Was the Protestant Reformation a Rejection or Embracement of the Secular Spirit of the Renaissance?

The Italian Renaissance, in contrast to the conservative attitude of the Middle Ages, introduced a society dominated by a secular, humanistic spirit. One of the most historically significant events of the Renaissance was the Reformation. Some people argue that the Reformation was a rejection the secular spirit of the Italian Renaissance. Others assert that the Reformation was an embracement of these secular ideas. However as with many questions, this issue cannot be given a definite answer. The events of sixteenth-century Europe show that the Reformation rejected secular ideas in some ways and embraced them in others. Martin Luther defied the Catholic Church and formed his own ideas on salvation, embracing secularism. In England, Henry VIII would reject Catholic authority, thereby accepting the secular spirit. However, he also rejected secularism by continuing to uphold traditional Catholic theology. Edward VI and Mary I would both establish national religion, of which there was no questioning, and reject the secular spirit. Elizabeth I also established a national religion, but her more conservative religious policies reflected her embracement of secular ideas. On the other hand, John Calvin created a religious sect that was dedicated to ardent religious devotion and righteousness, thereby rejecting secularism. Thus, the Reformation both rejected and embraced the secular spirit of the Italian Renaissance.

In order to effectively analyze the Reformation in relation the secular spirit of the Italian Renaissance, the aforementioned spirit must first be defined. The secular spirit of the Renaissance was a shift from the highly religious, conservative attitude of the Middle Ages to a more relaxed, humanistic attitude. As a rule, the secular spirit generally involved anything that was outside of the Church’s teachings. Instead of living purely to worship God and acquire salvation, people of the Renaissance began to pursue things for enjoyment and self-accomplishment. Authors started to write, not for religious purposes, but for themselves and other people. With the narrow-minded and unquestioning outlook of the Middle Ages discarded, the Renaissance gave birth to a new age of philosophers and thinkers. Most of all, the secular spirit of the Renaissance affected the common man’s everyday life in that life could now be enjoyed instead of being dedicated to God and purity. Wealth was now to be enjoyed. Sexuality and the beauty of the human body was no longer taboo, becoming something to be admired and appreciated. Women—through the works of Christine de Pizan and Isabella d’ Este—gained more rights and respect. The Renaissance emphasized the importance of a well-rounded life. A gentleman of the Renaissance was supposed to know about a wide variety of topics, appreciate music, be able to dance, and be adept at sports. While still important, religion no longer the driving force during the Renaissance as it was during the Middle Ages. The Renaissance abandoned the puritan mindset of the Middle Ages and instead adopted an attitude that saw life as it was, enjoying it to its fullest.

The Protestant Reformation would fully embrace the spirit of the Italian Renaissance. The Protestant Reformation was headed by Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk. Luther suffered from anfechtung, or spiritual anxiety, and was constantly worried that he was not doing enough good words to gain salvation. One day, Luther was reading the Bible and he stumbled upon a passage that would become the initial catalyst of the Protestant Reformation. In letter, St. Paul told the Romans that “the just shall live by faith.” From this passage, Luther derived the core belief of the Lutheran Reformation: sola fide. Luther now believed that the only requirement of salvation was faith in God, contradicting the traditional Catholic belief that both good works and faith were necessary for salvation. Luther’s beliefs reflected the secular spirit of the Renaissance in that it diverted from traditional religious doctrine and upheld a freer, more secular way of life. Luther’s Reformation, which would continue to embrace the secular spirit of the Renaissance, was set in motion by the selling of indulgences. The Catholics believed in a place called purgatory, where the souls of the dead would be punished for their sins before being able to enter heaven; indulgences were a way to shorten this punishment. Previously, indulgences could only be earned through good works. However, corrupt church officials began selling indulgences to increase profit. Johann Tetzel, a German priest, sold a particular indulgence that would supposedly absolve all the sins of the purchaser’s sins—past and present—as well as the sins of the purchaser’s deceased relatives. Luther, in protest to this corrupt system, angrily posted his famous “95 Theses”. In the “95 Theses”, Luther criticized the sale of indulgences as well as other abuses committed by the Church. Luther argued his belief in sola fide, saying that salvation was granted by faith in God and that the selling of “salvation” discriminated against the poor. While Luther’s “95 Theses” were concerned with the topic of religion, they still reflected the secular spirit of the Renaissance. During the Middle Ages, there was relatively little freedom of thought, especially in the field of religion; however, the secularism of the Renaissance introduced an age in which traditional ideas could be questioned. Luther’s protests against the Church reflected this secular freedom of thought. Shortly after Luther posted his “95 Theses”, they were translated into the language of the common man, or the vernacular. Johann Gutenberg’s moveable type printing press allowed the hundreds of copies of the “95 Theses” to be printed, spreading Luther’s ideas across Europe like wildfire. Perturbed by the rapid spread of the “95 Theses”, the Catholic Church invited Luther to defend his ideas at the Disputation of Leipzig. There, Church leaders said that Luther was wrong because the pope and Church traditions could not be wrong. Luther rejected this argument by saying that the only religious authority that Christians should answer to was God and the Bible. This belief was known as sola scriptura, or scripture alone. As a result of the Disputation of Leipzig, Luther was threatened by a papal bull of excommunication, which he burned in protest. Concerned by the unrest and disunity Luther was causing in his kingdom, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V summoned Luther to face an Imperial assembly or diet, to further defend his views. At the Diet of Worms, Luther was asked to recant his ideas or suffer the consequences. After thinking for one night, Luther decided not to revoke his statements. Luther’s defiance of Church authority once again reveals the freedom of thought prevalent during the Renaissance. While Luther’s actions reflected the secular spirit