Messages 2009
Erasmus and the Reformation.
February 17th, 2009
Santa Cruz, California
Received by FAB
I am here, Erasmus.
I am pleased that you are able to see the Reformation more from my point of view. You are seeing what happened then with new eyes. This is because your soul has grown, and thus your insights are greater.
Yes, Martin Luther had his share of suffering over here, which I had actually anticipated on earth. I saw that he was not able to always discern how to behave according to the teachings of Jesus.
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (sometimes known as Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam) (October 27, 1466⁄1469, Rotterdam– July 12, 1536 Basel) was a Dutch Renaissance humanist and Catholic Christian theologian.
Erasmus lived during the Reformation; one issue of the time was that of various clerical abuses in the Church, one of the factors that led some critics (following Martin Luther) to embark upon Protestantism and reject the authority of the Pope. Meanwhile others remained committed to reforming the Church from within. Erasmus was committed to the latter cause. He consistently criticized certain contemporaneous Christian beliefs (popular), abuses and practices. He also remained committed to Catholic doctrines such as that of free will, which Protestant Reformers rejected in favor of the doctrine of predestination. This middle road disappointed and even angered many Protestants, such as Luther, as well as some of the more conservative elements in the Church. While rejecting and attacking abuses of the contemporary Roman Curia and abuse of power and lack of discipline among the clergy, Erasmus never sided with Protestantism and remained a faithful Catholic. Ironically, he died in Basel in 1536 and was buried in the formerly Catholic cathedral there which had been recently converted to a Reformed church. (Source: Wikipedia)