Erasmus is known by many as the “Prince of the Humanists” for his influential scholarship and writing and it is also frequently said that Erasmus paved the way for Martin Luther. Erasmus’s criticism of the church, his linguistic work on the translation of the Greek New Testament, and other literature pieces placed him at the head of the advocation for reform. This was many years before Luther nailed his 95 Theses onto the door of the church in Wittenberg, 1517. Some historians doubt the impact of Erasmus’s ideas due to his lack of participation in Reformation movements,  and others question his influence on the reformation because of his elitism getting in the way. However, Erasmus’s subtle but profound influence is revealed as an analysis of Erasmus shows how he, despite not being a protestant, contributed to the intellectual basis of the reformation. His ideas had a great influence on the Protestant Reformation, as they inspired many of the Reformation leaders such as Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin. Therefore, Erasmus had a large influence on the reformation despite his inactiveness in Reformation movements.  

  Erasmus, through his writing, acted as a literature pioneer of the Reformation and his work inspired many protestants. His production of the Greek New Testament, which included Latin translations and annotations, was published in 1516 and soon became the basis of most of the study of the Bible during the Reformation period. Most critically, he retranslated Matthew 3:2, where John the Baptist had been previously translated as imploring his followers to “do penance;” Erasmus retranslated this as a call to ‘repent.’ To regret rather than be punished, deprived the Catholic Church of the ability to punish (this was grabbed and presented in Luther’s theses). Through this, he effectively raised the idea that all truth was within the Bible and that people need to go back to the original sources rather than trusting the church’s version. His work paved the way for one of Luther’s most radical ideas which was that the Bible belongs to everybody, including the commoners, and also influenced Luther’s demand for the need to go “Back to the Bible”, or sola scriptura. In addition, his work influenced many Reformation leaders such as Luther, Bullinger, and Calvin. Erasmus’s influence can be seen in the commentaries of Bullinger, Calvin, Luther, and Bucer, all of whom used his annotations in their commentaries. Bucer himself stated that Erasmus authoritatively corrected many misleading interpretations of the scripture and Bullinger frequently relied on Erasmus’s annotations in his Romans commentary. Thus, Erasmus had a profound impact on the Reformation as his work made up the foundation for biblical interpretations for Reformation leaders and led to the development of many key ideas such as the need to go “Back to the Bible”, sola scriptura.

  Historians like Gregory and Meissner can downplay Erasmus’s influence on the Reformation by asserting that his elitism prevented most of his works from reaching the majority of the people. Indeed, Erasmus’s work was mainly written in Greek and Latin with no illustrations or other means of aid for the readers, and Latin then was a language that only a small number of educated people could read. In some cases, even those with the ability to read his work fail to understand his ideas and messages. This was caused by Erasmus’s complex style of writing and his use of a huge variety of literary devices and letters. This resulted in his work only being read and understood by a small group of people. Thus, these historians conclude that Erasmus’s elitism diluted his influence on the Reformation. However, as Mullet points out, Erasmus was the best-selling European author before Luther, and there is evidence of his style in many of the German’s works. In addition, much Lutheran literature also held Erasmus’s ideologies, and the immense popularity of these literature pieces helped spread the ideas of Erasmus, thus, making his impact on the Reformation more profound. Though Erasmus’s audience was confined to a small group of intellectuals, it does not weaken his contributions to the Reformation. His ideas that were passed to these intellectuals, would in time, be passed on through them to the public. This can be seen in many of Luther’s works, which often held similar opinions to Erasmus’s. Therefore, his elitism does not dilute the role he played in the Reformation.

Moreover, Erasmus’s ideas, criticism of the corruption of the church, and the concept of his ideal society all contributed to the formation of the ideas that created the Reformation. He challenged the idea of pilgrimages and any physical forms of piety, thus emphasizing a learned clergy. He attacked the saints as mere replacements for pagan deities. He also wished for a society in which everyone had a duty to be an active citizen and behave as purely as monks; their secular rulers should supervise this. In his Enchiridion, Erasmus urged readers to “inject into the vitals” the teachings of Christ by studying and meditating on the Scriptures, and he pleaded for a less corrupt, less sinful, and more monkish church. These ideas were frequently mentioned in his other works such as The praise of folly. The extent of his impact can be seen from the reception of these ideas by Reformation leaders. Luther strongly agreed with his idea to return to the scriptures and it became one of the key ideas that were the foundation of the Reformation. Reformation leaders saw Erasmus as one whose works laid the path for the formation of the Reformation movement. Luther himself admired Erasmus and his efforts to reform the church, and Erasmus’s name was frequently mentioned in the dedication portion of Luther’s works. Metaxas's accounts of Luther’s ideas also show similarities to Erasmus’s. As historian Terrence Reynolds states, “Erasmus had ripped away the last vestige of hope for rapprochement and truly paved the way for the Lutheran Reformation.” Even though pressure from his catholic acquaintances and the violent turn of the Reformation forced Erasmus to break ties with Luther, his ideas still became and remained the foundations of the Reformation. Therefore, Erasmus’s role as the one who paved the way for the Lutheran Reformation and producer of many Reformation ideas makes him a great contributor to the Reformation. 

On the other hand, historians such as Marshall can argue that Erasmus had little influence on the Reformation due to his work and ideas being a similar recreation of existing theological traditions. Erasmus indeed built his work on the work of his predecessors such as John Wycliffe, who drew followers for his teachings that all people had the ability to have God’s grace bestowed upon them and that the church’s teachings must be tested against the scriptures, and other scholars like Lorenza Valla and Faustino Perisauli. These predecessors influenced and enabled many of his ideas. For instance, the origin of Erasmus’s idea of the need to go back to source can be found in the teaching of Wycliffe, and his work The praise of Folly,  was inspired by De triumpho Stultitiae(written by Faustino Persauli). Therefore, it cannot be denied that Erasmus was heavily influenced by those before him and used their work to build his own. However, Erasmus still played a crucial role in taking those theories of his predecessors to a whole new level. Not only his linguistic work but also his literature was so groundbreaking that even Luther stated in the dedication of his commentary on Galatians that he “would certainly have preferred to wait for the commentaries promised long ago by Erasmus, a man preeminent in theology and impervious to envy”, and German scholar Johannes Oecolampadius also praised Erasmus as the greatest scholar of his age. In addition, moderate Catholics recognized him as a leading figure in attempts to reform the Church, while Protestants recognized his initial support for Luther's ideas and the groundwork he laid for the future Reformation. Hence, Erasmus’s contributions to the foundation of the Reformation remain profound. 

Erasmus’s lack of involvement in Reformation movements caused his influence on actual Reformation movements to weaken and resulted in his contributions to not be recognized in his time. Although Erasmus’s ideas and literary works were crucial to the foundation of the Reformation, the role he played in the Reformation shrunk as time passed. As the Reformation developed momentum and Reformation movements were becoming more frequent, Erasmus chose to distance himself from the Reformation. As Reynolds puts it, “Erasmus could never find it in himself to accede to the wishes of other reformers and throw his complete support behind Luther”. Erasmus did not take a side in the battle between Rome and the followers of Luther, and his middle-road approach disappointed, and even angered both sides. Consequently, his influence in the Reformation declined, and the last remnants of his influence can be found among the humanists in Basel, a city that remained religiously neutral until 1529. Erasmus’s distancing from Reformation movements caused his influence to not be recognized at that time. His middle-road approach that was rejected by both sides placed him on the sidelines during the Reformation movement. Hence, his influence on the actual events that occurred in the Reformation was small. 

In conclusion, Erasmus’s role in the was an important one. He helped pave the way for the foundation of the Lutheran Reformation and his work and ideology inspired many Reformation leaders. His criticism of the corruption of the church, his groundbreaking translation of the bible, his pleads for the church to become more moral, and his demand of returning to the original scripture were all used by Reformation leaders. In addition, his alleged elitism does not undermine his contribution to the Reformation as argued above. Although his lack of involvement in Reformation movements made his influence seem lacking in some points, his influence through his work made him a key contributor to the early stages of the Reformation and in the long run. His ideas helped form the foundation of the Reformation and laid the path for the future Reformation movement. It can be said that Erasmus was pioneer of the Reformation movement that would leave him behind as it slowly gained momentum. Nevertheless, we should recognize the profound impact that Erasmus had on the Reformation.