Page 65 - History of Christianity - Student Textbook

Study Section 12: The Domination of Humanism in Europe and the
Renaissance Movement - 1300-1500

12.1 Connect

History is God’s story. He is actively involved in everything that happens. He allows men to have
free choice and as we have seen, the church has walked away from Christ. It was no longer a
“Christian” church; rather it was a Roman Catholic Church who promoted a works salvation. God
allowed evil men to have their fill of their own way in rebellion against Him. Yet, all through this
time, He continued to weave into the flow of history His love and grace as He prepared men to
have copies of His Word and bring world-wide salvation to many. It is an exciting time to see how
God is working, even in bringing a world-wide disease called the Black Death to wake men up to the reality of
eternity. So let’s continue our study as we see God preparing the way for the Great Reformation….

12.2 Objectives

1. The student should be able to describe the rise of Humanism in Europe and what its teachings were.

2. The student should be able to give a historical sketch of the fall of Constantinople.

3. The student should be able to site several historical events that led the world toward the protestant
reformation.

12.3 The Domination of Humanism in Europe and the Renaissance Movement - 1300-1500

In addition to the Renaissance, the late Middle Ages also saw the birth of Civic Humanism which was
essentially looking to man and his wisdom as a source of morality and ethics. Much of Humanism
was based on the writings of the great Roman classicists like Cicero, Livy, Lucretius, and Quintilian.
The goal of humanism was to help the individual reach his fullest potential through the study of
classical wisdom thus producing the best caliber of citizens. Much of humanistic education was
based on the educational structure of Rome and was basically founded on the belief that man was
able to reach divine enlightenment on through mental and intellectual culture.

One of the biggest fans of humanism was Ulrich Zwingli but God opened his mind to the
truth that man is not able to transform himself through mental culture but it is only the
power of God experienced through Jesus the living Word that is able to transform men’s
lives. Europe had so long been plunged into the darkness of Papal supremacy that it had no
concept of light and was in danger of exchange the darkness of Rome for the darkness of
humanism. Zwingli was the man God chose to dispel that cloud and place before the
people the only alternative to human ideology; the word of God.

The Renaissance humanists were often devout Christians, but they promoted secular
values and a love of pagan antiquity.

Surveying the landscape of the late Middle Ages makes you realize how ripe Europe was for the Reformation.
The stench of death on every hand, the political and economic systems failing, social fabric fraying, war and
turmoil in every quarter and the tempestuous upheaval of the only stable and consistent bulwark in European
society; the Roman Catholic church. In order to find hope beyond the grave and some semblance of meaning to
life, the brightest minds in European society turned to Roman culture and civilization for answers. But God was

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