Humanities Test 2, Part 1: Renaissances and Reformation

Cards 1-13: Test 2 Review Guide Key Terms, Cards 14-? HW Questions/Answers

Original Sin

The Christian belief that all humans inherit a sinful nature due to the Fall of Adam and Eve, leading to the need for divine salvation.

Pride, the greatest sin

that leads to all other sins, often considered a form of arrogance that separates individuals from God.

Paganism

A religious belief system characterized by the worship of multiple gods and nature, often contrasted with the monotheistic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, etc). It includes various ancient practices and rituals.

Humanism

• Emphasized limitlessness of human potential

• Focused on the human body as a marvel created by God and deserving celebration

• Prioritized human needs/values over religious rituals and isolation

• Ambition is a good thing: individualism, capitalism, human achievement/discovery, scientific inquiry and philosophy

Sistine Chapel Ceiling

• Includes “The Creation of Adam,” Focused on Old Testament creation rather than New Testament salvation (Jesus not depicted)

• Idealized human (male) form to emphasize human beauty

• Art as a way to relate to and understand God over traditional ritual— God is the ultimate creator, so artists/creators strive to reflect God through their work.

Michelangelo

Painted the Sistine Chapel Ceiling and sculpted ‘David’

Printing Press

invented around 1450, jumpstarted the Northern Renaissance

The Reformation

Reasons for:

• church corruption and politics

• deviation from the Bible and basic Christian doctrine

• sale of indulgences

Martin Luther

• Catholic monk who in 1517 posted the 95 theses

• did not want to destroy Catholicism, only reform it

• attacked core beliefs of the church

John Calvin

• the “Reformed Church”

• believed in Predestination

• Christians must live as if they are elected (“saved”) because they cannot know if they are damned (“lost”) or saved

• Calvinists were against art, which to them could be a form of idolatry; mostly okay with secular images

Anglicanism, King Henry VIII

• Anglican = English

• King Henry VIII originally supported the Roman Catholic Church, but after being denied an annulment he broke off and founded the Church of England with him as the head

Diet of Worms

• 1520— Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic church

• one year later, he was summoned to the German city Worms to appear before the Council (Diet). He was forced to deny (recant) his beliefs and refused

Council of Trent

• Met from 1545-1563

• Reaffirmed these DOCTRINES

  • faith + good works both needed for salvation

  • prayer shortens person’s stay in purgatory

  • reaffirmed transubstantiation + all 7 sacraments

  • Bible AND Church are both the Word of God

  • need and correctness of religious art

  • priests shouldn’t marry/must be celibate

  • Pope is the head of the church

• Abolished these ABUSES

  • simony: selling positions in the church

  • nepotism: giving positions of power to family

  • absenteeism: bishops never visiting their dioceses (regions of governance)

  • pluralism: bishops being in charge of multiple dioceses

• Established these DISCIPLINES: 

  • Catholics must study the Catechism (basic doctrine of belief)

  • bishops not meant to be wealthy

  • Catholics forbidden from certain books

  • images of Jesus and Mary were to be revered

How were an increase in trade and a growing merchant class responsible for the arrival of the Renaissance?

Merchants and trade brought in influences from other nations to Europe. Merchants paid artists to depict Roman and Greek ideals. As the merchants gained power, they used money to pay for art that supported their ideas.

What is the concept of “original sin” in Catholicism, and how did that contrast with the Greek concept of Humanism?

With Original Sin, humans are innately bad or sinful because of Adam and need God to redeem them and help them become good. In contrast, in the Greek concept of Humanism humans are good and beautiful and find all they need within themselves to fulfill their potential.

Pride, aka ambition, was considered the worst sin in the Middle Ages. It was Adam and Eve’s sin, it was the devil’s sin, and it was seen as disruptive to the Medieval social structure. Why did this start to change during the Renaissance?

As humanistic influence returned, pride and ambition became "good" again.

In the Middle Ages, the nobility tended to be the most powerful and influential. Which group becomes the most powerful and influential during the Renaissance, and why?

The merchants (the Medici family is one example of a specific family within this social class), because they imported goods and charged top dollar for them, increasing trade and contributing greatly to Europe's economy.

In the Middle Ages, what group was referred to as “Pagan”?

non-Christian

Why was the revival of Greek and Roman ideas seen as controversial during the Renaissance?

Christianity was viewed as intrinsic to identity and Roman/Greek ideals were seen as dangerous. This was because they challenged the dominance of the Church and threatened it with disunity.

How did Renaissance Humanists attempt to resolve the conflict between Humanism and Original Sin?

They reinterpreted Genesis, where it says that God made man "in Our image and likeness." Humanism focused on the limitlessness of human potential, the celebration of the human body as a marvel created by God, human values and needs over rituals and isolation in religion at the time, and that ambition was good because it pushed forward individualism, capitalism, achievement/discovery, science, and philosophy.

In what ways are Michelangelo’s David and his depictions of the prophets influenced by Greek and Roman art styles?

There is much more focus on the shape and curvature of the human body and anatomy (muscles are very defined and accentuated, even when the human body is clothed, it celebrates the human form much more than previous art)

Why did Michelangelo include the Sibyls from Greek mythology in a painting created for the church?

The sybils are oracles (similar to prophets who have knowledge of the future), and Michelangelo reinterprets some of their prophecies to foretell the coming of the Christian Messiah

In class, what did we decide was the reason why Michelangelo preferred the male form to the female form?

Theories:

• a celebration of masculine strength

• Michelangelo was historically attracted to other men (gay/bisexual)

• women were not allowed to be models at the time

• Aristotle thought a woman's body was a corrupted male body, so maybe this idea influenced Michelangelo's art?

Why did Michelangelo choose to paint about the creation of the world, rather than about Jesus and the disciples?

An an artist and creator himself, Michelangelo chose to depict the creation of the world by God to celebrate God’s creation and the human capacity to create. The focus was on the beauty of creation itself, as this was a gesture to use “art as a way to relate to and understand God over traditional ritual.”

What was Martin Luther’s original goal with the Reformation and why?

Luther wanted to reform the Catholic church and fix the errors and doctrinal fallacies he saw

How do the Catholic and Protestant views of religious authority differ, and why?

• Catholic: believe in hierarchy and the authority of the Bible, Pope, and church tradition

• Protestants: Sola Scriptura (“Bible and Bible alone” is the ultimate authority)

How do the Catholic and Protestant views of baptism differ, and why?

• Catholic: infant baptism, parents’ decision of wanting their child to have salvation

• Protestant: baptism/salvation are a personal decision, usually occurs when the person is older

What happened when Luther was summoned to the Diet of Worms?

• 1520 Luther was excommunicated

• Church demanded him to recant

• he refused

How did printing help Martin Luther and the Protestants?

with the invention of the printing press, Luther’s sermons and letters became widespread

What was John Calvin’s idea of Predestination, and why did he reason that it was the most logical conclusion?

• Predestination asserts that if God is all-powerful and all-knowing, then God has already decided who will be saved/believe in God or not.

• God has to choose you, as we are too powerless to choose to believe in God.

What did John Calvin believe was predestination’s effect on free will and morality?

Predestination does not invalidate free will and moral living because if we do not know if we will be saved or not, it would be helpful to live as if we are

What is the idea of “idolatry” and why were Calvinists against religious art?

Idolatry is when you worship objects/anything instead of God; Calvinists were against religious art because they considered it to be a form of idolatry

What country was Kind Henry VIII the king of, and why did he break off from the Catholic church?

England; Catholic church wouldn’t let him get an annulment from his wife