Historians regard the 16th Century as the century in which the rise of the West occurred. In Europe, the Protestant Reformation initiated by Martin Luther gave a major shock to the authority of the Papacy and the Rome Catholic Church. The European politics were dominated by religious conflicts. Why the power of the religion could have such a great impact on the Western World at that time and eventually lead to the Thirty Years’ War towards the end of the century? Perhaps we can find the key from the contents and connotations of the bibliography during that period of time.…
Theme Essay #4: (2001) Discuss the political and social consequences of the Protestant Reformation in the first half of the sixteenth century. {Kagan 354-387}…
The end of the fifteenth century had left Christendom with a Church in great need of reform. The Church had been greatly weakened by the events of the past few centuries. The fourteenth century’s Great Famine and Black Death had battered the public’s trust in the Church, as had the Papal Schism spanning from 1378-1417. When the ideas of Martin Luther began to spread in the early 1500s, the Church became afraid for its power, its reputation, and its finances. Luther was promising people that they would be saved through their faith alone—what place did that leave for the Church and its teachings? In any other time in human history, Luther’s ideas likely would have been quietly beaten down and buried, but a very unique set of circumstances allowed the ideas of a small-town monk and professor to take on the immense power of the Catholic Church. While others’ ideas could be ignored, the Church was intensely threatened by Luther because his ideas questioned the role and necessity of their already-weakened institution, called for an end to indulgences, endangered social stability, and exposed the failings of the Church by returning to the Bible as the only source of God’s truth.…
Some beliefs were offensive in a religiously sensitive era and certain behavior, such as polygamy, was frowned upon.…
The church’s unyielding grip on religious expression shattered as medieval society transitioned into a period known as the Reformation. Characterized by the rejection of common ritual and ideology, the Reformation sparked a different degree of religious curiosity. The Reformation forced the church to adhere to religious tolerance, allowing Europeans to discern for themselves what they believed. Hence, it was natural that an era considered the Age of Enlightenment followed the period of rejection and questioning known as the Reformation. The Enlightenment marked the beginning of academic and religious philosophy and allowed great minds to think free from restriction and condemnation.…
Narrator: An epidemic has spread through the land, not one of disease and illness, but of religious, political, and social change. A Reformation was in place, a religious movement that resulted in the establishment of Protestant churches. Four men who contributed to this reform of the Catholic and Protestant churches were King Henry VIII, Martin Luther, Pope Leo X, and John Calvin, and they have gathered to discuss how this Reformation dramatically changed Christian unity in Europe.…
Following the end of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance was born in the 14th century and existed until the 17th century. This period in time began as a movement in Italy and later spread through to the rest of Europe. The Renaissance was considered to be based on the concept of Humanism. This philosophy emphasised on the self-worth, attributes, dignity, abilities and creativity of humans. Humanists found this idea far more appealing than to focus on the Church and expect little comfort in life on Earth. The decline and rejection of the ideas of the Church are the primary reasons for the increase in the popularity of Humanism. Influenced by scholars, this dramatic change and explosion of renewed ideas occurred as they revisited the thoughts of…
Cited: Fiero, Gloria K. The Humanistic Tradition, Book 4 Faith, Reason, and Power in the Early Modern World. New York: Mc Graw Hill, 2011. Print.…
The European Renaissance’s change of mind not only changed the whole population of that era, but also for the future generations, like ourselves. Our way of thinking would not be here if it wasn’t for the humanists. “The effect of humanism was to help men break free from the mental strictures imposed by religious orthodoxy,…
After the Medieval Times, came the Renaissance, the time when some of the world’s greatest artists were born, and when they created magnificent paintings that showcased the new and popular belief of humanism. The Medieval Times was a dull time; where everyone solely depended on religion and the church for everything. When the Renaissance came, people’s viewpoints changed, they finally stopped using religion to explain their life, and began humanism, an ideal that encourages science, art, and the idea that humans are magnificent creatures. Mostly every person from the Renaissance believed in the humanism in one way or another, even people of the once strict church. Famed artists, Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci display their belief in humanism…
The people and ideas that make up the time periods known as “The Reformation” and “Globalism” are vastly different in many ways. Their hair and clothing style was dramatically different, and the lack of technology in computers and travel was significant when compared to the twentieth century, the time period referred to as “globalism”. Contrary, though, to what it might seem, these two time periods are actually very similar in many ways. Both time periods involve individuals who are searching for truth and using new technology to spread their ideas. During the Reformation, there were a few strong people who saw problems with the way things had always been done.…
The Renaissance is marked as the rebirth of ancient culture for the aristocratic class that lived in Italy, England, and France circa 1350-1650. This is an era in which the term, Renaissance humanism emerged. What is humanism as it relates to the Renaissance? Well, this form of “Humanism can be defined as a movement that encourages the study of form and content of classical learning. Renaissance humanists were obsessed with the recovery, study, interpretation, and transmission of the intellectual heritage of ancient Greece and Rome” (Zophy 71). This period is seen as a cultural and artistic movement in which people spoke of revolutionary ideas and great works of art from individuals such as, Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci. But, the Renaissance…
For centuries, people looked to religion for the answers to their greatest questions. The Church had a firm grip of how people viewed the world. God's will was to be followed without question and any attempt to explain a phenomenon without God's involvement was heresy. When the Renaissance began to spread across Europe, the qualities of humanism became more prominent. Scientific and rational analysis was becoming of great interest compared to supernatural explanations. Renaissance world-view can be characterized by a growing humanistic orientation that can be demonstrated by analyzing cultural artifacts from the era.…
While continuously more Christians of Europe were beginning to lose their faith in the church’s leadership and were developing a feeling of doubt or mistrust, it was the Reformation and Martin Luther who came in and gave the people a sense of direction and feeling of hope. This new Protestant tradition at the time lifted this overwhelming cloud of misused power over the Christian community and provided a time for change with new opportunities. The Protestant reformation ended the religious unity of Europe and the church and furthermore started a new era in the history of western…
Throughout the history of Europe, people’s lives revolved around the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church taught its beliefs through the clergy and exercised its authority. In 1517, corruption, false teachings, and the challenging of Martin Luther led to a split that created the Protestant Church. During the Reformation, the Protestant belief in “sola scriptura” and “sola fides” was a major source of conflict with the Catholic teachings of a Church authority and salvation through good works.…
