Medice cura te ipsum

This article contributes to the dialogue between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. In Eccentric Culture Rémi Brague has pointed out that this schism constitutes one of the four separations by which Europe can be understood. I compare a protestant perspective on man by engaging with Luther’s anthropology and a catholic perspective on man by studying the work of Brague and pope-emeritus Benedict XVI. Brague has written a great deal on the question: what is man? In his works he shows how this question is answered differently from Antiquity to the Middle Ages compared to modernity. However, in his analysis of modernity Brague almost neglects Protestant anthropology. In this article I connect some insights of Brague and Ratzinger with Luther’s insights in man. However some aspects of Luther’s criticism on rationalism might have been necessary, his anthropology lacks important features to understand man and the end of man. Reason and faith should be connected to fulfil man’s ultimate potential which lies in divinization according to Christianity. This synthesis of faith and reason offers important elements for the new evangelization of Europe.