Patheos Watermark   Religion Library: Lutheran   Written by: Ted
Vial  There are at least two important intellectual and cultural
movements with a strong influence on Luther: Renaissance
humanism and nominalism.In addition, there are several
historical developments that created a fertile context for
Luther's reform.  The Renaissance is a period in western
cultural history lasting from roughly the 14th through the 16th
centuries.The word literally means "rebirth."One of the
characteristics of the Renaissance is an interest in the
classical culture of ancient Greece and Rome, rather than the
scholastic tradition that dominated the Middle Ages.  Humanism
is an intellectual movement within the Renaissance that takes as
its motto ad fontes!-"to the sources!"This "humanism" is
associated with what we today call the Humanities, the study of
the liberal arts.The idea is that a study of classical texts (in
their original languages) can change lives, producing scholars
and civic leaders who live a life of virtue for th