The Case Of Agostino Steucco

2 Pages 608 Words

Polishing The Papal Image In The Counter-Reformation: The Case of Agostino Steuco



One of the results of the Pope’s persistence to keep a papal system intact was the branching off of Catholics into Protestants. In this article, there is an analysis of a writing by Agostino Steuco called The Two Books Against Lorenzo Valla Concerning the False Donation of Constantine, in this article it dissects the very relevance of a papal system in the Catholic church. It gives a plethora of “reasons” for why the system should remain intact. First, he states that Rome’s secular power and holdings were an integral part of the “spiritual welfare of people”. (Delph, 1992; 37) Second, the wealth of the Pope was fundamental for the church to function. Third, without the temporal power, the people would abandon their religion and begin to have an “anti-social behavior”. (Delph, 1992; 38) Fundamentally, from a humanistic understanding of human nature, Steuco believed that temporal authority of the papacy played a positive role in the spiritual life. This article gives rise to many reasons that led to the split and formation of the Protestant religion.
Steuco, with his humanistic approach defends the temporal power and processions of the papacy. He justifies this by making a point that secular power and holdings of the church played a part in the “spiritual welfare of people” (Delph, 1992; 37) He then correlates “rituals and visible signs of the sacred” (Delph, 1992; 37) necessary for worship. These socializing effects that the people enjoyed were only because of the temporal might of Rome. The argument that Steuco gave made it clear that the ornate nature of religion brought people to worship.
Steuco makes a point when referring to the Old Testament as well as the New Testament in making the claim that God himself always appeared “…in forms that rendered him venerable and terrifying”. (Delph, 1992; 40) Steuco ...