“The three diverging streams from antiquity joined into one great river.”
“You are an attentive pupil. That gives you some background on the
Renaissance. I shall now tell you about the new ideas.”
“Okay, but I’ll have to go home and eat.”
Alberto sat down on the sofa again. He looked at Sophie.
“Above all else, the Renaissance resulted in a new view of mankind. The
humanism of the Renaissance brought a new belief in man and his worth, in striking
contrast to the biased medieval emphasis on the sinful nature of man. Man was now
considered infinitely great and valuable. One of the central figures of the Renaissance
was Marsilio Ficino, who exclaimed: ‘Know thyself, O divine lineage in mortal
guise!’ Another central figure, Pica della Mirandola, wrote the Oration on the Dignity
of Man, something that would have been unthinkable in the Middle Ages.
“Throughout the whole medieval period, the point of departure had always been
God. The humanists of the Renaissance took as their point of departure man himself.”
“But so did the Greek philosophers.”
“That is precisely why we speak of a ‘rebirth’ of antiquity’s humanism. But
Renaissance humanism was to an even greater extent characterized by individualism.
We are not only human beings, we are unique individuals. This idea could then lead
to an almost unrestrained worship of genius. The ideal became what we call the
Renaissance man, a man of universal genius embracing all aspects of life, art, and
science. The new view of man also manifested itself in an interest in the human
anatomy. As in ancient times, people once again began to dissect the dead to discover
how the body was constructed. It was imperative both for medical science and for art.
Once again it became usual for works of art to depict the nude. High time, after a
thousand years of prudery. Man was bold enough to be himself again. There was no
longer anything to be ashamed of.”
“It sounds intoxicating,” said Sophie, leaning her arms on the little table that
stood between her and the philosopher.
“Undeniably. The new view of mankind led to a whole new outlook. Man did
not exist purely for God’s sake. Man could therefore delight in life here and now. And
with this new freedom to develop, the possibilities were limitless. The aim was now to
exceed all boundaries. This was also a new idea, seen from the Greek humanistic
point of view; the humanists of antiquity had emphasized the importance of
tranquility, moderation, and restraint.”
“And the Renaissance humanists lost their restraint?”
“They were certainly not especially moderate. They behaved as if the whole
world had been reawakened.
They became intensely conscious of their epoch, which is what led them to
introduce the term ‘Middle Ages’ to cover the centuries between antiquity and their
own time. There was an unrivaled development in all spheres of life. Art and
architecture, literature, music, philosophy, and science flourished as never before. I
will mention one concrete example. We have spoken of Ancient Rome, which gloried
in titles such as the ‘city of cities’ and the ‘hub of the universe.’ During the Middle
Ages the city declined, and by 1417 the old metropolis had only 17,000 inhabitants.”
“Not much more than Lillesand, where Hilde lives.”
“The Renaissance humanists saw it as their cultural duty to restore Rome: first
and foremost, to begin the construction of the great St. Peter’s Church over the grave
of Peter the Apostle. And St. Peter’s Church can boast neither of moderation nor
restraint. Many great artists of the Renaissance took part in this building project, the
greatest in the world. It began in 1506 and lasted for a hundred and twenty years, and