Humanities & Classics 1002
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Renaissance Forum
Humanities & Classics 1002 |
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In Reply to: Re: The Midevil and Renaissance posted by Joe Johnson on December 15, 1998 at 15:26:44:
: The views on humanity and religion between the midevil and renaissance eras differed greatly. Writers such as Thomas a Kempis and Pico della Mirandola help us to understand the views of these times.
: Kempis wrote "Imations of Christ" which was directly related to the rule and beliefs of the midevil times. Everyone was expected to give all that they had to the church. All of their money, all of their posessions, all of their back breaking work in hope that God would accept what they have given him and make them a better person in their next life. No laughter was allowed in fear that people would lose fear and not fear God at all. Humanistic views were thought of as the work of the devil. "The Name of The Rose" was a realistic portrayal of the midevil times. All of the monks in the monestary gave up all that they had to God in hope of a better life. Everything that they did all day everyday was to get to better terms with God. When people started to die, the monks thought that God was punishing them for not having enough faith. It turned out that people were dying because Jorge put poison on the edges of the writings of Aristotle, a humanist. The poisoning of the pages was an example of how far the monks of the midevil times would go to keep people from believing anything other than what was in the scriptures.
: Mirandola was more of a humanist. He wrote "Oration of the Dignity Of Man" which had to do with the renaissance era. The renaissance was a time where people were exploring with religion and giving themselves some credit for the outcome of their lives. It wasn't that the people of the renaissance had no belief of God, they just started to realize that they were put on this earth to do more than work just for God. At this point in time, people were free to roam the earth and do what their heart really desired not having to worry about being bound by the chains of the Bible. I think that William of Baskerville was a renaissance type of man trapped in the midevil times. He wasn't quick to judge and blame the devil for everything. He always wanted to know the reasons why everything was happening. That is how he found out about the poisoned pages.
: The change from the the midevil times to the renaissance was a big step for the world but all that it really is, is a changing of times. Just like the Baby Boomers generation has changed into Gen X. We just have to accept the changing views of the times.