When reading the writings and about the lives of Erasmus and Luther one thing kept coming into my mind--this sounds a lot like the debates of today; though the great arguments of today do not necessarily have to do with the bondage or liberty of human free will. Today's arguments, whether they be on gay marriage, abortion, size of government and government spending, involvement in foreign wars, etc. really come down to (in my opinion and not without exception) one side (liberal) arguing for what they believe to be good, moral, sensible, and making efforts toward tolerance; and the other side (conservative) arguing for what they believe to be right, true, absolute, and standing firm on the grounds of commitment.This seems to be exactly the way Erasmus (liberal, in this comparison) and Luther (conservative) generate their ideas and make their arguments. Erasmus seems to make his arguments based on reason, philosophy, tolerance, and consensus. Luther, on the other hand, strictly debates based on revelation, an appeal to absolute truth, and commitment to the source. In this Erasmus really is a child of the Renaissance, and even spokesman of the Northern Renaissance (a rebirth in/return to thought); while Luther the leader of the Protestant Reformation (a re-formation of/return to truth and doctrine).
That is an awesome point. I felt the exact same way. It was so interesting to read these and picture in my mind them writing these discourses to one another. I particularly got a kick out of the lines that just pack a punch such as, “For although you write wrongly concerning free will, I owe you no small thanks, because you have confirmed my own view. Seeing the case for free will argued with such great talents, yet leaving it worse than it was before, is an evident proof that free will is a downright lie.” and "My friend Erasmus, may I ask you to suffer my lack of eloquence, as I in return will bear with your ignorance in these matters."
ReplyDeleteI wondered the same thing when I began to think, "Why are we even debating this, why does it matter?" Do you ever wonder about that in history? Thinking of the explorations, the inventions, the conquerings, and so on, I can't help but think why was there such an argument about this. The same rings true today. Today we fight about policy and opinion and still wonder, why does it matter? I just find it interesting that they fought the same battles we fight today. History does repeat itself.
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