Christian church Quote by Michael Mullett
““Humanists were people who wanted to return to ideas found in old Greek and Latin writing of Greece and Rome, written many centuries earlier. Christian Humanists also wanted to get back to these ideas, but they were mainly concerned with learning about the early Christian Church, before it had become involved with money-making and superstition. They wanted to read the books of the early Church, especially the gospels of Christ, in the original language of Greek, so that they would know exactly what the writings meant. The leader of the Christian Humanists was Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536), who attacked superstitions in the Catholic Church in his writing.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy by Jacob Burckhardt, 1860
Humanists sought to revive classical Greek and Latin ideas, while Christian Humanists aimed to study early Christian texts in original languages to avoid later corruptions.
In simple terms: Humanists revived ancient ideas; Christian Humanists studied early church texts.
Key Takeaway
Read original sources to avoid later distortions.
Themes
humanism
renaissance
religious reform
scholarship
Mood
curious
reflective
Type
historical
educational
When to use this quote
- academic research
- theological study
- literary analysis
- educational curricula
Key Concepts
classical revival
textual criticism
reformation
Questions to Reflect On
- How does returning to original sources change modern belief?
- What challenges arise when interpreting ancient languages?
A Different Perspective
Original texts may be inaccessible or require specialized knowledge.
![“[Martin] Luther was a kind, warm-hearted man. But he attacked anyone he felt was an enemy of Christ. The worst side of him was expressed in his attacks on Jews. He also attacked Turks, who were Muslims, Catholic followers of the Pope, and even other groups of Protestants. These attacks became more…” quote by Michael Mullett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0bf/michael-mullett-76197_bigotry_martin-luther-was-a-kind-warm-hearted-ma_1478600.jpg)
