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The Reformation was not an attempt to divide the Roman Catholic Church, but it was an effort to reform it. The failure of the Catholic Church to reform and its attempts to suppress the Reformers meant that it drove many to establish their own churches. The Reformation was an attempt to return to the original teachings and values of the early or ‘Apostolic’ Church.<ref>Payton, p. 113</ref> It claimed that only the Bible could teach and instruct men about the Word of God and had little regard for the received wisdom and authority.

Anything The Reformers claimed that was not in only the bible was not to be regarded as Bible could teach and instruct men about the Word of God and had little regard for the received wisdom and authority. Essentially, the only text that mattered was the Bible, and anything that was not in the Bible should be rejected. The Reformation placed more emphasis on the individual and in the words of Luther, people could not be saved by good works or sacrament but by ‘faith alone.’<ref> Payton, p. 118</ref> This  Ultimately, this interpretation meant that the reformers rejected much of the traditional teachings of the Church. This and resulted in at first a theological dispute between the reformers and the Church, especially in Germany, that later . This dispute led to a full-blown schism in the Catholic Church and the formation of separate Protestant Churches. The causes of the Reformation were manifold, but the Renaissance and the Humanist movement were crucial and indeed decisive.<ref>Patrick, James. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761476504/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0761476504&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=726ee3624ddfc9cdbaca7053f02c12bc Renaissance and Reformation]</i> (New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2007), p. 113</ref>

The Renaissance is often seen as a secular and even pagan movement that was in many ways anti-Christian. This view was certainly the case in true Italy, the birthplace of the Renaissance, here the . The humanists were particularly worldly and had little interest in the Church.<ref> Patrick, p 115</ref> Several early Italian humanists, such as Petrarch sought to reform the Church, but his successors were largely secular in outlook and their concerns. Many humanist humanists were interested in reforming the Church, but in the main, the Church and religion was not a major preoccupation of the Italian humanists. However, there were many Renaissances, and the movement took many different forms in different other countries.<ref> Payton, p. 45</ref>.  The ideas of the Italian Renaissance found their way to the North of Europe at a time when there was a receptive audience for them. The ideas of the Renaissance and the works of classical writers were transmitted throughout northern Europe by the new printing press and led to the Northern Renaissance. The Northern Renaissance is the term given to the cultural flowering, north of the Alps, in German-speaking countries, France, England and elsewhere.  The Northern Renaissance was a unique event and although influenced by the Italian Renaissance was different in some crucial regards.<ref> Patrick, p. 123</ref> It also was interested in the ancient past and believed that it offered an alternative view of what life could be and could even provide practical guidance as to how people should live and organize their societies. However, Northern Europe was much more religious in its concerns that the Italian Renaissance. <ref> Chipps Smith, Jeffrey. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0714838675/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0714838675&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=f877bb139b52dc495e70d2247954d888 The Northern Renaissance].</i> (Phaidon Press, 2004), p. 167</ref> The Northern Humanists made the reform of the Church their chief preoccupation. Many German, English and other Northern Humanists saw no contradictions between Christianity and the study of ancient cultures and believed that they could be reconciled.<ref> Chipps, p 119</ref> The religious character of the Renaissance north of the Alp was due in part to the continuing influence of the Church, unlike in Italy, where its, was in decline.

The ideas Despite the often deplorable state of the Italian Renaissance found their way to Church, the North of Europe at a time when there was a receptive audience for them. The ideas of the Renaissance general population and even the works of classical writers were transmitted throughout northern Europe by the new printing presselite remained very religious. This led to the Northern Renaissance. This is the term given to The demand for the cultural flowering, north reform of the Alps, in German-speaking countries, France, England Church was prevalent and elsewhere. The Northern Renaissance was a unique event and although influenced by particular preoccupation of the Italian Renaissance was different in some crucial regardselite.<ref> Patrick, p. 123</ref> It also was interested The desire for Church reform can be seen in the ancient past and believed that it offered an alternative view works of what life could be and could even provide practical guidance major Northern Renaissance figures such as to how people should live and organize their societies. HoweverThomas More or Rabelais, Northern Europe was much more religious who satirized the abuses in its concerns than the Italian Renaissance <ref> Chipps Smithmonasteries, Jeffreyin particular. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0714838675/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0714838675&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=f877bb139b52dc495e70d2247954d888 The Northern Renaissance].</i> (Phaidon Press, 2004)Patrick, p. 167145</ref>.

The Northern Humanists made the reform of the Church their chief preoccupation. Many German, English and other Northern Humanists saw no contradictions between Christianity and the study of ancient cultures and believed that they could be reconciled.<ref> Chipps, p 119</ref> The religious character of the Renaissance north of the Alp was due in part to the continuing influence of the Church, unlike in Italy, where its, was in decline. Despite the often deplorable state of the Church the general population and even the elite remained very religious. The demand for the reform of the Church was prevalent and was a particular preoccupation of the elite. The desire for Church reform can be seen in the works of major Northern Renaissance figures such as Thomas More or Rabelais, who satirized the abuses in the monasteries, in particular <ref> Patrick, p. 145</ref>. The Northern Humanists inspired many people to become more strident in their demands for reforms and the end of abuses such as simony and clerical immorality. The works of Erasmus were particularly crucial in this regard. In his much admired and widely read book ‘In Praise of Folly’ he lampooned and ridiculed corrupt clerics and immoral monks.<ref> O'Neill, J, ed. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0870994344/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0870994344&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=722dfa703585357d51d74ac7501a05b5 The Renaissance in the North]</i>. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1987), p. 5</ref>

The attacks of the Northern humanists on the Church did much to encourage others to see it in the new light, and they became less deferential to the clergy, and this was to lead many of them to support the Reformers when they attempted to end the corruption in the Church.<ref>,Collinson, Patrick. <i>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/014303538X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=014303538X&linkCode=as2&tag=dailyh0c-20&linkId=94a49bb439abc992a6e8aceea99eae56 The Reformation: A History]</i> (Longman, London, 2006), p.87</ref> Previously, many people believed that the Church was not capable of reforming itself and simply accepted it. The humanists believed in reasons and the possibility of progress in all aspects of human life. They argued that what was happening at present was not fated to be and could be improved and changed, which was contrary to the medieval view of an unchanging and fixed order. This belief in the possibility of change inspired many people to seek real and meaningful changes in the church, and when they failed to secure these, they sought to create alternative churches.<ref> Collinson, p. 56</ref>

The humanists were intellectuals who were mostly interested in scholarly pursuits. They sought to understand the ancient world, in order to find answers and knowledge and they studied ancient texts in order to achieve this. They wanted to go back to the original texts in order to understand the past and in particular , wanted to remove medieval corruptions and additions to texts. Their cry was ‘Ad Fontas’ in Latin, which is in English ‘to the sources’.<ref> Payton, p. 57</ref> They studied the ancient texts and developed textual strategies to understand the great works of the classical past.  The Humanists were better able to understand the works of the past after developing ways to analyse analyze texts. The development of textual criticism was not only of academic interest but was to change the way that people came to see the Church and was ultimately were ultimate to undermine the authority of the Pope. The power of the Church rested on the authority of the Pope and the prelates which was ultimately based on tradition.<ref> Patrick, p. 121</ref>

This document was used to justify the Pope’s temporal power. An Italian humanist named Lorenzo Valla began to study this document historically, and he found that it was written in a style of Latin that was from the 8th century and long after the death of Constantine. Valla showed that the document was a forgery. This information and other revelations, at a time when the Papacy was very corrupt, helped to weaken the authority of the Pope and did much to embolden emboldened reformers to challenge the Church. Erasmus did much to discredit the traditional theology of the Church when he discovered that the words in the Catholic Bible about the Trinity (that God has three persons) was not in the earliest versions.<ref> Davies, p 67</ref> He  Eramus argued that the Catholic Church had added the words to support some statements that had been agreed at a Church Council in the Roman era. Once again, by returning to the sources a medieval corruption was discovered, and old assumptions proved to be false, and this weakened the position of the Catholic Church.<ref> Davies, p. 134</ref>

The Renaissance was a cultural flourishing that promoted secular values over religious values. However, in Northern Europe, the ideas of the Renaissance were to take on a religious character. The ideas of the Italian humanists, such as textual analysis, the use of critical thinking and rejecting authority that was not sourced on reliable evidence were taken up by Northern Humanists who applied them to the Church.<ref>Chipps, p. 67</ref>  The Northern Humanists sought to reform the Church and were generally pious men. However, the humanists perhaps unintentionally weakened the Papacy and its theoretical underpinnings. In their examination of key texts and especially the Bible, they exposed many key assumptions as false. This was to lead to a widespread challenge to the idea of Papal Infallibility and the power structure of the Church.<ref> Chipps, p. 17</ref> The Renaissance also encouraged people to question received wisdom and offered the possibility of change, something that was unthinkable in the middle ages. This encouraged the reformers to tackle abuses in the Church , and this ultimately led to the schism and the end of the old idea of Christendom. {{Mediawiki:Cell}}

Updated December 14January 12, 20182019.