MU #1 - Christian & Civic Humanism

What did the Italian Renaissance emphasize?

• Secular political life

• Individuality

• Classical knowledge’s impact on religious life

Who were Desiderius Erasmus and Thomas More?

They were thinkers in Northern Europe who began to read Classical Christian texts such as the Bible & St. Augustine

What was Christianity about in the Middle Ages?

• the pople, religious rituals, traditions, relics

How was this Christianity impacted/changed? 

After re-reading Christian texts, Christian humanists found none of this in those texts, so these thinkers stopped pleasing the CC, pope, and traditions and instead focused on → individual spirtual life and relationship with God. 

What are characteristics of the Northern Renaissance?

• emphasis on human regular life

• personal relationship with God

Who was Machiavelli?

• One of the thinkers who questioned how government systems operated.

• He came from war-torn Italian city states

• He said an effective ruler would do whatever it takes to obtain and maintain a kingdom

• He wrote The Prince

Rise of Secularism

• since the CC was already corrupt by the 16th cen, Machiavelli’s message resonated with European people and they began to question the legitimacy of the Church and its power over governments

• Jean Bodin

Who is Jean Bodin?

• he agreed with Erasmus and Machiavelli

• he was an infeluential intellect

• he said the CC and pope shouldn’t be involved in politics

What did Jean Bodin advocate for?

• a strong, centralized governemnt that controlled their own taxes and politics without Church involvement

What is the Civic Humanism movement?

a Renaissance-era political philosophy that emphasizes the importance of active, virtuous participation in public life and self-government to achieve the common good

What led to the Civic Humanism movement?

• the questioning of the corrupt Catholic church

• emphasis on secular life w/o Chruch interference

What was a belief of the Civic Humanism movement?

• people should seek a well-rounded education but also be invovled in the community

Who is Lenoardo Burni?

He advocated for proactivity (voting, participating in politics, discussion issues and reforms).

What are 3 Major Corruptions of the Catholic Church?

1. simony (selling of positions)

2. indulgences (“sale” of salvation)

3. nepotism