Personal Exploration and the Unknown Frontier

Portrait of Marie Curie, by R. chido Hanečková

As expeditionary voyages became more common during the early Renaissance period this sense of exploration spread across the land.  It permeated the cultural atmosphere of Europe and led to a fascination with discovery. People were excited - and rightly so - as these explorers would bring back new ideas, new stories, and new possibilities.

But physical exploration isn't the only way to discover new worlds of possibility.  During the Reformation many people found their world expanded with a similar set of new possibilities: religious and ideological freedoms.  This brave new world of ideas and opportunity would be just as inspiring to the reformers as those voyages had been to the watching public.

The More Things Seem To Change

What determines a successful social movement? What affects real social change?

A political scientist will say that it’s when someone with power takes up your cause, that’s when you can really get things to change. A cynic might say money is what causes change. Someone who’s more religious might say change happens when God softens people’s hearts. All of these are probably at least a little bit true, but maybe there’s something else.

Art and Religion: where the falling angel meets the rising ape

The 14th and 15th centuries may have been the birthplace of philosophical, scientific, and religious innovation and discovery, but when we think of the Renaissance, the first thing that comes to mind for most people will always be the art. And for good reason—of all the brave new worlds opened in the Renaissance, the world of art was at the forefront; was part and parcel of a heady new worldview. The art of the Renaissance encapsulates everything that the period was.

We can see this in the way art changed from the medieval era: the expression of humanism in a renewed appreciation for the beauty of the human form; the Renaissance emphasis on verisimilitude reflecting a broader shift in a society newly enamoured of observation, of critical thinking. Where medieval art was symbol, Renaissance art was a representation of reality as it was seen. A manifestation of a pattern, found throughout the Renaissance, of intellectual openness and honesty. A desire to look at the world, to think for oneself. The same curiosity, observation, criticism, would give birth not just to painting and sculpture, but to the Protestant Reformation.

Form vs. Content: A Tale of Translation

Original copy of Luther's translated Bible - 1534

Language and communication in the sixteenth and seventeenth century were paramount in shaping the beliefs of the people and the overall social climate. For the first time, religious and secular texts were made available to the masses as a result of the printing press. Translation efforts made these texts available to even more people, changing communication and learning completely. Being a dual-language speaker myself, I was particularly interested in the role that translation played during this era, and how the people responded to that role. What kind of texts were being translated? How common was translation? What problems arose from such translation? 

Back to the Future: "ad fontes" Today

During the Renaissance period in which creativity and humanism resurged to the forefront of the artistic and scholarly endeavors of the Western world, many attempts were made to rediscover the greatness of former civilizations. The ancient Greeks were a notable source of inspiration for those hearkening to an earlier era. And yet, while these events may seem to be merely a blast from the past, we have a lot to learn from the ad fontes attitude of the Renaissance. 

Before we talk about today’s ad fontes movements, it’s important to think about some examples from history. The most obvious is the eponymous movement of the Renaissance era. But this movement led to changes in society often overlooked as being part of the ad fontes approach to change. In our discussion on communication, Aubrey made a few comments on theatre during the Renaissance and into the Reformation period, but one thing especially caught my attention. During this period, theatre moved from a traditional “narrative” format about the lives of the apostles, to a more “doctrinal” format, which focused on Christlike principles and often personified qualities including faith and virtue. In true ad fontes style, theatre went back to the basics and emphasized core values over narrative tales.

Successive periods in history were based upon the same “back to basics” attitude. The whole Reformation was founded upon an ad fontes approach to religion itself, trying to restore the purity of Christ’s ministry. The Scientific Revolution was often marked by attempts to understand nature according to new discovery, and not by previous learning. As communication expanded via printing press, the Bible was the first work to be widely circulated.

With this in mind, it is interesting – even enlightening – to see how current movements are influenced by the same ad fontes attitude that was popularized during the 15^th, 16^th, and 17^th centuries. Movements such as Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter are characterized not by specific rights such as suffrage, but rather by a more basic principle: the establishment of basic human value among all people. 

Other aspects of life have been affected by the same principle. Canadian psychologist Bruce Hood has discussed a resurgence of homeopathy in recent years. Here in Utah, Young Living Essential Oils was founded in 1993 and the use of essential oils has become increasingly popular since then. The organic food movement has taken root – no pun intended – in America, with natural food stores becoming increasingly popular as well. After some research, I was surprised to see how my own life is affected here and there by ad fontes – a recent effort to prioritize family and a renewed effort into my personal spirituality show a desire to simplify and return to the basics. 

As societal issues become ever more complex, the desire to establish equality seems to become ever greater. If basic values are what we seek, we might learn a thing or two from our 16^th century Renaissance ancestors in returning ad fontes for a better future.

Ad Fontes and the Restoration

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was founded on the theme of “Ad Fontes” which means “going back to the sources.” Joseph Smith Jr was born on December 23, 1805 during a time of great religious contention. Joseph Smith Jr was confused about which church was the true church ordained by God. He didn’t know what to do. One day he was listening to a sermon when the pastor quoted James 1:5. It reads, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” Joseph Smith Jr went home, read the verse again, and felt inspired. He took it to heart and went to a grove of trees near his house to pray. Before he began to pray, and a darkness overwhelmed him. He couldn’t speak. Joseph prayed even harder and asked God what church he should join.

                                                     

Humanism's Growth from Renaissance to Reformation

From about 400 AD to 1400 AD, much of the European population lived in parochial and prejudiced societies. Hereditary monarchs ruled with little regard for their subjects, affluent church leaders made life—and death—altering decisions for all of “civilized” humanity, and the vast majority of the populace scraped out a living in support of the more fortunate nobility.[1] Then, in the Renaissance, that began to change. New ideas based on ancient ones crept into society, introducing the new concept of humanism, the idea that people and their decisions mattered. Although at first humanism was severely limited in its scope, this philosophy gradually spread and became foundational to later continent-shifting events.

Renaissance humanism did little to change the feudal social structure, but it paved the way for later changes.