Changes

But a schism in Christianity in Europe was just around the corner.  In 1505, a law student named Martin Luther was caught outside in the middle of a thunderstorm.  A bolt of lightning struck the ground near him.  Terrified, he cried out for protection and promised to become a monk if he survived the storm.  He did survive, and then left law school to join an Augustinian monastery.

But a schism in Christianity in Europe was just around the corner.  In 1505, a law student named Martin Luther was caught outside in the middle of a thunderstorm.  A bolt of lightning struck the ground near him.  Terrified, he cried out for protection and promised to become a monk if he survived the storm.  He did survive, and then left law school to join an Augustinian monastery.

Martin Luther founded Protestantism in Europe on October 31, 1517, when he nailed 95 “Theses” or issues to the door of his Wittenberg Church in what is now Germany.  A decade later, in 1529, King Henry VIII founded a different Protestant religion for an entirely different reason:  he wanted the pope to approve his divorce from Catherine of Aragon, and when the pope refused, the king founded the Church of England and seized all property of the Catholic Church in England.  Other protestant faiths also began in the 1500s, and the Catholic Church responded with an internal reformation of its own.

Martin Luther founded Protestantism in Europe on October 31, 1517, when he nailed 95 “Theses” or issues to the door of his Wittenberg Church in what is now Germany.  A decade later, in 1529, King Henry VIII founded a different Protestant religion for an entirely different reason:  he wanted the pope to approve his divorce from Catherine of Aragon, and when the pope refused, the king founded the Church of England and seized all property of the Catholic Church in England.  Other Protestant faiths also began in the 1500s, and the Catholic Church responded with an internal reformation of its own.

We end this Lecture with a discussion of Asia in the Middle Ages, which was unaffected by both the Renaissance and the Reformation.  Asia had issues of its own.

We end this lecture with a discussion of Asia in the Middle Ages, which was unaffected by both the Renaissance and the Reformation.  Asia had issues of its own.

But before we discuss the Renaissance and the weighty issues of the Reformation, this is the perfect time to pause for a moment and review the origin and development of the English language.  English is a relatively young language lacking in any origin in the ancient world.  It does not come from Sanskrit or Hebrew or Greek or Latin.  Recall that the Roman empire could never conquer the region of present-day Germany, and English is a Germanic Language within the Indo-European category of languages.  Let's learn about its history.

But before we discuss the Renaissance and the weighty issues of the Reformation, this is the perfect time to pause for a moment and review the origin and development of the English language.  English is a relatively young language lacking in any origin in the ancient world.  It does not come from Sanskrit or Hebrew or Greek or Latin.  Recall that the Roman empire could never conquer the region of present-day Germany, and English is a Germanic Language within the Indo-European category of languages.  Let's learn about its history.

One of the first artists to incorporate new ideas into his artwork was Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337), who brought unprecedented elements of realism in his paintings.  Giotto, a typical Renaissance jack-of-all-trades, also designed the innovative campanile (bell tower) for the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral in Florence.  Flemish artists introduced oil paints, and the technique of perspective was introduced by artists like Tommaso Masaccio and Filippo Brunelleschi.  Brunelleschi also designed the Duomo (dome) for the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral in Florence, a breakthrough in engineering and architecture that revealed Brunelleschi’s deep understanding of mathematics.

One of the first artists to incorporate new ideas into his artwork was Giotto di Bondone (1267-1337), who brought unprecedented elements of realism in his paintings.  Giotto, a typical Renaissance jack-of-all-trades, also designed the innovative campanile (bell tower) for the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral in Florence.  Flemish artists introduced oil paints, and the technique of perspective was introduced by artists like Tommaso Masaccio and Filippo Brunelleschi.  Brunelleschi also designed the Duomo (dome) for the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral in Florence, a breakthrough in engineering and architecture that revealed Brunelleschi’s deep understanding of mathematics.

Donatello (1386-1466) was an influential painter and sculpture of the early Renaissance from Florence.  He sculpted a bronze “David,” the first free-standing nude statue since the days of the Greeks and Romans, and another famous statue of St. George.  Titian (Tiziano Vicelli) (1477-1576) was a painter with an unprecedented use of color and loose brushwork, evident in his stunning masterpiece The Assumption of the Virgin.  Raphael (1482-1520) also mastered the use of color and painted beautiful frescoes in churches and for private patrons, the most famous of which may be The School of Athens, an interesting painting depicting Plato and Aristotle surrounded by their pupils.  He inspired the two greatest artists in the history of the world: Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.   

Donatello (1386-1466) was an influential painter and sculpture of the early Renaissance from Florence.  He sculpted a bronze “David,” the first free-standing nude statue since the days of the Greeks and Romans, and another famous statue of St. George.  Titian (Tiziano Vicelli) (1477-1576) was a painter with an unprecedented use of color and loose brushwork, evident in his stunning masterpiece ''The Assumption of the Virgin''.  Raphael (1482-1520) also mastered the use of color and painted beautiful frescoes in churches and for private patrons, the most famous of which may be ''The School of Athens'', an interesting painting depicting Plato and Aristotle surrounded by their pupils.  He inspired the two greatest artists in the history of the world: Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.   

Michelangelo (1475-1564) is best known for his sculpture of a full-sized statue of David and for painting the ceiling of the [[Sistine Chapel]], an astounding fresco that included over 300 Biblical figures and that took over four years to complete.  He also sculpted amazing renditions of Moses and “the pieta,” a sculpture of Jesus in Mary’s arms after the crucifixion.  The pieta has an overpowering sense of love and tragedy to it unmatched by any other work of art in history (see attached).  Following Brunelleschi’s model Duomo in Florence, Michelangelo designed the dome for St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.     

Michelangelo (1475-1564) is best known for his sculpture of a full-sized statue of David and for painting the ceiling of the [[Sistine Chapel]], an astounding fresco that included over 300 Biblical figures and that took over four years to complete.  He also sculpted amazing renditions of Moses and “the pieta,” a sculpture of Jesus in Mary’s arms after the crucifixion.  The pieta has an overpowering sense of love and tragedy to it unmatched by any other work of art in history (see attached).  Following Brunelleschi’s model Duomo in Florence, Michelangelo designed the dome for St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.     

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) embodied the “Renaissance man.”  He was an architect, anatomist, sculptor, scientist, mathematician, musician, and painter.  He created masterpieces such as the Mona Lisa, the famous portrait of a plain-looking woman with an enigmatic smile (see attached), and The Last Supper, a fabulous wall painting of Christ and the Twelve Apostles which has not been well preserved.  He kept notebooks full of anatomical drawings such as Vitruvian Man.  It is said that Leonardo could draw with one hand while at the same time painting with the other, and he wrote backwards in his notebooks, so they would have to be held up to a mirror to be read.  He was way ahead of his time and created conceptual designs for many devices such as a flying machine and an armored tank.  He was the first to come up with the ideas of the calculator and the use of solar power for energy.   

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) embodied the “Renaissance man.”  He was an architect, anatomist, sculptor, scientist, mathematician, musician, and painter.  He created masterpieces such as the ''Mona Lisa'', the famous portrait of a plain-looking woman with an enigmatic smile (see attached), and ''The Last Supper'', a fabulous wall painting of Christ and the Twelve Apostles which has not been well preserved.  He kept notebooks full of anatomical drawings such as Vitruvian Man.  It is said that Leonardo could draw with one hand while at the same time painting with the other, and he wrote backwards in his notebooks, so they would have to be held up to a mirror to be read.  He was way ahead of his time and created conceptual designs for many devices such as a flying machine and an armored tank.  He was the first to come up with the ideas of the calculator and the use of solar power for energy.   

Characteristics of the Renaissance paintings include use of realism, perspectives, individual persons (portraits) and frescoes.  Nature was not the subject of many Renaissance paintings; painting themes from nature came later.

Characteristics of the Renaissance paintings include use of realism, perspective, individual persons (portraits) and frescoes.  Nature was not the subject of many Renaissance paintings; painting themes from nature came later.

===Writers===

===Writers===

Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) wrote ''The Prince'', which is an account of government by which the "end justifies the means" (in other words, a ruler can use any means to gain power and rule his state).  Even today the term "Machiavellian" is used to criticize a politician who spends all his time and effort on getting ahead and manipulating other people for his own gain.  A "Machiavellian" politician is a cunning person who will say or do anything if he thinks it brings him political benefit.  For centuries the reputation of Machiavelli was that he had been inspired by the devil.  Like other Renaissance artists and thinkers, Machiavelli lived in Florence.

Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) wrote ''The Prince'', which is an account of government by which the "end justifies the means" (in other words, a ruler can use any means to gain power and rule his state).  Even today the term "Machiavellian" is used to criticize a politician who spends all his time and effort on getting ahead and manipulating other people for his own gain.  A "Machiavellian" politician is a cunning person who will say or do anything if he thinks it brings him political benefit.  For centuries the reputation of Machiavelli was that he had been inspired by the devil.  Like other Renaissance artists and thinkers, Machiavelli lived in Florence.

Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374) was another poet of Florence, who is described by historians as a humanist.  In fact, he was a devout Christian who saw no conflict between religious faith and fully developing man’s potential.  He wrote in Latin rather than the Italian vernacular and, being a bit of character, wrote a few letters to Virgil and Cicero of Ancient Rome (who of course did not respond!).  Petrarch also wrote romantic poems about a woman named “Laura” based on merely seeing her once in church.  Later, humanists cited Petrarch works to try to find early support for humanism.

Francesco Petrarch (1304-1374) was another poet of Florence, who is described by historians as a humanist.  In fact, he was a devout Christian who saw no conflict between religious faith and fully developing man’s potential.  He wrote in Latin rather than the Italian vernacular and, being a bit of character, wrote a few letters to Virgil and Cicero of Ancient Rome (who of course did not respond!).  Petrarch also wrote romantic poems about a woman named “Laura” based on merely seeing her once in church.  Later, humanists cited Petrarch's works to try to find early support for humanism.

===The Philosophy of the Renaissance===

===The Philosophy of the Renaissance===

But many historians are hostile to Christianity, and they do not want to credit Christianity for the stunning achievements of the Renaissance.  Accordingly, they claim that the Renaissance embraced “humanism”, which favored the capacity of man to reason and think for himself without reliance on Christianity.  There is no single definition for “humanism”, and the philosophical term was not used during the Renaissance.  But any view that looks to “humans” as the sole source of value can be called “humanist”.   

But many historians are hostile to Christianity, and they do not want to credit Christianity for the stunning achievements of the Renaissance.  Accordingly, they claim that the Renaissance embraced “humanism”, which favored the capacity of man to reason and think for himself without reliance on Christianity.  There is no single definition for “humanism”, and the philosophical term was not used during the Renaissance.  But any view that looks to “humans” as the sole source of value can be called “humanist”.   

Under an anti-Christian view of history, emphasis moved away in the Renaissance from the focus on spiritual things that was characteristic of the Middle Ages, to a focus on material, earthly things.  It is true that the Renaissance men wrote about and painted everyday things, such as the woman depicted in the Mona Lisa.  It is also true that the study of nature and science began to become fields of endeavor of their own, and art and literature focused more on the present life than the afterlife.  But the great artists and thinkers of the Renaissance were inspired by Christianity in performing their works, and the objects of their work were creations of God.  There was nothing at all anti-religious or humanist about the Renaissance.  Perhaps 90% of more of its achievements were inspired by Christian beliefs and faith.

Under an anti-Christian view of history, emphasis in the Renaissance moved away from the focus on spiritual things that was characteristic of the Middle Ages, to a focus on material, earthly things.  It is true that the Renaissance men wrote about and painted everyday things, such as the woman depicted in the Mona Lisa.  It is also true that the study of nature and science began to become fields of endeavor of their own, and art and literature focused more on the present life than the afterlife.  But the great artists and thinkers of the Renaissance were inspired by Christianity in performing their works, and the objects of their work were creations of God.  There was nothing at all anti-religious or humanist about the Renaissance.  Perhaps 90% of more of its achievements were inspired by Christian beliefs and faith.

Centuries after the Renaissance, secularism did creep in.  Secularism is defined as preoccupation with the material world at the expense of disregarding the heavenly one.  This caused people to become increasingly materialistic, a trend in which the church often participated, rather than trying to resist.  The teachings of the Bible lost importance to some.  Some people rejected religion altogether, becoming secular humanists.  But even later, the greatest works were by devout Christians like Isaac Newton and Louis Pasteur.

Centuries after the Renaissance, secularism did creep in.  Secularism is defined as preoccupation with the material world at the expense of disregarding the heavenly one.  This caused people to become increasingly materialistic, a trend in which the church often participated, rather than trying to resist.  The teachings of the Bible lost importance to some.  Some people rejected religion altogether, becoming secular humanists.  But even later, the greatest works were by devout Christians like Isaac Newton and Louis Pasteur.