The Renaissance was a time of change and prosperity. The decision was made based on the difference of two eras. Unlike the Renaissance, the Middle Ages were a millennium of ignorance and superstition. Renaissance men were leaders in an era of rebirth, and learning looked to the ancient Greeks and Romans as models of progress. Many historians believed that the Middle Ages and the Renaissance were a single era. The debate centers on whether the Renaissance was a unique era or a continuation of the Middle Ages. “Was the Renaissance a distinct period from the Middle Ages or was it a continuation?” In my opinion, I believe the Renaissance was a distinct period of change and prosperity. "The world is waking up from a long deep sleep..." (Doc. 5). AJ Froude finds specific examples that lead him to understand that their distinction was between the two periods. The Life and Letters of Erasmus say that the church was a corrupt place and there was no religious teaching. Erasmus tries to say in his book, addressed to the Prince, that respect for the Church and the religious aspect should be brought back to restore power to the Church. These statements written by Erasmus show citizens' desire for change. In the Middle Ages, many people neglected the progress of society and only thought about the world and were not human. Erasmus shows how humanist actions begin. “In the Middle Ages both sides of human consciousness lay dreaming or half awake… in the Renaissance we find artists who in every branch created new and perfect works…” (Doc. 2) From Renaissance Civilization in Italy by Jacob Burchardt identifies that medieval man it was childlike, half-awake, controlled by faith, and defined by its group of members... middle of paper... life in the early modern period. “Thus, from the beginning, the dual conception of medieval darkness and subsequent cultural revival was colored by the acceptance of classical models…” (Doc.1) Writers and thinkers drew inspiration from the classical culture of the Greeks and Romans. They found their society much more “fascinating” than feudal and religious literature. They reidentified architecture, astronomy, medicine and mathematics. They corrected the order of the Church and began to believe in karma, reincarnation and moksha again. Renaissance men improved knowledge of the human body, scientific calculations, and modified the attributes of buildings. With the change in these services came a change in social structure. More and more men and women became literate, resulting in the increase and need for college. Instruction. The Renaissance has a long and complex historiography.