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CHAP 16
STEP ONE: Goodbye to the
Catholic church
Two great infusions of
Greek learning into Europe:
1. First was earlier when Greek texts came to Europe through Spain/Moors. In
1105 Toledo falls/Spanish libraries opened to reveal vastly superior
knowledge of Arabs and Greeks
people start to read Aristotle
leads to problems in the church for he used the scientific method.
2. 1453 Fall of Constantinople
Printing center is Venice
half the workers of biggest shop were Greek refugees from Constantinople
translate all Greek books by 1515
Europe starts reading Greeks again
1454 Gutenberg invents
movable type
uniform letter size
used only 23 letters
more was an insult to your intelligence
need for accuracy (reader may know
more than you)
leads to fragmentation of
knowledge/experts
Man is Reborn
all this leads to the Renaissance
“Man is the measure of all
things,” again. (Protagorus)
Why did the Renaissance
happen?
A.- the main institutions of the Middle Ages start to weaken
1. Feudalism is put aside by rising middle class
before
there were only two social classes/now 3
cities
provide jobs
better
food = more people
guilds
create wealth in middle class
2. Chivalry is outdated, men seek fame and $$ instead of
doing good deeds
3. Holy roman empire starts to collapse from internal decay
asceticism
is no longer in vogue
4. Guilds (labor unions) of middle ages collapse in face
of new capitalism
B. There is now a rise of:
1. Optimism—man is OK
2. Individualism: thanks to Luther and Mohammed there is
no more need for the clergy—each
man can
save himself
3. Secularism: do away with Scholasticism of church
(rational), and move to Secularism
(empirical) and study of science.
4. Humanism: study Man, not God
Humanities,
not Theology
Humanism starts it all
The Renaissance, and Humanism, begins in Florence.
Alberti: “To you is given a body
more graceful than other animals,
power of apt and various movements, sharp and delicate senses, wit, reason,
memory like an immortal god.” This is not the gloomy outlook of the Middle
Ages.
“A man can do all things if he
will.” Alberti
(The glory of God is
intelligence.)
Why did it start in
Italy?
1. Italy had a strong love of the past
Roman history includes
Troy/Greeks/Aeneas
book shop was 50% Greek employees
studied the ancients, not God;
Humanism
2. Italy was the trade center of Eastern Europe/ all the
crusaders had gone through Italy.
3. Greek refugees came there
Turks invade Constantinople in
1453, with two immediate consequences:
a. forces Europe to find new route
to Orient
b. refugees flee to Italy
take manuscripts with them to Venice
emphasis on Man; here, not heaven.
ambition, glory, passions, riches are all new to Western thought, but quickly
catch on.
c. believe in mastery over the
Earth, thus explore countries
4. it was politically ready
A weak pope—in mid 1200's the throne of the Holy Roman
Empire is left vacant for almost 20 years. The new king proves too weak to
deal with any more than his own family, so outside interests start looking
over Italy.
An argument between the French king Phillip IV and Pope Boniface VIII leads
to the latter's arrest. He dies from embarrassment, and French elect their
own pope in 1300 and transfer the papacy to Avignon
it will return to Rome 70 years
later
While the pope is away, individual
city states become very powerful (Florence) and independent of the pope
Many merchants in Florence (on
road between Venice and Rome)
Medici family controls for 60
years
Civic pride keeps them from
joining Rome
Civil wars cause Milan to seek
French aid.
leads to French invasion in 1494
This is why Leonardo dies in Paris/Mona
Even during the High Renaissance
Italy is firmly divided into five different countries.
Why Florence?
Because the people there were pragmatic realists.
Like the Greeks, they asked questions and wanted answers.
Our contemporary attitude of pretending to understand
works of art in order not to appear stupid would have been absurd to them.
They were curious, extremely intelligent, loved pretty
things, and were willing to work for them.
Florence was directed for 30 years by humanists!, men who
believed that learning could be used to achieve a happy life. (What do we use
as a gauge today?)
The study of Man begins in Florence, with Petrarch (first
“humanist”)1304-74
he
advocated pleasure in the noble life HERE
not
chivalry, but FAME.
study history and languages
no more religion
leads to expansion of universities
Platonic Academy 1462 is set up in Florence by Cosimi
de Medici run by Ficino
seek God through beauty (Platonic forms), thus, good art is a form of worship
(like fishing on Sunday)
circle and square are perfect, as
is God
Pico della
Mirandola writes ON THE DIGNITY OF MAN
advocates Man, is positive
“virtu” is highest goal of human existence
intelligence skill in all fields AND action
Mormons agree/all can become Gods
optimism vs. pessimism
Problems of humanism:
became snobbish and aristocratic, for only wealthy could
afford time and money for art
Do you educate the mind or the soul?
mind=scientific/outer world
soul=aesthetic/inner world/God
Which do
we educate today? both?
What
should a good education contain? Is GE enough?
The new world of
Science:
Ptolemy — (200AD) geocentric universe/this is standard
doctrine of the Church and Middle ages
Copernicus — (Poland) 1473-1543, questions validity of
geocentric logic/says math would be
easier if heliocentric
Galileo — 1564-1642, confirms sun as center
bright child - discovers pendulum
effect at age 20
Law of Falling Bodies
(gravity)/all bodies fall at same
rate, regardless of their weight. (drops balls off Tower of
Pisa, Aristotle said heavy ball
would hit first)
forced to leave university because of his beliefs
1609 - grinds own lenses to study
moon
Aristotle says moon is its own
light source, and is smooth. Galileo says otherwise.
discovers rings of Saturn
takes telescope to Rome and shows
pope sunspots,
but pope still doesn't believe (wrong size/too big)
books banned for 200 years
(this is when/why he studies gravity at Pisa)
inquisition calls him in 1632/tortured/finally
denies all
Newton uses Galileo's findings to
publish his own works
Descartes — 1596-1650 scientific theory of the
composition of the universe.
Agrees with Democritus (all matter
is composed of atoms of identical substance).
“Reality” is the motion of these
atoms in space and time.
God was “engineer” who started
this motion, but since then He has done
nothing but oil a few parts.
“He made of Nature a machine, and nothing but a machine.”
Divides all things into two
categories:
Primary: (measurable)/science/math
Secondary:(non measurable) soul/religion
Is more concerned with How than
with Why, so science becomes more important (measurable)
(What’s very interesting about
all this is that this division of study – between measurable and
non-measurable things, results in the two foci of today’s education: a BA
degree (how can you measure art?) and a BS degree, a very measurable world.)
Some Important Dates
1453 Fall of
Constantinople to the Turks
people move west, taking their
books and learning with them
close eastern spice routes /
forces men to seek a different route
1454 movable type; Gutenberg
gunpowder (from China/Marco
Polo/no one believed him)
1486 Diaz sails around Cape of Good Hope, Africa
1492 Columbus
1494 Line of Demarcation / Pope divides world between
Spain (Americas - west of line)
Portugal (Africa and Brazil - east
of line)
England (gets nothing/still too
small/not powerful) sends John Cabot to find
Northwest
Passage, but he settles for North America instead
French — claim Canada/fur trappers
1497 DeGama sails around Africa to India
1500 Balboa sees and names Pacific from Panama
1503 Mona Lisa
1508-12 Sistine Chapel
1513 Machiavelli The Prince
1519 Magellan sails around the world
STEP TWO: The
Reformation; Man still wants religion, but not the Catholic type
1. Europe was ready for
a change.
Renaissance brought a new work ethic.
church believed you should do
physical work for your living (by sweat of your brow)
Bankers
resent being told they are sinners – making interest requires no sweat
What is a
“fair” wage? OK to keep a fair wage, but give excess to Church
(Law of
Consecration)
Is it
wrong to want to keep it all?
If I have
the brains then why not the reward?
New World was dumping millions
into Europe
People mad
because money is all going to Italy, not local
(St. Peter’s; needed $50M) (pope sees Germany as weak, France/England strong)
Church
started demanding more and more small taxes
(tithing, budget, welfare, scouting, food drives, etc.)
2. Should the Church
rule over a King?
church had been in charge for
1,000 years, but was it correct?
Should church run all of Europe,
every country?
Should church taxes get all the
New World wealth?
Does Church possess all knowledge?
(Men in Black – heliocentric vs. geocentric, etc.)
Doctrine of Infallibility of Pope (SLC)
3. Rebellion of common people against known abuses in church
1. many clergy were so ignorant they couldn't read mass
2. led scandalous lives/kept gaming houses/taverns
3. ignored vows of chastity (said a mistress was OK
because she wasn't a “wife”)
4. religious offices were sold the highest bidder
5. “dispensations” were sold to relieve you of a previous
vow, or exemption to a church law
6.upset about sale of indulgences
(treasury of salvation thanks to
martyrs and saints)
(Pope told bankers they could keep
33% of all collected)
7.veneration of sacred relics was a farce
BUT: abuses were not
the primary cause of Reformation, it was doctrine and political power.
Two schools of thought
evolve in Church:
1. Church's view/Peter Lombard and St. Thomas Aquinas
a. View of 11th and 12th century
b. Since Man is evil he can only
get to heaven with help: he must receive the 7 sacraments,
which can
only be admin. by the clergy
Position
of church in Luther's day
Enter Martin Luther
- was having a personal crisis of disbelief “I hate the
Lord”
- A priest told him to bury himself in studying the
scriptures, where he discovered the doctrine of faith (not faith AND works)
was all you needed.
2. Luther’s
view/Augustinianism (Augustine and Paul)
a. omnipotent God who sees and
knows all
b. Man is hopelessly depraved, and
therefore cannot bring forth good works.
c. God has predestined a certain
few for heaven.
d. Man should place his fate
entirely in hands of God
(so clergy and sacrament are NOT necessary)
Luther believed this way.
Luther's conclusions:
nails 95 thesis on door (bulletin board) of church (1517)
at Wittenburg
1. final authority is the scriptures
2. faith (not ordinances) is all you need for salvation
therefore salvation comes directly
from God, and does not need a priest or church ritual as
intermediary
Problem: if final authority
is scriptures, who interprets??
this leads to many different
churches/interpretations and our 1st amendment.
People see Luther as way
to break with Italy
backed by princes: see chance to
increase power
in 40 years, half of Europe is
Protestant
The Reformers and their
beliefs:
Wanted to return to original beliefs
1. Ren. celebrated the Human,
while the old beliefs had contempt for this life and material things.)
2. Ren. wanted urbanity and
tolerance (new), while
Calvin and group wanted faith and conformity (old).
John Wyclif
Oxford professor
denounces immorality of the clergy
condemns temporal power of the
Church
recommends marriage of clergy
insists of supreme authority of
the Scriptures
denies transubstantiation
Zwingli
starts bible study in 1506
1518 joins Luther's cause
1519 starts reform movement/(later
killed in battle, 1531)
1522 67 proofs to reform the
church
denies supreme authority of the
pope (lies in God only)
critical of worldly popes
study the bible and return church
to its original purity
city life is better than rural
life
believes in predestination
Results:
1. rebirth of faith among common people
2. reassessment of principals by church leaders
Calvin
born in Lyon, France, 1509
father is lawyer to local bishop
Calvin gets M.A. then on to become
a lawyer/attends many universities
encounters
two schools of thought:
* 1.
rhetoric — truth is that which changes people
2.
dialectic — truth is how well your answer fits into the scheme of things
(Greek)
he adopts #1 and becomes a
Protestant at age 23 (1532)
goes to Switzerland two years later,
to study Luther
three years later (1536) he writes his best book, also best book of
Reformation: The
Institutes of Christian Religion (also the best book on Protestant
doctrine)
But problems — new edition each year, each more radical.
Says salvation is based on and
shown by correct moral conduct.
Duty of civil govt
to protect and serve the church
wrong acts were punished in civil courts
very strict laws/no dancing/drinking/fancy clothes
Predestination ( only 144,000 will
make it)
so, whatever happens is because God wanted it that way
*Wealth is good — parable of the
talents/ earthly success is
heavenly success (forerunner of Capitalism) (make more $$ and God loves you
more)
1538 Geneva throws him out — too
radical, but is asked to
return three years later, and dies there in 1564.
Results: followed by John Knox,
Scotland, who creates the Church of Scotland, which
becomes
Presbyterians of America, Puritans of England, Dutch Reformers of Holland
Henry
VIII
Wanted a son; no divorce in
Catholic church so he breaks with it and starts Church of England; razes all
monasteries and Catholic shrines.
Six wives (and still no
heir)
1. Catherine of Aragon
(Spain); divorced in 1533
2. Anne Bolyn;
baby girl (Elizabeth); beheaded 1536
3. Jane Semour;
son Edward (sickly; will die at age 8); she dies in childbirth
4. Anne of Cleves; divorce
after 6 months
5. Kathryn Howard; only 15
and he’s old; beheaded 1542
6. Katherine Parr; a good
friend whom he married; outlives him.
After all this it will be
Elizabeth who will reign.
STEP THREE: The Catholic
church fights back with the Counter-Reformation
Church's answer to Luther
Council of Trent 1545-63 to define
all doctrine
music redefined, almost removed (Palestrina saves it)
art, architecture subdued
Inquisition revived: medieval
courts / torture used
Rise of Capitalism due
to Reformation
Protestant work ethic / a good man
shall prosper
Guilds of middle ages produced only as needed/price and
quantity were controlled/no competition
Capitalism creates “companies”
which can buy, sell, sue
it exists only to make money
competition is normal
creates individuals/every man for himself
floods market with goods/only the good survive
increases cash flow for all; money = power
Reaction in Italy
1. almost none (everyone is Catholic)
deny the
pope/lose your job
2. many who were disillusioned simply quit the church
we do the
same today/ “all churches are corrupt”
(non-practicing catholic)
Effects of Reformation; Europe is forever changed
1. created strong nationalistic movements
2. increased education (split it from church)
3. allowed individual interpretation of bible
4. starts capitalism
5. changes world from a Christian/Middle Age world to
a European/Renaissance world
Middle
Ages
Renaissance
—————————————————————————————
agrarian
urban
sin in
riches
good to be wealthy
guilds
capitalism/companies
church in
power
kings, princes in power
life at
home
travel, trade
born to your social
level
can rise above social level
rich or
poor
middle class
6. all this leaves the
common man afraid, unsure
what is the new standard (old is
Church)
Man SHOULD be great, but
sometimes isn't (God or Animal?)
Shakespeare will ask: “Is life a tragedy?”
with man in control, can we
achieve our best?
which man can best lead us?
Is virtu what it’s
all about?
Is this “personal freedom”?
Which society is best?
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