Desiderius Erasmus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Desiderius Erasmus - Essay exercisingBut he showed discretion in his choice of tactics. If you wish to bring about peacefully current and lasting reforms, you do not, like the fanatics, indiscriminately attack not only the ideas you oppose but similarly the honesty, integrity, and sincerity of those who hold them. If you wish to convince a person he should change his ways, for instance, you do not hit him on the head with a bat. (Thornton, 2005) Even though Erasmus reputation was fewwhat diminished by his pragmatist attitudes his legacy is growing in retrospect. This is in large part due to the growing popularity and interpretive voluminousness of some of his books. These famous books include Handbook of a Christian Knight, On Civility in Children, The value of Folly, Copia Foundations of the Abundant Style, On Free Will, Julius Exclusus, etc. As this partial list of his oeuvre illustrates, Erasmus was a admittedly polymath. His body of work is informed but not limited by the spirit of Christianity. For instance, nowhere else is this beaver exemplified than in his Colloquies, which is full of nonchalant erudition, eloquence and profundity. Al near nothing, from war and peace to alchemy and salt herring, locomote outside his purview. It is a treasure house of theological wisdom dressed in the finest verbal adorn of the age. (Bauman, 1999, p. 536) In this sense, he truly remains a luminous pioneer of Humanism. Although Erasmus was a contemporary of Martin Luther they disagreed on several critical issues. Despite the comprehensive and persuasive arguments that Luther presented in his Ninety-Nine Thesis, Erasmus was not easily impulsive to concede the moral failings of the then existing Roman Catholic order. Conservative in nature and atheistic of the emotional appeal of radical revolution, Erasmus was to remain indifferent to Lutheranism and the Protestant Reformation that was beginning to spread across Europe. Instead Erasmus preferred slow and gradua l reform in the Church without dismantling its power structure. To Erasmus, righteousness meant purity and justice and mercy, with the keeping of moral commandments, and to him these Graces were not the privilege of any particular creed. (Thornton, 2005) In hindsight, some of his apprehensions about the Protestant Reformation were proved correct when several European societies fell into disorder. Some of the most glaring collapses of social cohesion was the German Peasants War and the Anabaptist disturbances. Soon what began as rebellions within the Church would snowball into a class conflict. Desiderius Erasmus created controversy through his refusal to discard certain primitive Christian doctrines. The idea of let go of will is one which he held on to even as his contemporaries both within and without the religion was moving toward accepting the doctrine of predestination. Although the Catholic Church itself had at times viewed Erasmus with suspicion and charge him for the gro wth of Protestant faction, he was at heart and deed a man of religious toleration. (Olin, 1979) This is dress hat exemplified in his work De Libero Arbitrio. Though meant to be a polemic to Martin Luthers dominant views the tone and personality of his arguments and language were admirable. It illustrated Erasmuss belief that even disputes of faith should be conducted in an orderly, respectful and courtly manner. Erasmus declared that courtesy