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

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

Answer: (B)

Desiderius Erasmus embodies Christian humanism that uses wit and scholarship to push for reform from within the Catholic Church. In Praise of Folly, his satirical work, personifies Folly to mock scholarly pretensions, corrupt clergy, and various church abuses, highlighting hypocrisy and the gap between outward rituals and true piety. The goal isn’t to condemn religion wholesale but to urge a return to simpler, more genuine Christian living and learning, guiding reform through education and thoughtful critique rather than schism. This aligns with Erasmus’s method of addressing corruption by promoting renewing humanist-minded devotion and literacy among clergy and laypeople.

That’s what sets him apart from the others: Thomas More wrote Utopia, a critique of society in fiction; Martin Luther spearheaded the Protestant Reformation with his own critiques of indulgences and authority, leading to a separate church movement; John Colet was an influential early humanist in the English-speaking world but did not write this work.