Knowra Christian humanism Christian humanism Christian humanism is an intellectual tradition that joins Christian commitments to the study of classical and other learning, human dignity, moral agency, and cultural life.
Renaissance humanism : A European intellectual movement that revived classical texts and emphasized language, history, rhetoric, and moral philosophy. Its recovery of classical learning supplied a major setting for Christian humanist scholarship.
Thomas More : An English humanist, statesman, and author of Utopia who was executed in 1535 for refusing Henry VIII’s supremacy over the church. His scholarship and public life joined humanist learning to Catholic conviction.
Christianity : A religion centered on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christian humanism takes its theological commitments and account of human life from this tradition.
Secular humanism : A nonreligious outlook that emphasizes human welfare, reason, and ethical responsibility without grounding them in religious belief. It shares humanist concerns but does not derive them from Christian theology.
St Paul's School, London : An independent school in London founded by John Colet in 1509 to provide a humanist education. Its curriculum embodied the educational reforms advanced by English Christian humanists.
Petrarch : An Italian poet and scholar whose recovery of classical literature helped establish Renaissance humanism. His classical scholarship helped shape the humanist culture later adapted by Christian thinkers.
Juan Luis Vives : A Spanish humanist scholar whose writings addressed education, psychology, poor relief, and Christian ethics. His educational and social reforms show Christian humanism at work beyond textual scholarship.
Humanism : A family of approaches that emphasize human capacities, learning, ethical reflection, and cultural achievement. Christian humanism shares its attention to learning and human agency while grounding them in Christian belief.
Scholasticism : A medieval method of philosophical and theological inquiry using structured argument and close analysis of authoritative texts. Renaissance Christian humanists often favored classical languages and historical context over scholastic disputation.
Catholic social teaching : The body of Catholic teaching on social, economic, and political life, including human dignity and the common good. Modern Christian humanist arguments about dignity and society often meet this tradition.
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