“How the Renaissance Led to the Reformation”

THE SUNDAY SERMON

by OneVike

In lieu of my sermon this week, I have decided to present the first part in a series of five articles about the great Protestant Reformation. In this series I will present various historical aspects I believe worked together to create the atmosphere needed for the Reformation to take place. I do not mean to diminish the contributions of any of the many individuals or events that will be left out of my series, but in order to be as concise as possible I will inevitably fail to give proper credit to some. I believe the six areas I have settled upon cover most of what is needed to make my point. The five part series will include:

1.) An Introduction and Overview of the Renaissance
2.) The Political and Social changes of the times
3.) Literature
4.) Art, Exploration, and Inventions
5.) Conclusion

An introduction and Overview of the Renaissance

Never in history has one man’s thesis so rattled the powers that be than did Martin Luther’s when he nailed his ninety-five grievances to the Church door at Wittenberg. It was an act of defiance that would eventually topple a church state organization that held sway over kings and paupers alike for a thousand years. And while every history class that covers the reformation will tell you that it was Johann Tetzel’s selling of indulgences that pushed Luther into action that day, Tetzel’s action was only the final straw, not the cause of the revolution. At the time the Reformation began, there were many factors that enabled and emboldened the common man into action but none was more profound in it’s influence then was the Renaissance.

Encyclopedias and history books all seem to point out that the word Renaissance is French for “rebirth”. However, the Italian painter Giorgio Vasari was probably the first person to describe this era as the “Renaissance” when he used the word rinascit. In 1568 he authored a book called, “Le vita de’ pi eccellenti architetti, pittori, ed scultori italiani” (“The Lives of the Most Eminent Italian Architects, Painters, and Sculptors“) the title more commonly used is, “Lives of the Artists”. Vasari applied this concept specifically to a “revival”, or “rebirth”. In the chapter titled “Andrea di Cione, Spinello, Dello, and Paolo Uccello” he wrote, “In the year 1350 was formed the Company and Fraternity of the Painters in Florence, for the masters were there in great numbers, and they considered that the arts of design had been born again in Tuscany, and indeed in Florence itself.”

The Renaissance started in southern Europe or the Italian city-states while the Reformation started in northern Europe or Germany. There is a debate as to whether the Renaissance ended when the Reformation started, or continued up to the Age of Enlightenment. To make things even more interesting the Renaissance started at different times in various parts of Europe. There are also numerous dates given as to when the Renaissance took place, and depending on your source it started anywhere from 1300 to 1450. I believe the Renaissance originally began around 1350 in the Italian city-states of Florence, Genoa, Milan, Venice, Verona, and Siena. Although through different means and sometimes with ulterior motives, it would spread to France, Germany, England, Spain, and other parts of Europe.

After many centuries of what they considered intellectual and cultural decline, Europeans thought they had rediscovered the superiority of Greek and Roman culture and came to the conclusion that their own cultural achievements rivaled those of antiquity. This thinking was influenced by the concept of humanism, which emphasizes the worth of the individual. The Renaissance humanists believed it was possible to improve human society through classical education that relied on teachings from ancient texts and emphasized a range of disciplines including poetry, history, and moral philosophy. This period of history is marked by great achievements in art, literature, inventions, explorations, and an increase of trade from the eastern Mediterranean lands that led to a rebirth of knowledge and understanding of foreign lands and cultures. While the Renaissance man’s hunger for understanding his world led some to engage in self satisfaction that set him free from the churches morals, others searched for a deeper understanding of the scriptures to get closer to what the gospels taught. All this took place during a time of social and political upheaval that would lead to the end of the state bowing to the pressure of the church.

My next article will show how the political and social changes of the Renaissance led to the end of the feudal system, triggered a capitalist-based society, and set the stage for a revolution that would ultimately create new religious, political, geographical boundaries in Europe.

To conserve space, I am not posting documentation of my research. If someone desires documentation for any of my claims, I will gladly give you a copy of my complete Bibliography.