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On the Backgrounds of the Renaissance and the Renaissance Humanism- -Centering Around the Epistemology and Soteriology of the Via Moderna Vo,8 No.2 June 30, 2018 On the Backgrounds of the Renaissance and the Renaissance Humanism- -Centering around the Epistemology and Soteriology of the Via Moderna- Chan-moon Park (WAIS, S. Korea) Abstract I had learned from history books that the Renaissance period was referred to a period of light and human- centrism, which succeeded the Medieval ages, a period of God-centrism, also called the dark ages. I questioned why the period of God-centrism had been called the dark ages, and why Luther’s reformation had taken place. Further, if the Renaissance people had been human-centric, whether they had lived without God, or whether they had not needed Jesus. When I had studied a history for God’s glory, He has guided me to a best way spiritually and physically, and most of all let me gain an answer to my academic questions; the following lecture is based on the answer. As a Western history professor, I kept studying about Erasmus and about Renaissance humanism and received a Ph.D. (1995). I also published a book titled, Synthetic Interpretation on the Renaissance Humanism -focusing on Erasmus-like Humanists’ Religious Thoughts (Hye-An, 2011: Korean Version). This article has revised and arranged a paper to lecture at the U. S. Mid-West UBF Staff meeting, in September of 2016. Key words : the Renaissance period, the Medieval ages, the period of God-centrism, Renaissance humanism, Synthetic Interpretation on the Renaissance Humanism, Erasmus-like Humanists’ Religious Thoughts 1) Chang Hoon Ko (President of World Association for Island Studies S.Korea) & Kyungwon Lee (Jeju National University, S.Korea) writr collaborative article titled as “Jeju Peace Island for Korea 2018: Towards Peace Island Education & Tourism Welfare Model at the Grass Roots Level based on Jeju World Peace Academy 2017 (WEIS volume 7 Number 3: September 30, 2017). This article tries to suggest alternative of finding ‘a third way to island democracy to East Asian islands and cities. 67 WEIS (World Environment and Island Studies) Preface. The Advent of the Renaissance and the Renaissance Humanism. By God’s grace, I met Jesus at an early age, and had a Christian view on the world. After military First, the origin of the term Renaissance. service, I returned to college to study history(1970), and decided to study hard for God’s glory. The origin of the term “Renaissance” is from the At that time, I had learned from history books that Latin renasci (revive or resuscitate in English), and the Renaissance period was referred to a period Giorgio Vasari(1511-74) in Italy applied the Italian of light and human-centrism, which succeeded rinascita (rebirth or revival) to the revival of the arts the Medieval ages, a period of God-centrism, also in his book, The Lives of the Artists (1550), and so called the dark ages. I questioned why the period of a historical term of Renaissance gradually came to God-centrism had been called the dark ages, and being.2 why Luther’s reformation had taken place. According to him, it was only late in the thirteenth Further, if the Renaissance people had been century that the great renewal of the art came with human-centric, whether they had lived without the two great Florentines Cimabue (c. 1240-1302) God, or whether they had not needed Jesus. When and Giotto (1266/7-1337). Two painters brought I had studied a history for God’s glory, He has about the great restoration, by overcoming the guided me to a best way spiritually and physically, coarse and harsh tradition of the Byzantine painting and most of all let me gain an answer to my and imitating nature3 ; to Vasari the direct imitation academic questions; the following lecture is based of nature was a return to nature, and a return to on the answer. antiquity.4 1 One day, a lecture of Dr. Kwang-Ju Lee , a professor Even before Vasari, persons, such as Boccaccio in our department, granted me a new and great (1313-75), Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Erasmus vision. He said that a Dutch Renaissance humanist (1466-1536), and Dürer (1471-1528) in Germany, named Erasmus had been fond of not only the also referred to the renewal of the pictorial arts in classics of Ancient Greek and Roman periods, but each own’s writing, personally,5 but Vasari wrote his also the Biblical classics. He and other humanists own book, said above, including not only painters, like him were called ‘Christian humanists’ or ‘Biblical but sculptors, architects, from late in the thirteenth humanists.’ century to late in the sixteenth century, under a During this time, I entered graduate school in large theme of the revival of the arts in Italy and Seoul, Korea (1974), and received a MA degree Flanders, so that he might claim that the period of (1978). However, I had not a spiritual, real renewal or rebirth different from the Middle Ages satisfaction, but God granted me a desire to came; further either persons at that time or persons know Jesus better. He guided me to the Chong- after that time called the period as ‘the period of no UBF (University Bible Fellowship) through one revival,’ that is, ‘the Renaissance period.’6 friend (1975). The following year, I got married to a This revival, however, was not just in the arts, but beautiful and devout woman, Hannah (1976). Then of intellectual culture, centering around bonae literae I had a conviction of my salvation, based on Rom (good learning or good literature) which occurred at 10:9-10 (1979). Three years later, God led me to almost the same time. First, Lorenzo Valla (1407- Je-Ju, to be a professor and to serve and co-work 57), a humanist in Italy, wrote in the forward to his with Je-Ju UBF. In 1995, my family pioneered one Elegantiae Linguae latinae7 (Elegant Latin language), chapter in Je-Ju. After retiring in February of 2011, that ‘those arts which are closest to the liberal arts, and then we came to Chicago as silver missionaries to wit, painting, sculpture, and architecture, were (December, in 2013). so long and so greatly degenerated and almost As a Western history professor, I kept studying perished with letters themselves, and now are about Erasmus and about Renaissance humanism being reawakened and revived, and that there is and received a Ph.D. (1995). I also published a book such a flowering of fine artists and lettered men.’ titled, Synthetic Interpretation on the Renaissance More than 50 years later, even in Europe over the Humanism -focusing on Erasmus-like Humanists’ Religious Thoughts (Hye-An, 2011: Korean Version). This article has revised and arranged a paper to 2) Johan Huizinga, Men and Ideas, trans. James S. Holmes and lecture at the U. S. Mid-West UBF Staff meeting, in Hans van Marle (Princeton Uni. Press, 1984), pp. 244-45, September of 2016. 246-47. 3) Giorgio Vasari, The Lives of the Artists, trans., with an Introduction and Notes by Julia C. Bondanella & Peter 1) Kwang-Ju Lee , Honorary Professor at In-Je University, has Bondanella (Oxford Uni., Press, 1991), p. 10, 13, 16, 18. books and Korean translations, more than 20, including A 4) Huizinga, ibid., p. 247. Person, who is stood in History (1983), History of College 5) Ibid., pp. 247-48. (1997), Birth of Culture (2009), Birth of Discourse (2015) and 6) Vasari, op. cit., p. 5. so on. 7) written in 1444, printed in 1471 68 Vo,8 No.2 June 30, 2018 Alps, Fran-ois Rabelais (1494-1553), a doctor and teachers or professors, who studied, wrote on, and humanist in France, speaks of “the restoration of taught the studia humanitatis, or scholars, who bonnes lettres” in Gargantua and Pantagruel (1532- collected, studied the classics, wrote on, and taught 34), full of jest and satire; Nicolas, who first edited it; among these great humanists, there were also Erasmus’ Adagia (“A Collection of Adages”) said those such as Petrarch, Valla in Italy or Erasmus in that Erasmus, called ‘the prince of the humanists,’ the Netherlands who studied, taught, and wrote on, cherished ‘the letters then being reborn, emerging not only the Greek and Roman classics, but also the from the ugly foulness of prolonged barbarity…’8 Christian classics, that is, the Bible or the Christian Fathers.13 Second, the origin of the term humanist. This word humanista (humanist) in Latin, was commonly used in its vernaculars, such as in Italian, The word, ‘humanist’ (humanista, in Latin) seems French, English, Spanish, and other languages in the to have originated in the student slang (‘umanista’ sixteenth century. These humanists, as Burckhardt in Italian) of the Italian universities late in the said, had ‘the spirit of a personal definition of aims fifteenth century; this term was derived from an and a free determination of the course of one’s life,’ older term ‘humanities’ or studia humanitatis, like the types of despots, condottieri, diplomats, which had been used in the general sense of ‘an courtiers, and nepotists.14 education on languages and letters’ or ‘a liberal or literal education,’ by such ancient Roman authors as Third, the origin of the term humanism. Cicero (106-43 BC) and Gellius (c. 125-180); this studia humanitatis was also derived from ‘humanitas Then, when, how did the term humanism begin to (means by humanity or culture in Latin)’9 be used? That was not first used in the Renaissance Humanitas in itself was derived from paideia in period, Italy, but the term Humanismus in German the Hellenistic period (c. 320 - 30 BC.), which was coined in 1808 by the German educator, referred to a generic human culture or a universal Niethammer (1766-1848)15 ; so, the term humanism education to let any person acquire such a culture.
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