Religion and Reform in the Renaissance: Humanism

A. Italian Humanism 1. Petrarch (1304-74) and the “art of living well and holy” 2. The studia humanitatis a.     The aesthetic goal b.     Speech and reason c.     Moral philosophy or ethics d.     Historical study 3.    The active vs. the contemplative lifestyles 4.    Pico della Mirandola (1463-94) and the “Dignity of Man” B.  Christian Humanism 1.    A reorientation of humanism’s priorities a.     Renewal of religious concerns b.     The influence of Neoplatonism 2.    The tools of humanism at the service of philosophy and theology a.     Going back to the sources i.      Literary criticism ii.     The art of translation b. Philology and interpretation: the Greek Church Fathers 3. Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466-1536) a.     Influences b. Enchiridion (1503), Praise of Folly (1509) c. Major points

Petrarch Pico della Mirandola Erasmus