Renaissance Impact on Reformation and Counter-Reformation, Essays (university) of History

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The Renaissance’s Impact on the Reformation and Counter-Reformation: Examining Humanism and the Printing Press Austen Coogan Short Essay 3 HIS 111 Dr. Potter October 13, 2024

Three cultural movements at the end of the Middle Ages changed Europe forever. The first was the Renaissance – a “rebirth” of classical art, philosophy, and ideas that swept through Europe and elevated individual thought. 1 The Renaissance was also characterized by many scientific and technological advancements, not least being the printing press. 2 Within the Renaissance period, a second movement known as the Reformation began, during which Christians began questioning the authority and doctrine of the Catholic Church. This ultimately led to many Christians abandoning Catholicism. Eventually, these non-Catholics were called Protestants. 3 Partially in response to these Protestants, the Catholic Church led a third movement of their own: the Counter- Reformation. The Catholics aimed to define their doctrine, clarify differences between Catholic and Protestant churches, and extend the reach of Catholicism. 4 The success and consequences of these Christian reformation movements were deeply intertwined with the larger Renaissance movement of the period. Specifically, the Renaissance’s impact on the Reformation and Counter-Reformation is evident when examining the roles of humanism and the printing press. 5 Humanism was a Renaissance movement which set the stage for the Reformation. Not to be confused with modern secular humanism, Renaissance humanists were religious scholars invested in classical learning who sought Greek and Latin ideas instead of medieval alternatives. 6 The Catholic Church based its authority on the Vulgate, an (^1) Bentley, Jerry H., Herbert F. Ziegler, Heather Streets-Salter, and Craig Benjamin. Traditions & Encounters. volume 1, from the beginning to 1500: A global perspective on the past. Vol. 1. New York, NY: McGraw- Hill, 2015, 463. (^2) Kennedy, Lesley. “How the Renaissance Challenged the Church and Influenced the Reformation.” History.com, September 27, 2021. https://www.history.com/news/renaissance-influence-reformation- humanism. (^3) Bentley, Traditions & Encounters , 507-508. (^4) Bentley, Traditions & Encounters , 510. (^5) Bentley, Traditions & Encounters , 463-510; Kennedy, How the Renaissance Challenged the Church. (^6) Bentley, Traditions & Encounters , 464-465.

simply been impossible. 13 Luther and other reformers continued to rely on the press to spread their ideas. MacCulloch puts it this way: “Protestantism, when it established itself, would prove to be good business for printers. Conversely, printing also turned out to be good for Protestantism, for a religion of the book needs books.” 14 Moreover, without the need to hand-copy manuscripts, scholars were able to devote more time to absorbing the Bible for themselves. MacCulloch explains, “Now that printed copies of texts were increasingly available, there was less copying to do, and so there was more time to devote to thinking for oneself… Copying had been such a significant activity that in previous centuries of Christian culture, it had been given a privileged place against original thought.” 15 The printing press did more for the Reformation and Counter-Reformation than just spread ideas; by eliminating the need for copying, the press shifted Christian culture to value individual thought more than the reproduction of manuscripts. 16 Not all effects from the Renaissance were positive. MacCulloch points out that the church’s transition to relying on printed copies instead of hand-copied manuscripts made them less protective of biblical knowledge. He comments, “A culture based on manuscripts is conscious of the fragility of knowledge, and the need to preserve it…. This is much less obvious in the print medium.” 17 Manuscript culture forced scholars to prioritize protecting knowledge over spreading it; print culture did just the opposite. As uniform printed copies spread throughout Europe, Christians became less aware that knowledge could be corrupted. 18 Furthermore, religious upheaval in Europe gave way to violence. Unjust witch hunts peaked during the Reformation and Counter-Reformation (^13) Bentley, Traditions & Encounters , 507-509. (^14) MacCulloch, The Reformation: A History , 72. (^15) MacCulloch, The Reformation: A History , 73-74. (^16) Bentley, Traditions & Encounters , 507-509; MacCulloch, The Reformation: A History , 70-123. (^17) MacCulloch, The Reformation: A History , 74. (^18) MacCulloch, The Reformation: A History , 74.

movements, 19 and wars occasionally resulted from tensions between Protestant and Catholic communities. The violence reached a climax in the Thirty Years War, a multi- nation conflict which erupted when a Holy Roman Emperor tried to force Catholicism on his Protestant subjects. Among other things, historians have called the Thirty Years War “the most destructive European conflict before the twentieth century.” 20 Evidently, not everything about the reformations was positive. 21 In conclusion, the Renaissance impacted the Reformation and Counter- Reformation by way of humanism and the printing press. Humanism encouraged individuals to challenge established authority, and the printing press ensured these challenges were spread across Europe. Even though these movements brought conflict and persecution, they also spawned great intellectual and religious diversity. It is hard to fully grasp how much the Reformation and Counter-Reformation shaped Europe, and by extension, the rest of the world. How different would the world be if these movements had never happened? (^19) MacCulloch, The Reformation: A History , 563. (^20) Bentley, Traditions & Encounters , 512. (^21) Bentley, Traditions & Encounters , 512; MacCulloch, The Reformation: A History , 74, 563.