Preview

Erasmus and Luther

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
550 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Erasmus and Luther
Esme Rigden-Briscall
The Misunderstood Egg and the Hatched Solution

Looking into the writings of Erasmus and Martin Luther, two common subjects appear. The buying of pardons and the misunderstanding of Purgatory. Both of these are issues in the church shown by Erasmus and the solution of both have been given by Luther. Through this it is evident that Erasmus did in fact lay the egg that Luther hatched. In his work The Praise of Folly Erasmus discusses the issue of paying for pardons. He uses the example of men with a middleclass, if not greater, income, i.e. a soldier, merchant, or judge. Erasmus states that these men believe that they do not need to do anything of any moral standing aside from pay a small sum of money to be completely pardoned of their sins; “All his perjury, lust, drunkenness, quarrels, killings, frauds, perfidy, and treachery he believes can be somehow paid off by agreement and paid off in such a way that he is free to start a fresh on a new round of sin.” (Erasmus, 32). This however is not the case, and that is what Erasmus is stating. In The Ninety-Five Theses Luther takes this and gives a solution. In theses’ forty-two, forty-three, and forty-four Luther states “Christians are to be taught that the pope does not intend the buying of pardons to be compared in any way to the works of mercy. Christians are to be taught that he who gives to the poor or lends to the needy does a better work than buy pardons; because love grows by works of love, and man becomes better; but by pardons man does not grow better, only free from penalty.” (Luther, 42-44). Both Erasmus and Luther are saying only through love can the people become better. Erasmus simply saw the problem, or laid the egg, and Luther saw the solution, hatched the egg. The second issue that Erasmus brings to light is that of the misunderstanding of Purgatory. He talks of this misconception stating: “They measure the length of their time in Purgatory as if by water-clock, counting

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    During the time of Martin Luther the Catholic Church was teaching that one’s sins could be forgiven and punishment from God avoided by purchasing forgiveness. This was very unpopular with the Catholic leaders and they demanded he change his beliefs on this subject. When he refused to recant his beliefs he was excommunicated by Pope Leo X and declared an outlaw by the emperor. He wrote the Ninety Five Thesis to the leaders of the Catholic Church protesting the sale of indulgences. It was his belief that salvation was a free gift given by God to anyone who believed and asked…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Like Erasmus, Luther also criticized the church on its practices to get into heaven. But in addition, determined that entrance into heaven was not based on ones good deeds but of faith in god and his grace and mercy. For example, the book states “The righteousness that God demands he concluded did not result from charitable acts and religious ceremonies but was given in full measure to any and all who believe in and trust Jesus Christ as their perfect righteousness satisfying god (320) This supports that Luther strongly believed that It was ones faith in god and gods grace and mercy that allowed one into heaven. This idea was similar to the thoughts of Erasmus who laid the “egg” of criticism against the church, but it was Luther who “hatched” this egg taking the thoughts of Erasmus a step further and stating that it was ones faith in god that allowed them entrance onto heaven rather than their good…

    • 435 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Three-field system - Crop-rotation system where two sections of land have different crops and the other section is vacant.…

    • 502 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Martin Luther made radical statements challenging Papal authority, the deliverance of relief of purgatory via a monetary gain by the church, and exposing the corrupt dogma that exemplified the Roman Catholic Church. Luther, after stating the errors of the church, established what he believed was justification by faith. Luther reduced the amount of sacraments to those that were plainly supported by scripture verses the church’s use of sacraments by conjecture, he denounced the sale of paradise, and propounded that the Bible was the true religious authority, whereas, the church gave authority to a fallible man. Furthermore, Luther’s original intent was not to initiate a reformation, but was to allow for academic debate. Luther found questions regarding the church and theological misconduct that would force him to separate from the church in Rome and establish…

    • 1160 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Early Reaiseansce Dbq

    • 1049 Words
    • 5 Pages

    27. It is mere human talk to preach that the soul flies out [of purgatory] immediately the money clinks in the collection-box.…

    • 1049 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The development of academic textual criticism as applied to the Biblical text by scholars such as Erasmus made clear the need for reconsideration of the interpretation and application of the Biblical texts. Ad fontes humanists pointed the church back to Classical Greece and Rome, as well as the beginnings of the Christian tradition with a commitment to the past that seemed highly likely to impact the future of the church had Luther not come along and reconceived of how to use the Biblical text. And while Luther began in earnest the rhetorical and practical use of printed materials as a means of effective and forceful communication on a large scale, it seems likely that academics (such as Erasmus or Calvin) and/or other clergy (such as Zwingli and Marpeck) would eventually have been able to use their combination of humanism, textual knowledge, and the power of the press to get across ideas worthy of creating a theological reformation of the European Church during the 16th century. As we…

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    95 theses

    • 902 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In Luther 's 82nd these, he talks about the church 's indulgences and how immoral it is. He asks "Why does not the pope liberate everyone from purgatory for the sake of love and because of the supreme necessity of their souls?". In that, he is saying that the pope should let everyone into heaven and not have to wait in purgatory, and not have to pay an indulgence to the church. He also mentions that the money is a much perishable thing and that the building of St. Peter 's Basilica is such a minor purpose, and gets away from the ideals of the early Catholic Church which were that you should not have many possessions and give to the…

    • 902 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In 1517, a single friar collapsed thousands of years of religious unity, undermining the power of the Roman Catholic Church, an institution that held religious authority over the majority of the Western world. Martin Luther, the son of a miner, published a document titled The Ninety-Five Theses that challenged the selling of indulgences as a general pardon and exemption from purgatory. How is it possible that one publication by a lowly German monk could destabilize the authority of the most powerful institution in Europe? Luther was not alone in his dissatisfaction with the Church and…

    • 1498 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Luther was a revolutionary after his excommunication because of his writing: On the Babylonish Captivity of the Church. This writing caused the official break with Rome, and the creation of a new system of faith.…

    • 315 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the early 16th century, increasing corruption within the Catholic Church lead people toseek out change, and the result was the Protestant Reformation. This movement was based on thequestion “What must be done to ensure salvation?”. Martin Luther, perhaps the most famous of all Protestant reformers found an answer to this question that didn’t fit the traditional teachingsof the Catholic church. It has become a common argument whether Luther was a conservative or a revolutionary, but some think he was both. It can be argued that through his beliefs, reformedreligion, and writings, Martin Luther was a revolutionary in the sense that he was going againstthe Catholic Church; but because of the fact that his values of a simple, classical, ancientscripture based religion which focused on the roots of true Christianity, and in comparison toother protestant reformers who were much more radical in their religious movements, Luther wasalso very conservative at the same time.The Catholic Church in the early 16th century had much power in Europe, and few werewilling to go against it. Those who did were not only seen as religious reformers, but also asrevolutionaries. Luther’s beliefs, system of reformed religion, and writings all contributed to theways many perceived him as a revolutionary because he went against the common beliefs and practices of the Catholic church. Church officials had always stressed the combination of faithand good works as a necessity in achieving salvation. Luther challenged this in saying that ashumans we are not saved through good works, but through faith in the promises of God, and the process of justification. In addition to his stance on the question of salvation, Luther’s religion,which was a reformed version of Catholicism also caused many to see him…

    • 3847 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Response

    • 317 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Martin Luther’s 95 Theses wasn’t an attack on the Church, Catholics, or even the pope. The 95 Theses were more of an observation Martin Luther did of actions the church was taking, and they were more of critiques to fix what he saw were incorrect actions by the church and pope. One of these issues was the pope accepting money to relieve people of their sins. He talks about it extensively in his theses, how accepting indulgences is not what Christianity is about and not what the pope should be about. He says instead of the person passing the starving poor and giving the money to the pope and church; instead Christianity teaches that man should give that money to the poor. Along with this he doesn’t like that the pope does not use any of his own fortune for his personal spending and the spending of the church; this mainly comes from the People indulging the pope and church. Another huge issue Martin Luther has with the Catholic Church is the overstepping of power by the Church officials. This is also talked about extensively; he talks about how the pope does not have any power over the souls in purgatory; only god has power over those souls. And the pope should not be accepting indulgences from people to pardon souls of the dead that may be in purgatory. This goes for bishops and other clergymen who have power over their church; but only their church and should not be trying to be the ultimate ruler and take power from the leaders of the State. They are the voice of god not the arms of god; and they need to stay within their bounds.…

    • 317 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    October 31, 1517, Martin Luther posted ninety-five theses on the door of a Catholic church in Wittenberg. He also wrote a letter to the Archbishop of Mainz regarding the sales of indulgences. Luther was against these sales of indulgences. Indulgences is the money that can be paid to the church so that a sinner spends less time in purgatory. It is said that people go to purgatory to work off their sins after they have died so they can still go to heaven. Luther’s ninety-five theses protested the sales of indulgences and claimed that the church was teaching false doctrines. Luther wrote to the Archbishop Martin Luther’s courage and bravery on Halloween in 1517 sparked the protestant reformation and ultimately a hope for the people of Europe to finally have a voice and break from the Catholic church. The courage and bravery that Martin Luther showed in his letter to the Archbishop sparked the protestant reformation and gave the peasants of Europe a hope to break from the Catholic church.…

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The protestant reformation was a schism from the Roman Catholic Church started by Martin Luther. Luther was the driving force behind the reformation, and was essentially the one who called for action. The reformation was aimed initially to change or alter some ideas that the Catholic church had added or had. The protestant reformation was driven by ambitious political leaders who disagreed with the ideas of the church and wanted change.…

    • 310 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Martin Luther was one of the greatest monks, priests, and theological teachers of Germany, along with being the symbol of the Protestant Reformation. He did not start off so religious however. One day he was caught in a frightening and dangerous storm. He prayed to God begging not to be killed, and vowed to become a monk if he survived. He did live, upholding his word to the lord, and joined a monastery. He joined an Augustinian friary in 1505, where he suffered from anfechtung, or spiritual anxiety. He never knew if he was doing enough good works to achieve salvation and gain entrance to the kingdom of heaven, as it was believed by the Catholic religion that it took good works along with faith in order to enter. To take his mind off of his religious worries, he was recommended to a teaching post at the University of Wittenberg. There, he taught theology and was quite popular among his students. Luther suffered from constant constipation, so he often read the bible while on the toilet. One day while doing this a certain passage from the epistle of St. Paul to the Romans: “the just shall live by faith,” which led to Luther’s core belief of sola fide, or faith alone. Through this belief, Luther believed that the only thing needed to achieve salvation was to live by faith alone, which challenged the Roman Catholic Church’s theology that both faith and good works were necessary. Luther shared his beliefs with the people of the Holy Roman Empire, demanding change to the way theology was widely taught. He agreed with parts of the current teachings and was conservative, wanting to keep parts of the religion the same. He kept the sacraments, however reduced the amount of them from 7 to 2. He was also like many Roman Catholic religious figures,…

    • 1706 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Erasmus, Praise of Folly

    • 2249 Words
    • 9 Pages

    1.) In Joe Sachs translation of, Aristotle’s on the soul and on Memory and Recollection, we are presented with the idea that our soul is broken up in to the contemplative and the practical forms of intellect. We use our contemplative and practical intellect to identify what is good for us, so that our desires reflect our needs. Although, they both work towards the same goal, both are separate and depend on ineffable forces for success. The contemplative intellect is fueled by our curiosity for knowledge. Aristotle was a major believer in contemplation because he believed that living a contemplative life is how humans should live. A contemplative life allows humans to lead a morally sound life. The more humans engage in contemplation, the closer they are to their gods and the happier they will be. The contemplative intellect is our capacity to determine the potentiality of the practical intellect. The practical intellect is our response to our contemplation. Contemplation can prolong political disasters and prevent us from using practicality. But, we have no choice but to contemplate because to understand we must contemplate and to act morally we must be able to understand. Being able to understand is being able to grasp the potentiality of something. Misunderstanding something’s potentiality is the reason leading a practical life is more difficult. It is human nature to contemplate.…

    • 2249 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays