To Be Human: Renaissance v.s. Reformation

Throughout history, people have had many different ideas about what it means to be human. During the Dark Ages, the view commonly held by people was that man was evil by nature and incapable of being saved or doing good all on their own, at least that's what their priests and bishops were preaching to them. Basically, their "only chance of getting back to Heaven was in and through the Church" (https://rhetciv.blogspot.com/2018/09/the-worth-of-souls-in-renaissance.html).

In contrast, when the Renaissance came around during the 14th century, it brought with it a much more positive view of mankind. "The idea was that man could become more than what he was," he had the potential to exceed and become great in anything he set his mind to (https://rhetciv.blogspot.com/2018/09/what-piece-of-work.html). This new perspective allowed the men and women of the Renaissance to be more confident and to develop their talents in the fields of art, science, rhetoric, etc.

In some ways, these views continued on into the Protestant Reformation, though perhaps mixed with the views of the Dark Ages just a bit. Below is a list of the differences between the two eras and how they affected their respective views of humanity.

Renaissance:

• Focus on worldly or secular learning - Man has the capacity to learn so much and should strive to obtain as much knowledge as he can.
• God wasn't necessarily part of improving - Though many of the philosophers of the Renaissance were Christian, some didn't believe in God and that led to religion not being emphasized as much as the arts, language, etc. Man could become better through his own efforts alone.
• Elevation of Status - The more intelligent you proved yourself to be, the better you were. If a man didn't strive to become better, or couldn't, then he was below the man that could.

Reformation:

• Centered on Christian values - Science and other kinds of learning were not completely abandoned, but the focus of study in the Reformation was the Bible and other religious texts, expanding the ideas of the Renaissance. Man was not necessarily evil, but he still needed to know God's doctrine because it was only through Him that man could become better and make it to Heaven.
• Giving to those of "lesser" status - In the Reformation, knowing more about spiritual things didn't make you better than others. It was also important that those who did know more helped those who didn't so they could understand what they needed to know to be saved. No man is above one another, all are brothers in Christ have a duty to help one another.

Truly, the Reformation added to the Renaissance view of man by factoring in the religious component that was previously missing. Although the religious aspect maybe narrowed the scope for some people, especially regarding the new appreciation for the human body in it's natural state, it did contribute unique information and perspectives that had major implications regarding what humans can do and what it means to be human.

Image Credit: Vitruvian Man, http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2014/02/vitruvian_man_s_hernia_leonardo_da_vinci_drawing_shows_flaws_of_human_evolution.html Public Domain