In Praise of Folly

In Praise of Folly

Desiderius Erasmus

Perry v.1

Thesis: Erasmus is said to have laid the egg Luther hatched, despite the fact that Erasmus was a monk in the Catholic Church and Luther, the leader of the protestant reformation. Erasmus never acknowledged this claim, perhaps for this very reason, however it cannot be denied that the criticism, which Erasmus masterfully laid out, did not go unheard.

I. Theologians

a. Erasmus compares theologians to “a hornet’s nest”, as well as “stinkweed”

b. Erasmus criticizes the quibbling of theologians over certain usages of Greek and Latin, and the lack of attention paid to the actual moral lessons laid out in the Bible.

c. Those who disagree with theologians are immediately labeled as a “heretic”

II. Monks

a. The lack of reading aside from scripture is often seen as piety

b. Erasmus feels that many monks are obsessed with King George and all but praise the ornate decorations that his horse bears.

III. Pardons and Priests

a. The idea of confessing in order to lessen one’s time in purgatory and then measuring it out to the day and hour seems ridiculous to Erasmus

b. The priests and saints sometimes take away from the actual meaning of Christianity, by clouding peoples minds with rules and habits.