Which Christian humanist authored 'In Praise of Folly' to critique church abuses?

• A. Thomas More
• B. Martin Luther
• C. Desiderius Erasmus
• D. John Colet

Answer: (C)

Desiderius Erasmus, a leading Christian humanist of the Northern Renaissance, authored In Praise of Folly as a sharp satire aimed at church abuses and hypocrisy. Using the voice of Folly, Erasmus lampoons clerical corruption, the pomp and pretensions of monks and priests, and the gap between Christian ideals and actual practice. The point isn’t to condemn religion outright but to push for reform from within the church through education, moral renewal, and a return to simpler, scriptural piety. This Penned critique embodies the Christian humanist aim of combining learning with religious reform. While Thomas More contributed to Christian humanism in his own right, and Martin Luther critiqued church practices from a reformist/protestant stance, In Praise of Folly is Erasmus’s work. John Colet was an influential English humanist who shaped education, but he did not write this text.