Biblical Christianity

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Biblical Christianity
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Humanism changes the church. The church
combated heresy from its very beginnings. The
assault of these views, which opposed the
authority of the scriptures, began to intensify
after 150AD and especially after 312 AD. The
Church began to drift away from Biblical
Christianity.

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Middle Ages Nature and humanity are undervalued.
Artistically, no success at portraying them
realistically.
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Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Champion of the
Scholastic movement in the Middle Ages. Father
of Renaissance. Believed in The God of the Bible,
but opened the door for non-belief. Said that in
the Garden of Eden, mans will fell, (meaning the
rest of us inherit the propensity to sin), but
that mans intellect remained supreme. Thus, we
can, with our intellect, without the Bible,
acquire truth all truth. Free to mix Christian
and non-Christian teachings. Philosophy begins
to act in an autonomous manner.
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Aquinas gt Renaissance Humanism proper. A belief
in the value of man, and even in the superiority
of man. Man can begin from himself and, without
God, establish meaning for himself, for life, for
morals, and for all things (unity). gtDrift from
religion Man begins to think of himself in an
autonomous manner.
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Before Aquinas, God was the answer for
everything. 1 Realm. Grace, the higher God the
creator heaven and heavenly things the unseen
and its influence on earth universals or
absolute values which gives meaning (or unity) to
existence and morals. Free exchange between Grace
and Nature Nature, the lower the created earth
and earthly things the visible and what happens
normally, day to day in the cause and effect
universe, what man as man does on the earth,
individual things, individual acts of man (aka as
particulars or diversity) The reason for
everything in Nature, came from God. Why is the
sky blue? Why is the grass green? Why is murder
wrong?
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Aquinas created a 2 realm theory, with a line
dividing the realms. Aquinas said that the
reasons for things in the Natural realm could be
found in the Natural realm. Natural explanations
could in fact be found for many things. However
some questions remained problematic. EG. Why is
murder wrong? What is the meaning/purpose of
life? Nature vs Grace Problem Realm 1 Grace,
the higher God the creator heaven and heavenly
things the unseen and its influence on earth
universals or absolute values which gives meaning
(or unity) to existence and morals. ______________
____________________________________________ Realm
2 Nature, the lower the created earth and
earthly things the visible and what happens
normally, day to day in the cause and effect
universe, what man as man does on the earth,
individual things, individual acts of man (aka as
particulars or diversity)
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The School of Athens (1510) by Raphael.
(1483-1520)
The painting shows the line of Nature vs Grace.
The ideas promoted by Aquinas, expressed by
Renaissance painters.
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Plato is clearly seen pointing upwards,
emphasizing the eternal, the spiritual. As
Plato himself said The Good is source of all
things.
Aristotle is clearly disagreeing with Plato,
motioning downward emphasizing the particulars,
the created (objects on the earth (including the
earth))
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Giotto (1267-1337) The Last Judgment Despite
technical flaws, it was a huge step towards
giving nature its rightful place. Ie. Humans seen
as more important now gt more effort given to
detail and realistic portrayal.
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The Cathedral in Florence. Bell Tower by Giotto.
Dome by Brunelleschi. (1337-1446) Belief in
ability gt achievement.
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Dante a Renaissance writer. (1265-1321) He
wrote as the painters painted. Giving nature and
humanity a more proper place. In the tradition of
Aquinas, he mixed Christian and classical culture
(eg. The Divine Comedy) But the Nature-Grace
problem is clearly evident in his work.
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Dante celebrated his love for Beatrice in La Vita
Nuova (1293). He never wrote of his wife whom he
married in 1285. Thus he seems to have separated
love into the two levels of Aquinas. Spiritual
love (not sensual) ______________________ Sensual
love (no deeper meaning)
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Beatrice. Dantes view of love broke with the
unity of spiritual and sensual love. It
dehumanized women. The spiritual side was purely
that it reduced his wife to a dray horse good
for cooking and cleaning but nothing more. The
sensual was nothing more than a physical response
to a passing moment, reducing Beatrice to an
unreal object.
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Niccolo Machiavelli. 1469-1527 If God is
irrelevant, then.
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Michelangelos (1475-1564) paintings in the
Sistine Chapel. Mixing the Christian ideals with
pagan/classical ideals.
The prophetess at Delphi
The Prophet Jeremiah
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Michelangelo created a series of 4 statues known
as The Captives They exemplify the humanistic
ideal that mankind is supreme and does not need
God.
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Man tearing himself out of the Rock. One of the
statues in the captives. Man from rock. No god
involved. Pre-evolutionary theory?
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David
This is not the Biblical David. This is an
idealistic symbol of man. The invincible human
spirit. He does not need God. Note the
hands. Also
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Michelangelos La Pieta. In his later years,
the presence of the invincible human spirit fades
from his art. The tone is now more somber.As is
the theme.
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Michelangelos La Pieta. He has cast himself as
Nicodemas (the character from John 3) (The
bearded character in the back). The supreme
confidence based on humanism is gone.
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Da Vinci. (1452-1519) A master at many things.
Math, Art, Physics, etc. A True Renaissance Man.
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Da Vinci realized that mathematically, man could
not begin from himself, ignore God, and produce
meaning. This would only reduce man to a
mathematical equation. Da Vinci turned to
painting. He attempted to express through
painting the true meaning of life a unifying
truth one that would make sense of all things
including morality. He could not. His final
years in the French court were spent in
despondency.
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While Michelangelo seemed to return to religion,
and Da Vinci seemed to lose faith in the
supremacy of mankind, Other artists continued to
drift from religion. It was a natural
progression, based on the belief that mankind is
supreme, and has no need of God.
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Fouquets (1413-1480) The Red Virgin.(1450?) Witho
ut a religious anchor, the Renaissance continues
to drift away from Biblical Christianity. It is
Mary holding the baby Jesus. However, the
reverence is gone. She has one breast exposed.
Those of the Kings court would recognize Marys
face as belonging to the Kings mistress.
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Van Eyck (1390-1441) The Adoration of The Lamb
(1432). The difference between the northern and
southern renaissance
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The Reformers Pg 335-336. List the 5 most
important points about Wycliff and Hus (and/or
their followers)
Other Reformers included The And the
Hus (1369-1415)
Wycliffe (1320-84)
Savonarola (?- 1498)
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• The Protestant Reformation
• Corruption in Church. Eg. Indulgences to make
• 1517. 95 Theses nailed to church door
• Copies made gt the reformation begun
• 1520 Condemned
• 1521 excommunicated
• Pope tried to persuade and bring him back
• 1525 peasant revolt. Luther fears chaos, backs
  princes.
• Lutheranism becomes conservative, but a number of
  radical protestant reform movements begin.

Luther (1483-1546)
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The Reformation declared itself a return to
Biblical Christianity. Removing the Humanistic
elements.
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Farel (1489-1565) A more serious view of the
scriptures. 1. No Nature vs Grace problem,
because meaning comes from God. 2. Humanity and
nature valued, as are the arts, because they are
a part of what God created. Man has a special
place image bearer. Thus the basis of freedom
and human dignity are the absolutes and morals
set out in the Bible.