Differences Of Erasmus And Martin Luther

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No longer politically powerful as it had been in the thirteenth century, the church could no longer dominate kings and prices as it once had, (Wolf, 149). The church was being neglected by people because the Black Death had been going around; there was nothing that the church could do, so people slowly lost faith. The church had very little control over the economy. In fact, the only thing that the church could take advantage of was the people’s longing for salvation, (Wolf, 149). Desiderius Erasmus and Martin Luther both found faults within the church. Erasmus was not as violent as Luther, although they did criticize many of the same abuses. Luther expressed his belief in salvation by faith. Erasmus did not like Luther’s attack on the church authority as well as his strident language. Erasmus was concerned about ignorance and Luther was concerned about sin, (Wolf, 153). They …show more content…

Erasmus was not as violent as Luther, although they did criticize many of the same abuses. It is clear that there was not much of a friendship between the two of them. Luther expressed his belief in salvation by faith. Erasmus was concerned about ignorance and Luther was concerned about sin, (Wolf, 153). What their differences say about them is that they were both trying to approach people from a different perspective. Luther helped people achieve salvation because that is what they were worried about; all of them were not worried if the Scripture got lost in translation. Their lives were much shorter and precarious back then than it is now. The works of both Erasmus and Luther brought about many changes in the Christian church. Western Christendom was fragmented into hundreds of denominations and sect, (Wolf, 158). Many of the Catholics and the Protestants rejected the muted calls for a measure of mutual tolerance. It was common for people to prove their love for God by hatred of their “heretic” or “Papist” neighbor, (Wolf,

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