The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-05-30

n
H strife over the introduction of
Greek into schools; the antedilu-
VANS we're as slow then to take it
up as they are now to abandon it.
Erasmus fought for the new-recov-
cred tongue, and brought out, as one
charge in the battle, an edition Of
the Greek New Testament, with
French translation into Latin. His
translation did some damage to
dogma, but his notes did more; they
mowned the decay of primitive"
Christianity" and appealed for a re-
turn from dogmas to good works.
The theologs got wind of this new
storm; the abbot of the monastery
to which, in strict discipline, he be-
longed, demanded that he return to
silence and obedience of the mon
astic life. He appealed to Leo x,
who sided with him handsomely,
and when some priests sent to the
Pope a petition that Erasmus be
condemned as a hereto, Leo, who
was a scholar, courtier, gentleman,
and everything but Christian, eX-
pressed his opinion of the petition
by paying for the publication Of
Erasmus New Testament"
He offered the scholar a bishopric
as haven against such squalls, but
Erasmus said: Il would not change
my freedom for the best bishopric
in the world" Nevertheless, he
was grateful to the popes magma
ninity, begged him to cleanse the
Church Of the doctrinal and moral
abuses that were weakening it, and
looked to him to effect a peaceful
reformation.
1t was while he was staying at
the house of Sir Thomas Moore
that he wrote his little masterpiece,
1.-The Praise of Folly" as a volley
of little shafts against the "theo-
logical mosquitoes" who harassed
him. He begins with a quiet satire
of grammarians and logic-choppers;
passes in slightly higher key, to
miracle mongers, pardon-peddlers,
inventors and gourmands of fan
tastic sanity tales, worshipers of
ShrineS and images, sellers and buy
ers Of indulgenceS; he tells merrie
tales Of the merrie monks; he scorns
the priests who drew dividends from
superstition and stupidity, and
does not hesitate to denounce car
dinals and popes; most Of all, he
impales the theologians, who waste
the time of the world in quiddities,
incomrehensibilities and ridicu-
Iosities, while the church they pre-
tend to love rots to pieces under
their myopic eyes. He concludes
mercifully: to err is human, and
only Good is wise.
a few years later Luther pinned
IN his theses to the church door
in Whittenberg, and began those
cracks of thunder which were to
split Christianity into fragments.
THE waking out of a long Sleep"
said Erasmus, joyfully. I'm this
part of the world I am afraid that
a great revolution is impending.
1t came too soon for him, and too
violently; he loved the battles of
the mind, and not the heavy listed
war that Luther made; he wrote to
Luther counseling moderation, but
Luther answered by counseling
bravery.
Luther was German, Erasmus
was q European; the cleavage of
the continent into nations did not
appeal to the scholar who lived in
the international of the mind, and
preferred the unity of an imperfect
Universal" religion to the clash
of a thousand sects that would
multiply like dividing protocol.
He feared the replacement of
dogma with dogma, Of intolerance
with intolerance, of infallible church
with infallible Scriptures; he wanted
emancipation to come peacefully,
through the gradual spread of
knowledge and the slow rise of gen.
eral intelligence; any liberation that
came faster than these would be
superficial and vain
He saw some princes siding with
Luther. others against him, and
predicted civil war. He correspond
ed with both parties, hoping to bring
them to moderation; but Pope Leo
and Sir Thomas More begged him
to denounce Luther, and he had to
refuse; Luther's friends, MeIanch-
thon and Ulrich Won Hutton; begged
him to support Luther, and he had
to refuse; he said frankly to both
groups that he approved of Luther's
demands. but would never support