What effects did the Catholic Church have on the world during the renaissance - Research Paper Example

?Introduction The Renaissance is considered a cultural movement which started in Italy and gradually spread all over Europe. It started during the late middle Ages and spanned up to 17th century. This is the period which is considered as one of the most important periods during the history of modern Europe. Though the overall benefits of this were not uniformly spread over the whole Europe, however, it started a period which brought important changes that shaped the modern history of Europe. During this era, Christian religion also went through significant changes, and many new sects emerged during this period. This time is also considered as the period of reformations and change: the world witnessed significant changes in the way Christianity evolved during this period. It was also during this era that mass publication of the Bible started to take place due to the invention of a paper machine. Thus, during this era the religion went through drastic changes, and the impact of these changes was enormous not only upon Europe, but on the other parts of the world, too. The reformation process was considered so strong that it almost split the Christianity. The overall influence of the Church during this era started to decline, and the society’s values and needs were changed significantly. This era actually initiated a debate to re-evaluate and re-examine some of the old values and revive them in the society to make them more useful. Therefore, this paper will discuss the effects Catholic Church had on the world during the Renaissance period. Catholic Church and Renaissance The Renaissance was a period of transformation, and it was also during this period that the overall influence of the Catholic started to decline. The reformation which took place during this era was so strong that it shattered the foundations of the Church and many new religions in Christianity started to emerge. The birth of the Protestant Church and other issues were so fundamental in nature that they changed the influence and status of the Catholic Church within the European society (Armstrong). It is critical to know that during the Renaissance period, the Catholic Church spread outside Europe and further strengthened itself in countries like Spain. European Missionaries continued to cultivate the Church in Africa, America, Asia and other parts of the world; also, they introduced new methods of doing things. They not only introduced the artwork made during the period, but also worked for the rights of native people in different countries. Since the Renaissance stressed upon humanistic and individual philosophies, this new thinking has actually resulted into the Catholic Church being one of the key supporters of native people in different lands (Kelehera 290). The era just before the Renaissance was also the time when the Catholic Church suffered internal disturbances and was already tackling the issues of internal schism and Black Death. It was suggested that during this era, most of the Popes should focus on rebuilding the city of Rome rather than focusing on the solidification of the Catholic Church. This was the beginning of the era when the Church actually started to lose its significance and was preparing for the strong period of reformation and further internal break down resulting into lessening of its overall influence on the European society as a whole. The European Renaissance was a period between 1300s to early 1600s, and its literal meaning is ‘rebirth’ in French. During this era, artists, writers and scholars went on to explore and discuss early Greek and Roman ideas and resurrected Europe’s original character through their writings and art work. It was considered a period of a strong cultural movement which resulted into revival of old European values. Reformation It is critically important to understand the way the Catholic Church behaved and weakend its influence on the world during this period. It is generally argued that during this period the overall influence of the Catholic Church declined to a great extent, partly due to the politics which became rampant in the Church. The shifting of the Papal seat to France and its relocation back to Italy clearly suggests the way Popes during those times engaged into politics and subverted the church to Politics and Government Control. During this period, Papal authority generally declined, and there was an increase in number of critics of the Church and its practices. The Renaissance period is considered the time of reformation for the Catholic Church as it was during this era that it witnessed one of the most important challenges in its history. The birth of Protestantism and further reformations which took place actually shook the foundations of the Church. The focus on Humanism and the shift towards the more humanistic bases of the society ensured that people are viewed with more humanistic outlook. This was also the era during which people generally showed their resentment towards the Catholic Church and the ills it has acquired over the period of time. The very foundations of the Protestant Church and other movements during this era critically outline how many people were unhappy with the Church and its ability to perform its basic duties. The outbreak of Plague during this time also shifted the perceptions of people as to how they started to view religion and its role in their lives at the wider level in their society (Bokenkotter). Mass Production of Bible The publication of the Gutenberg Bible with the help of movable type was the start of mass production of the Bible in Europe. Probably the most important and significance influence of the Catholic Church on the world during this era was that it was able to mass circulate the Bible across the whole Europe and for the first time, due to innovations during this era, the Church was able to use technology to have a wider level of effect on the world (Flatt 4). Artwork and Religion The Church was the biggest purchaser of the Renaissance art, and it was during this era that religion actually started to be disseminated through art work. The religious art presented during that era is still considered as one of the most valuable contributions made to the religious during the entire history of the Church. The contribution of Leonardo Bruni is considered as one of the most important contribution to the world in terms of using art and architecture for art. The redesigning of the Churches during this era also created a new influence on the world as for the first time, the aesthetic designs ensured that while in Church, people are surrounded by God. The overall advancement of the Renaissance art therefore mostly took place by using the Catholic Church as one of the basis of producing great arts. The redesigning and reconstruction of the Churches based upon new ideas actually resulted into a new and unique perception about them as living embodiments of great art work (Hersey 13). As such, the Catholic Church provided the much needed support to the artists during the Renaissance and offered them a platform through which they can propagate their ideas and art work. By purchasing such art work, remodeling the designs and interior of the Churches, they influenced the way people viewed art. It actually connected art to the religion and provided an implicit support to the artists and scholars to create more innovate and creative artworks. It was also the Catholic Church which actually sponsored the work of Michelangelo and Da Vinci who went on to create some of the most famous paintings of the world. This therefore suggests that the Church was actually instrumental in providing necessary support to the artists, and religion started to grow in relatively new ways. Education During the Renaissance era, education became one of the primary means of improving one’s life standards and overall approach towards life. Due to increase in literacy rates within European societies, a new class of priests and preachers started to emerge and the Church readily offered them a place to initiate themselves into the mainstream Church activities. The Catholic Church therefore opened itself for the first time to the people who were earlier not able to rise to any position within Church at the local level. Conclusion The Renaissance was a period of change and transformation in Europe, and the Catholic Church also could not spare itself from this change. The great reformation which took place in the Catholic Church during this era is still visible as not only Protestantism emerged during this period, but many internal reforms were also initiated and helped the Church to move ahead. During this era, the Church grew outside Europe and based on new humanistic values actually advocated for the rights of native people in various colonies. Further, the Bible started to be produced in mass quantities due to the invention of printing machine. The Church therefore capitalized on this opportunity and spread the word by mass distributing the Bible paying special attention to various colonies. The Church has also remained one of the main supporters of art work during this era and sponsored the great work of Da Vinci and Michelangelo. Due to the improvements in education standards, common persons also rose to various positions in Church. Works Cited Armstrong, Alastair. The European Reformation. London: Heinemann, 2002. Print. Bokenkotter, Thomas. A Concise History of the Catholic Church. London: Doubleday, 2004. Print. Flatt, Lizann. Religion in the Renaissance. London: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2009. Print. Hersey, George L. High Renaissance Art in St. Peter's and the Vatican:An Interpretive Guide. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993. Print. Kelehera, Serge. "Church in the middle: Greek?Catholics in Central and Eastern Europe." Religion, State and Society 20.4 (1992): 289-302. Print. Read More