Nicholas of Cusa

Nicholas of Cusa was born in 1401 in what would become Germany, and became one of the first German voices of Renaissance humanism. He trained as a philosopher, theologian, jurist, mathematician, and astronomer — a polymath in an age that rewarded range. His mystical writings on "learned ignorance" explored the idea that recognizing the limits of human knowledge was itself a form of enlightenment. In 1446 he was dispatched as papal legate to Germany, navigating the power struggles between Rome and the German states. Pope Nicholas V made him cardinal in 1448 for his service, then Prince-Bishop o…