Journal Article

Conscience in the Early Renaissance: the case of Erasmus, Luther and Thomas More

Suzanne, Hélène

2014

Overview

In this paper we shall analyze the understanding of the concept of \"conscience\" in Early Renaissance, in other words what Luther, Erasmus and especially Thomas More called \"conscience\" to explain their decision. This analysis will be supported by Jean Gerson's concept of the decision-making process. Indeed, Gerson stressed that a decision should be made according to a personal evaluation of the risk to sin. Therefore, all decisions, according to Gerson, should be made on one's bona fide opinion and not exclusively on an exaggerated fear of Hell as it was often the case then. We shall see then how Luther, Erasmus, and Thomas More, all men of the Early Renaissance made the courageous decisions which changed not only their life but also the Western world's civilization: they freed men. Indeed, Luther showed that an individual could survive outside the power of the Roman Church, Erasmus showed that belonging to the Roman Church could also go together with an interpretation of the Scriptures, while Thomas More showed that the only true King one could and should follow was and is the Lord with the sole help of the Roman Church, the understanding of this help, and the acceptation of it based on a personal Faith.

• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Subject: Christianity / Decision making / Erasmus, Desiderius (1466?-1536) / Gerson, Jean (1363-1429) / Italian literature / Luther, Martin (1483-1546) / More, Thomas (1478-1535) / Petrarca, Francesco (1304-1374) / Philosophers / Renaissance period