Introduction
There were many different reasons that led to the Reformation and the split of the Catholic Church. The formation of various religious movements in the 14th and 15th century, relocation of the Papacy to Avignon, and internal corruption, contributed to the weakening of its authority. The deadly Black Plague of the 14th century and inability of the Church to offer a solution for it strongly undermined the Church’s power and its credibility. One of events, however, that gave foundation to the Reformation was the Renaissance and its role in the awaking of the European minds. The Renaissance influenced both, the churchmen and the secular society. This led to a shift in the intellectual and political environment, that made questioning of the Church’s doctrine and the religious reformation possible. Although it is generally agreed that the Italian Renaissance and Reformation are closely connected, from the perspective of time it became apparent that the first made the latter possible. The period of the Renaissance improved a general literacy by revolutionizing the education. This change combined with the invention of printing press made possible for people to study the religious texts, analyze it and point out the differences between the ancient origins and Church’s interpretations. Those new ideas became guiding thoughts and …show more content…
Pico Della Mirandola (1463-1494), humanist and philosopher, argued that the man has a free will and “free choice and dignity” to make his own decisions, either good or bad.” He believed that through the knowledge, “human has capacity to approach the infinity of God“, and the study of philosophy will make possible for him to identify the truth and help to make right choices in life. Pico also believed that man does not need a priest in order to communicate with God, and his union with God can be achieved by “the actions of the
There were many different reasons that led to the Reformation and the split of the Catholic Church. The formation of various religious movements in the 14th and 15th century, relocation of the Papacy to Avignon, and internal corruption, contributed to the weakening of its authority. The deadly Black Plague of the 14th century and inability of the Church to offer a solution for it strongly undermined the Church’s power and its credibility. One of events, however, that gave foundation to the Reformation was the Renaissance and its role in the awaking of the European minds. The Renaissance influenced both, the churchmen and the secular society. This led to a shift in the intellectual and political environment, that made questioning of the Church’s doctrine and the religious reformation possible. Although it is generally agreed that the Italian Renaissance and Reformation are closely connected, from the perspective of time it became apparent that the first made the latter possible. The period of the Renaissance improved a general literacy by revolutionizing the education. This change combined with the invention of printing press made possible for people to study the religious texts, analyze it and point out the differences between the ancient origins and Church’s interpretations. Those new ideas became guiding thoughts and …show more content…
Pico Della Mirandola (1463-1494), humanist and philosopher, argued that the man has a free will and “free choice and dignity” to make his own decisions, either good or bad.” He believed that through the knowledge, “human has capacity to approach the infinity of God“, and the study of philosophy will make possible for him to identify the truth and help to make right choices in life. Pico also believed that man does not need a priest in order to communicate with God, and his union with God can be achieved by “the actions of the