SALUD, Cedric Drexl L.

FINALS EXAMINATION

ABFS-D/IR156 Mr. Gene Michael Atanacio

1. How were ancestors and family important to early Africans?

-Ancestors and families were always significant to the early Africans until the present-
day Africans. They have always held high respect to their ancestors and their families
because they believe that they are the ones that protected them throughout the
problems that occurred to them and they are the ones that made them what they are
today. Their families and ancestors passed down knowledge, wisdom, and family-
related cultures and rituals to different generations and this helped them survive and
protect each other from different threats such as wild animal attacks, weather
conditions, etc. Early Africans specifically the children back then relied on their families
to teach them skills to survive such as hunting, how to use weapons, fishing, etc. They
look up to their families and ancestors as the ones that will always guide them even at
times of danger and despair, To show respect to their ancestors, they’ve also held
rituals and celebrations in tribute to them. In conclusion, without their families and
ancestors, the Early Africans wouldn’t be able to survive back then and the African
civilization would not have been what it is in the present times. That is how important
the ancestors and family were to the early Africans.

2. What are the principal cultural developments of Mesoamerican civilization?

-The Mesoamerican civilization, located mainly in Central America and in what we know
today as Mexico is known for its rich culture and legacy. The principal cultural
developments of the Mesoamerican civilization focused mainly on activities such as
farming, architecture, religious activities and practices, arts and crafts, and also
calendar-making. Ancient Mesoamerican people used to build pyramid-shaped
structures and this served as their places of worship and prayer highlighting their
developments in architecture and religion. The Mesoamericans also used a farming
method called “slash-and-burn” and they had skills in irrigation and terracing which were
considered advanced back then just a little fun fact, the group of Mesoamerican people
called the “Aztecs” built chinampas or floating gardens. These gardens are island-like
farms that are on crafted rafts and the rafts are soils and the Aztecs planted crops such
as corn, tomatoes, etc. This alone showcased how advanced and developed the
agricultural and engineering skills of the Mesoamerican people. They also had a culture
of making pots, making stone carving, and they also made paper using tree barks.
Lastly, they were the ones that developed the calendar that most people use today with
365 days in a year. These are only some of the cultural developments of the
Mesoamerican civilization and we can’t deny the fact that these developments are very
significant and revolutionary.
3. What were the characteristics of Italian Renaissance humanism?
-The Renaissance period was believed to have started in a place in Italy named
Florence as this is where scholars fled when the Ottoman Empire attacked the
Byzantine Empire and with the scholars are different classical texts and from Italy, the
Renaissance spread throughout Europe. In this period, then came humanism which is a
program that first developed in Italy that is described as educational and intellectual.
This program promoted knowledge and free will, saying that with this, humanity can
achieve greatness. To describe the characteristics of Italian Renaissance humanism,
let’s start with the people who developed humanism, the humanists. Many humanists
came from families of patricians. They are well-educated, hard-working and they are
willing to educate people as they developed their education system named studia
humanitatis. Humanism praised dignity, morality, and also expressiveness. They also
have high praise for the nude human body believing that it is not something to be
ashamed of and this inspired humanist painter Sandro Botticelli to paint an iconic paint
named “The Birth of Venus”. Humanism is a way of thinking that is about human
morality and living a righteous and ethical life. In conclusion, humanism is very
revolutionary as it shaped many intellectual and educational aspects that modern
people still use today. Those are the characteristics of Italian Renaissance humanism.

4. Explain what is meant by justification by grace through faith alone according to

the Protestant reformers.
-First of all, Protestantism is a type of Christianity that started in the 16th century and is
separated from the Roman Catholic Church because of differences in doctrines. This
was inspired by the teachings and documents of a teacher named Martin Luther.
Protestantism was also divided into different groups such as the Anabaptists, the
Lutherans, the Methodists, etc. In the Lutheran teachings, there is a doctrine of
justification that states that a person who is a sinner is still righteous through God’s
grace or in short phrases, sola gratia which means ”by grace alone” and sola fide, which
means “by faith alone”. So, what does this mean? According to Protestant reformers, it
is God’s grace alone that will lead every people to salvation and that grace could only
be achieved by faith alone. Because in God’s grace every sinner is forgiven and also
justified because of His Son, Jesus Christ. Every people are not good enough but are
still deemed as righteous for Christ’s sake. That is justification by grace through faith
alone according to the Protestant reformers.

5. What role did religion play during the Age of Enlightenment?

-The Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason was a period of intellect and
knowledge and it started in Europe in the 18th century. It was also the rise of different
ideologies and that includes religion. Religion especially Christianity also played a huge
role in this age. It served as the moral compass for many people and also social order.
People at this age also had a different view of religion and also the world, a more
enlightened view to be exact. They also used their rationality to support and study the
grace of God. Deism or the belief in God based on reason and revelation also rose in
this period. Religion also influenced several ideas such as freedom of conscience and
also worship. That is the role of religion during the Age of Enlightenment.

References:
Vibrant Culture – African Ancestor. (n.d.). southafrica.com
Retrieved from https://www.southafrica.net/za/en/travel/article/african-ancestors

Maya. (2009, October 29) history.com

Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-americas/maya

Merrifield, W.R. (2016, July 14) Mesoamerican Indian - People. Brittanica.com

Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mesoamerican-Indian

Dominguez, J.P. (2016, July 4) Introduction: Religious toleration in the Age of

Enlightenment
Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01916599.2016.1203590

Hunt, J. (n.d.) Humanism in Renaissance Italy. smarthistory.org

Retrieved from https://smarthistory.org/humanism-renaissance-italy/#:~:text=What
%20was%20humanism%3F&text=Humanism%20was%20the%20educational
%20and,by%20the%20late%20fifteenth%20century

Jarus & Szalay. (2022, January 12) The Renaissance: The 'Rebirth' of science &
culture.
Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/55230-renaissance.html

Grace Alone. Faith Alone. (n.d.). concordiauniversityirvine,com

Retrieved from https://www.cui.edu/aboutcui/heritage/grace-alone-faith-alone
Preus, S. (2016, June 13) Sola Gratia.lutheranreformation.org
Retrieved from https://lutheranreformation.org/theology/sola-gratia/

Scientific and Religious Transformation. (n.d.). apstudynotes.org

Retrieved from https://www.apstudynotes.org/us-history/topics/scientific-and-
religious-transformation/