Was Thomas More A Medieval , Essay, Research Paper
Sir Thomas More was an Englishman who lived from 1478-1535. During that time period, he was a well revered and respected man, a chancellor of England who served under Henry VIII. He his most known for two acts; the writing of his book Utopia, and for dying for what he believed in. More was also a Christian Humanist, many of which now view him as a martyr of their cause. Based historical facts, and actions he took, More can be considered more of a rather modern man than a medieval man.
Luther s ideas and reforms on Christianity were in direct conflict with the Catholic Church. These ideas, reforms, and thoughts on faith was the spark plug that started the Protestant Reformation. Luther began his career as an Augustinian Monk in the Roman Catholic Church. Consequently, Luther was initially loyal to the papacy, and even after many theological conflicts, he attempted to bring about his reconciliation with the Church. But this didn t last long because Luther waged battle with the papacy. Luther was to become a theologian. This is where he wrote the Ninety-Five Theses. It is usually considered to be the original document of the Reformation. Basically, this document exposed all the wrongs of the Catholic Church from indulgences to immoral behavior of priests.
When Thomas More wrote his book, its name showed people how he felt on the subject. He called it Utopia, which means literally nowhere. Why would More write a book on an ideal civilization, and call it nowhere ? Most scholars believe, that he was trying to show the people of his time how far they were from an ideal society, and at the same time implying the hopelessness of the human race to ever achieve a Utopia. He deemed it A good place which is no place. More s book dealt widely on the faults of mankind, and almost nothing with religious aspects. If More was truly a medieval man, his writing would contain a large amount of holy topics. It was not the case. A modern person in society will normally focus on the problems of society, most of the time minus religious aspects. That is what Thomas did in Utopia; he showed society in fault and compared it to an ideal, another thing we do today.
During the medieval times, the notion was that …war and violence exists because women and men are basically corrupt…. More s views were contrary to those beliefs. He sustained that vices such as materialism, and flawed institutions corrupted people, who then in turn corrupted society. To rectify community, he said that the institutions which molded the individual had to be reformed. In modern time, people share almost the exact same view. We blame the schools, the media, and other things that directly affect the peoples of today.
Sir Thomas More was a Renaissance Humanist as well as a Christian Humanist. By being a Humanist, it automatically sends him to the modern side of the time spectrum. During the Middle Ages, the population was taught that the life on earth was useless, and that they should prepare only for the next life, the spiritual life. A great many lives were thrown away in thinking that they, as human beings were useless. In the Renaissance, humanist thought changed all that. More was greatly involved in this change. Humanists taught that the human race had potential, and should not be wasted. We in the present time share that view to a much larger extent than that of the Middles Ages.
On the other side, Sit Thomas s strong religious beliefs let us know how strongly he feels about religion. Although he is a humanist, More was not afraid to look in to the face of death as seen in A man for All Seasons. He stared at it only because he stood so strongly by his religious convictions. This action taken by the Englishman was very characteristic of the Middle Ages. The strong religious roots of More were abundant centuries before, but were rare in an age of clerical corruption.
With all the facts laid out, Sir Thomas More was generally a more modern, than medieval man. With his Humanistic beliefs and revolutionary views of society, it makes it difficult to prove differently. More was a great man who led a noble life cut short by a ruthless king. We need not be martyrs, but there is still much we can learn from his character and qualities.