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The Renaissance brought new ideas, architecture, mathematics and artistic expression in art, literature and music. Nature and the particulars were mingled with the holy and divine; humanism with the transcendent. Man believed he could break free and forge his own path, but only pessimism resulted without grace and recognizing universals.

The Middle Ages were not as dark as often presented, and included the development of Gothic architecture and polyphonic music. Moral philosophy evolved to include more humanistic elements, including Aquinas' idea that individual reason could accompany God's grace. A nature-grace tension formed balancing and pitting humanistic elements of the emerging Renaissance against scriptural Christianity of the Reformation.