Erasmus – Post 1 – Was Erasmus a Roman Catholic or Humanist?
Two points often brought up in the debate over the English Bible versions are the humanism of Erasmus and the fact that he was a roman catholic. Let us discuss these charges a bit deeper. (credit duly given to cloud -Myths about Modern Bible Versions
- We must come to grips with the fact that Erasmus was indeed a humanist. In order to fully understand what this means, we must also understand how the word “humanism” was used in that time period. Please look for Renaissance Humanism at wikipedia.org.
- We must also come to grips with the fact that Erasmus was a Roman Catholic, as were both John Wycliffe and William Tyndale.
It also should be noted that Erasmus had many beliefs similar to the Anabaptists. Please check out the following resource: Erasmus, the Anabaptists, and the Great Commission
If I remember correctly, Erasmus was counted a heretic by the Council of Trent. A catholic apologist also once said, “Erasmus planted, Luther watered, but the devil gave the increase”
History tells us very clearly that the Catholic Church was not very friendly with Erasmus, to say the least.
On the contrary, it seems the Roman Catholic Church has its association with the critical Greek text and the United Bible Society’s Greek Text. See these resources: All Roads Lead to Rome
More posts about Erasmus are to come, so check back soon! Any feedback is welcomed. If you have anything to add or subtract, please, by all means, post a reply.
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