Essay Questions

How does Erasmus respond to Luther’s idea of divine justice?

Erasmus presents a varied view of divine justice to that offered by Luther. In this work, he argues that God is all-knowing, and as such he is able to carry out his interests. Erasmus argues that God is aware of the order of events, existence as well as the apparatus involved. In other words, Erasmus responds to the idea of divine justice by rejecting it and presenting his personal view of things.

Why does Erasmus write The Freedom of the Will?

The Freedom of the Will is Erasmus’s response to the requests from Pope Adrian VI. As a part of his giving into the requests, Erasmus writes a critic of the 36th article which suggested a lack of free will in the Vatican canon. In this way, the writer uses the essay as a way of attempting to reconcile Christian views, an explanation and look into why certain evils happen despite the existence of God who is all powerful.

How does Erasmus attempt to reconcile the beliefs of Christians about God and the suffering on earth?

In line with the idea of theodicy, Erasmus writes this work as an attempt to alleviate the view brought out in article 39 in which the concept of free will in the doctrines of the roman catholic church appeared to be questioned. Erasmus writes on why God in all his glory and greatness permits the occurrences of evil in the world. The article paints God as all great and powerful which forms the basis of the attempt to resolve Christian views and the reality in life particularly with respect to the existence of evil.