Scholars and Philosophers of the Ideas of Humanism

Petrarch (1304-1374)Erasmus (1466-1536)

Guillaume Bude (1467-1540)Michel de Montaigne

(1533-1592)

How did Scholars and Philosophers spread the Ideas of Humanism?

Scholars travelled from one university to another to study and teach, and with this many of the ideas blossoming at the time of the Renaissance travelled with them.

As more students in Northern Europe were exposed to the ideas of those scholars from the south, the intrigue built and the need to learn more about these new ideas continued.

Unlike Italian Humanists, the humanism in the rest of Europe was closely tied to the Roman Catholic Church and religious issues.

While many were moving away from the idea of complete control by the church, this was still a time of massive influence for the church.

Christian Humanists were interested in educational reform along with the combination of Greek and Roman texts with the learning's of the Bible

Petrarch (1304-1374)

Best known for discovering and translating ancient classical Greek and Roman texts and promoting their study. He believed people should return to the original sources of the material for their humanist studies

He believed that educated people read books, travelled widely, and surrounded themselves with beautiful art.

He was religious but believed that it was possible to believe in God while at the same time believing in the value held in life on earth.

Erasmus (1466-1536)

Erasmus thought that students should be taught to discover, reason, argue, and apply their knowledge.

He believed people should study both the Bible and the classics in order to understand the importance of citizenship; doing good works and being useful to other people and to society

Was a strong defender of the Roman Catholic Church but argued against its involvement in worldly concerns.

He believed that the Bible should be translated from Latin and Greek into the Vernacular languages of Europe so that more people could read it.

Guillaume Bude (1467-1540)

Bude questioned the interpretations and felt that lawyers should study the texts in their original Latin and ignore the interpretations.

French Universities were soon changing their law programs to follow Bude’s ideas of applying the ideas of the classics to contemporary issues.

Bude was also in charge of the King’s library, know known as one of the world’s greatest libraries. He filled it with ancient manuscripts and works of humanist scholars

Before the Renaissance, French Law was based on the texts of Roman law dating as far back as the 6th century. Often legal decisions were based on the interpretations of legal scholars who had studies them over the centuries.

Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592)

. Montaigne did not believe that the

Church or any person had the answers to all of life’s questions.

He thought people would learn more from being open-minded and curious rather than blinding accepting ideas without question.

Believed self-awareness brought tolerance and good sense. But since he did not travel or exchange his ideas with others throughout Europe, his influence remained mainly in France.

He was a French philosopher and writer who created the essay writing form. He promoted the ideas of questioning and developing self-awareness.