Just Before the Reformation
In the end of the fifteenth century the position of the papacy was filled with corruption, and this became so extreme that even two or three competing popes emerged to divide western Europe. (Gonzalez, 6) The corruption of the papacy even influenced the minor clergy as well, and this was so bad that even bishops and priests broke the law of clerical celibacy openly while flaunting their children from illegitimate unions. (Gonzalez, 7) At this time a few Christians realized that the teachings of the church had gone astray, but at the same time the educational requirements of the clergy had been almost none all while monastic learning had greatly declined. (Gonzalez, 7)
Conditions in western Europe had been so bad that a reformation would be very fitting for the problems of the Christian faith (Gonzalez, 8), and many of these problems surfaced at a time when some saw the Antichrist as owning the church, the feudal system reaching its end, new worlds being discovered, and a new view of the solar system being common place. (Gonzalez, 9) With all the changes, new forms of Christianity would thus emerge along with the new and changing world (Gonzalez, 9), and to this end the printing press, influx of scholars from the Byzantine land, and the work of the reformation of the sixteenth century could have provided hope for the future. (Gonzalez, 10) Such hope may not have gone as expected as the Protestant reformation would bring a mess of strife and bloodshed across Europe, but the early voices that powered the reformation did not start out with bad intentions.
Prior to the reformation, Erasmus of Rotterdam emerged as a leader of a large group of humanist that corresponded with themselves as they had hoped for the reformation of the church forming out of their work. (Gonzalez, 10) Erasmus saw obedience to Christ as being more important than doctrine, and to this end he could not see the value of sprinkling a person in baptism if they are filthy within themselves. (Gonzalez, 11) Thus, with this in mind, when passions become fierce Erasmus broke with Luther and he did not support the Roman Catholic Church to attach the Protestants, and in this regard Erasmus continues to teach an important lesson for Protestants and Roman Catholics of today. (Gonzalez, 13) Metaphorically speaking, the lesson that Erasmus continues to teach is not to support swine when they are charging men of faith after having pearls thrown at them, and he thus also simultaneously teaches not to support the zealots in their unwise dealings with the swine (See Matthew 7:6 for clarification).
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Gonzalez, Justo. The Story of Christianity: The Reformation to the Present Day, vol. 2. San Francisco, California: Harper, 1985.
Published by Mathew Mount
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I too think that obedience is better than doctrine. I would say it is the fulfillment of Godly doctrine anyway. This line, "Metaphorically speaking, the lesson that Erasmus continues to teach is not to support swine when they are charging men of faith after having pearls thrown at them, and he thus also simultaneously teaches not to support the zealots in their unwise dealings with the swine." is just another sterling example of your summaries and conclusions that are the specific purpose statement of this work Matthew.