The Renaissance and the Reformation; some say these movements were when Pandora’s Box was opened, leading to many of the great crises of the present. Others say it was when modernity was born, leading to innovation and progress, and others say it was a time of unprecedented tragedy, Christendom was torn asunder, brother turned against brother, and sister against sister. Despite these extremely varying opinions however, no one denies that the time of Renaissance and Reformation was a turning of the tide, whether for good or for ill. For many at the time this turning of the tide seemed only to have extreme philosophical or theological implications however, in hindsight, the Renaissance and the Reformation or “the Revolt” as its opposers would say, had immense political, cultural, and …show more content…
Meanwhile, Reformers/Protestants believed that the priesthood was made up of all believers and, though they thought a clergy of some sort was generally necessary, they have no more theological authority than any other Protestant Christian. As for the consensus of the Renaissance camp on this issue, that is much more difficult to answer considering the wide diversity of belief among Renaissance leaders, with many on both sides, Protestant and Catholic. However, when one considers what sets the Renaissance apart from the Reformation and Catholic Church, namely the humanists, writers such as Machiavelli, Plutarch, and Bacon, and the distinct art style, it is probably safe to say that they fall on the equality side of the debate rather than the side of hierarchy, though there were many Renaissance thinkers that would beg to