defied Catholic teachings, to the door of a church, starting the reformation that was more influential than any other revolution in history-the reformation of something that had stood strong for over a thousand years and was now being challenged and questioned by humans. Admittedly, Luther's arguments against the Catholic Church had valid points, especially because the Church was performing many corrupt acts at the time, such as using their influence over the people and convincing them that they could spend less time purgatory by donating money to the Church. Even so, if indeed the Catholic Church was the original church started by Jesus Christ himself, then there is no question that it is not to be challenged. Humanism and all of its proponents clearly led to the Protestant Reformation. Humans have no right to change things that were put in place by God himself. The problem, obviously, is how to know what was put in place by God, and what should be questioned. Most humanists would say that it should all be questioned and everyone should believe whatever version of the "truth" fits in with their ideas. They believe that the truth should conform to individual minds when in actuality, our minds must conform to the truth. "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." (Romans 12:2) Humanism allows seemingly insignificant beings to strut around their small corner of the universe thinking that they know everything. Humanism argues that mankind is a wonderful thing, capable of amazing things, which is true, except it leaves a major point up to interpretation. Humanists do not think that a belief in God, or any divine power, is necessary. In fact, they do not think that any belief is necessary, which is

why humanism is so difficult to define. Ever since its beginning, humanism has been the title of countless belief systems and ideas that are so different it is hard to imagine that they are related. But that is exactly the point. Humanism has always been divided and has always supported division among men. Humanists think that you can divide yourself from anything that you do not agree with and it will simply be gone. That is how humanism led to the Protestant Reformation. The Protestants believed, and still believe, that they should be divided from the Catholics because the Catholic ideas do not agree with the Protestant ideas of truth. Then, after separating from the Catholics, the Protestants divided again, and again. The humanistic background that supported this division still lies within the Protestant Church today. That is why the Protestants are still divided and the Catholics are still unified. Everything that humans do, while it can be good, is never simply for the glory of an individual human being. It is not even for the glory of mankind as a whole, rather it must always be for the glory of God. The problem with humanism is that it praises something that is not worthy of the amount praise that it sometimes receives. Most humanists would never accept this and they quite possibly never will. If they rely solely on what their human reason tells them, then they will never be able to understand the problems of their beliefs. How could we possibly think that our abilities are something to rejoice over if they are the greatest good that we can ever achieve? The only reason our abilities should be praised is if we understand that the only reason we have them is because they were given to us and we will never be able to repay that debt. But that does not mean that we should not try. On the contrary, that is the only thing that could possibly make living this life actually worth living.

Bibliography: Breen, Quirinus. Christianity & Humanism. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1968. Burke, Peter. The Italian Renaissance: Culture and Society in Italy. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1999. Garin, Eugenio. Italian Humanism: Philosophy and Civic Life in the Renaissance. New York, N.Y.: Harper and Row, Publishers, 1965. Kristeller, Paul Oskar. Renaissance Thought and Its Sources. New York, N.Y.: Columbia University Press, 1979. Osman, Karen. The Italian Renaissance. San Diego, California: Lucent Books, Inc., 1996. Butler, Chris. "FC76: The Italian Renaissance (c.1400-1550)". The Flow of History. 01/26/10 <http://www.flowofhistory.com/units/west/13/FC84>. Butler, Chris. "FC84: The roots and birth of the Protestant Reformation". The Flow of History. 01/26/10 <http://www.flowofhistory.com/units/west/13/FC84>. "Renaissance ". British Humanist Association. 01/26/10 <http://www.humanism.org.uk/humanism/humanist-tradition/renaissance>.