Desiderius Erasmus (1466– 1536) was a prominent Dutch scholar from the Renaissance era. He received training as a Catholic priest.
He was contemporaneous of Luther's Reformation and, although he never supported it, he did share some of the criticism appointed by Luther. Erasmus called for a reform to eliminate the abuses that the Catholic Church had been committing but he continued being loyal to the authority of the Roman Pope. Moreover, he highlighted the need to preserve tradional faith, piety and grace, rejecting Luther's proposals for faith alone.
His training as a priest shaped his support to Luther's criticism as he mostly condemned abuses perpetrated by Catholic clerics. He knew perfectly what he was talking about from the inside.
