Christian Humanism
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Christian Humanism
https://doi.org/10.3735/9781961844223.book-part-005

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Abstract

The humanistic movement of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries had a complex relationship with religion. Humanists had always been concerned that their veneration for classical pagan antiquity not interfere with devotion to Christianity. Although some religious conservatives viewed the humanist fascination with pagan antiquity with suspicion, few humanists, the most important being NiccolÛ Machiavelli, saw the best values of the ancient Greeks and Romans as being in conflict with Christianity. A much more common position viewed humanism as a way to rejuvenate Christianity, fight church corruption, and make people better Christians. This view goes back to the origins of humanism in the work of poet Francesco Petrarch.

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