Humanities & Classics 1002
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Renaissance Forum
Humanities & Classics 1002 |
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In Reply to: PLEASE POST YOU FIRST REQUIRED POSTING AS A REPLY TO THIS posted by TOM BACIG on December 13, 1998 at 19:30:06:
For centuries people have debated the existence of a God, or a higher being. The times of the renaissance were no different. In two of the most influential works of their times, Imitation of Christ and Oration on the Dignity of Man, devotion to God and his command varies greatly.
The view of Thomas á Kempis in Imitation of Christ, is one similar to the views held by some of the monks in “Name of the Rose.” That is, the view that in order to fully reach God, one must part with all material things. “Learn to despise outward things,” he says, meaning that people must give themselves fully to God.
This view was not uncommon among many religions at this point in time. Many of
the monasteries told the members they must give all their possessions to the church, and the members faithfully did. The fear was that people who held onto their possessions so tightly would “be taken with them and perish,” made people willing to give up riches for God.
Kempis believed that one must put their entire faith and trust into God. “Put all thy trust in God; let Him be thy dread; let Him be thy love; He shall answer for thee and do well and as is best.” This is largely why the monks in “Name of the Rose” were so frightened by the deaths. They felt God was punishing them for not showing the proper faith and trust. This is also why they feared taking the scientific approach, because God may become angry that they were not instilling all of their faith into him.
These quotes also point out the importance of being meek. The repetition of the words “the meek man” illustrate the importance of being submissive to God’s wishes. Many people believed that they must suffer for God in order to be with God after death.
The view of Thomas á Kempis is very different from that of Pico della Mirandola who believed that man is almost equal to God. According to Mirandola, God created the world, then created man so that he may admire this wonderful creation.
God then gave man free will, so that he may choose to admire God’s works, and
ascend to Heaven, or he may “degenerate into the lower forms of life, which are animal.” Mirandola believed that “whatever seeds each man cultivates, those seeds will grow to maturity and bear in him their own fruit. If they be vegetative, he will be like a plant. If sensual, he will become brutish. If rational, he will issue as a heavenly being. If intellectual, he will be an angel and the son of God.”
This view was represented in “Name of the Rose” by William. He was the
intellectual one of the monks, and the viewers were given the sense that he understood more about God than all the others. He looked at things from the scientific and intellectual point of view, and therefore was able to understand God’s commands better.
The two views presented in the texts were written very closely to each other, yet they are very different in their thoughts. Kempis insists one must give their entire life to God, while the Renaissance thinkers such as Mirandola believed that one must only use their free will to serve God, and ultimately be with him through intellect.
Perhaps most interesting is the comparison of the views of students posted on the forum board in comparison to the views of both Kempis and Mirandola. Many of the postings are not in support of a God at all, much less devoting oneself to the extreme that the people in these times have been doing. It shows that our society’s values and morals have changed greatly. For students today, it is difficult to imagine being so faithful to a God that one would be willing to part with every material possession they own, or even to use free will but always be thinking of God.