List the ways Erasmus wanted to reform the Catholic Church?

Answer 1

In order to answer this question properly it is necessary to mention the situation of the Church in the late Middle Ages, or in short, what Erasmus was reacting to. The Church at the time was heavily focused upon relics, indulgences, and the marriage of Church and State. Erasmus was appalled, for example, at being presented with a boot to kiss at a shrine that he was assured belonged to a Saint.

To Erasmus, these were "works". They were acts of devotion that had little to do with how a Christian lived his everyday life. In this way, Erasmus' view of works was far different than Luther's, which viewed Faith alone as important, and works as any act of life. With that distinction established Erasmus wished to reform in the following manners:

- Emphasize faith and the love of God over "works". Pilgrimages and relic collecting were not as important to salvation as love of God and neighbor.

- Forbid violence in enforcing the faith. Erasmus was distrustful of the State and viewed the monarchs as, more often than not, predetors. The Church should not use them as enforcement.

- Translate the Scriptures into the vernacular to encourage mass knowledge of the Scriptures. Not only could this be useful in encouraging the people to read and know the Bible, but this could help the peasants to know the psalms and chants as the Clergy did. Erasmus thought the peasants could chant these while working.

- A greater skepticism of local "miracles." They might be real, but even if they were, a moral life was of greater importance. A lack of proper investigation could lead to gullibility on the part of the faithful, and could sow the seeds of later doubt.

- In general, to turn away from those elements that were pure barbarian "superstition" and magical, and emphasize the fundamentals of faith...the scriptures and sacraments. The latter would also bring Erasmus into conflict with Luther and Erasmus' friend and fellow traveler, St. Thomas Moore, into conflict with Henry VIII.

In all of his reforms, it should be emphasized that Erasmus was working in the tradition of the humanists, who were in turns creatures of the Rennaisance. These humanists were concerned with healing Europe, as they saw it, from the effects of the Germanic barbarian invasions (or Gothic, to use their term). Excessive devotion to relics and daily miraculous happenings, were, in the humanist view, Germanic innovations on Christianity. The humanists hoped to return to what they saw as a purer original state of the Church. A fair written statement of the ideal faith the humanists were striving for can be found in St. Thomas A Kempis' "Imitation of Christ."

At the same time, differences with the later Protestantism should also be mentioned.....there was to be no abolition of the orders, of the priesthood, or the sacraments. Works were understood in a far different manner than Protestants interpreted them. The focus was to be on the individual love of Christ, and on the individual consciences actions in everyday life. Erasmus' ideals remained strong until 1541 when the Catholic and Protestant humanists failed to find common ground. When their council dispensed without agreement, Europe entered into a religious civil war that lasted at least until 1589, and arguably until 1648 with the Peace of Westphalia. Catholicism adopted some, but not all of the Erasmian platform at the Council of Trent in the 1560's. Erasmus himself was viewed with suspicion. Christian humanism was forced from the commanding heights of Catholicism and would not reemerge until Christian humanist John Paul II was elected Pope in 1978. Christian humanism has been in the ascendancy in the Papacy since that time.

Answer 2

Erasmus wanted to spread the philosophy of Christ, provide education works of Christianity, and citicize the abuses in the Church.

Roman Catholic AnswerErasmus was one of the first humanist, he was basically indifferent to religion. The Catholic Encyclopedia article about him can be found at the link below:

Answer 3

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Catholic AnswerAt first Martin Luther indeed tried to deal with the Church, sort of. He issued his "95 Theses" and did indeed meet with the Papal legate to discuss them. Indeed they were circulated among the German hierarchy. The problem with the 95 Theses were some of them were heretical, some were pure nonsense; one wonders exactly how much education Martin Luther actually had. Despite Rome's repeated attempts to bring this recalcitrant friar into line, he proudly refused to submit, eventually leaving his Order without even seeking permission (in his autobiography, he records that he got his flash of insight into all of theology in the monastic privy - which, considering his theology, is an apt comparison). M. Luther then proceeded to violate all of his lifelong solemn vows with impunity. He married an ex-nun, and proceeded to start drinking heavily. His always foul mouth came out in his pen. The princes of Northern Germany, only too delighted to find some reason to throw off having to send alms to Rome, took up M. Luther's positions on the Church and suppressed all Catholic Churches in their realm, throwing the priests out and outlawing the Mass and other sacraments. Luther lead this movement to justify his unjustifiable behavior, to justify his sins - in his new theology he did not have to lead a Christian life or give up sinning. He made it a point throughout his writings to contend that since everyone was already saved, they should sin a lot to show how good God is at saving them. All of which is completely against the teaching of Our Blessed Lord. May God have mercy on his soul.

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The point is that he did not want to reform the Church, he just was looking for an excuse to get away from the Church and the teaching of Christ.

Answer 4

Although Erasmus began his adult life as a religious priest in the Catholic Church, he became very critical of what he saw as excesses in living that life. Most of his famous critiques of the Catholic Church were centered around those excesses.

However, when Martin Luther attempted to win him to his side, Erasmus took a staunch Catholic position and vehemently defended Catholic Orthodoxy and free will. Indeed Martin Luther's Bondage of the Will was written as a rebuttal of Erasmus' dissertation supporting Free Will. Erasmus lived and died as a priest of the Catholic Church, though many of his writings, and his translation of the New Testament were twisted and used by Protestants for goals which he not only never countenanced, but vehemently fought against most of his life.

Answer 5

Erasmus was critical of the wickedness and abuse in the Catholic Church