Erasmus scholar, Craig R Thompson said that this of Erasmus, "in his lifetime no one did more to advance the intelligent study of classical languages and literature and explain their value for Christians." In his many writings, especially his Against the Barbarians, Erasmus defended what we now call humanistic education, but he was essentially giving proper esteem to Greek and Latin literature.
Erasmus believed that God was working in history to get all things ready for the benefit of the Christians, and Christians should do all that they can to take all of these ideas captive for the glory of Christ. "For the great and eternal Disposer, who is wisdom itself, establishes all things with consummate skill, differentiates them with beautiful play of interchange, and orders them with perfect rightness, so that each balances another in a marvelous way; nor does He allow anything to move at random in all the immense variety of the world." Erasmus believed and presented rather convincing arguments for God's working in human history for the good of His people. "One may understand that all things, whether hostile or heathen or in any other way far removed from him, must be drawn, even if they do not follow, even against their will, to the service of Christ...The best religion should be adorned and supported by the finest study...Everything in the pagan world that was valiantly done, brilliantly said, ingeniously thought, diligently transmitted, had been prepared by Christ for His society."
Within his masterful Against the Barbarians, he crafted a powerful case, not in terms of the vice of willful intellectual ignorance, but in terms of the sin of ingratitude. He proposed that it is ungracious and spiteful to not receive the gifts that God gives us and to not use them wisely. In positive terms, Erasmus was certain that there is no contradiction between the life of the mind and a soul committed to Christ. "If learning is added to his upright life, how much the power of his virtue will be increased, more brilliantly and more widely known as if a torch had been said before it!"
Erasmus responds to the critics of the Good Letters when he observes that some disdained the "invention of the heathen" and "imaginary fears," but the truth is that more than a few of the critics of the good letters are simply lazy. Part of the rhetorical power of Erasmus is that he will often present a positive alternative to the negative case previously made. "God, our parent, imparted to us, as seeds of fine skills, intellect, understanding, memory, and other gifts on the mind." Related to this point is that of Erasmus's many clever arguments calling for Christians to properly appraise the Liberal Arts. He says that "The Christian religion found Good Letters a valuable safeguard in times of stress."
Erasmus recognized that in order to refute the false authorities of his day he needed to bring forth some respected authorities. At the top of the list of authorities and highly respected by many in a Erasmus's day was none other than Augustine. Augustine encouraged us to study the Good Letters. Augustine urged learning of logic, rhetoric, physics, arithmetic, geometry, music, histories, knowledge of antiquities, grammar, dialect, and theology.
A most impressive Biblical image of how the Christian intellectual should handle the Classics is provided by an analogy to the Israelites leaving Egypt. "I wish I could give you the exact words of what follows, a charming passage about the household goods of the Egyptians, but nevertheless I will give a faithful account of it: we read in Exodus, he says, that when the Hebrews were secretly preparing to flee under their leader Moses from their servitude in Egypt, each took from his obliging neighbor all sorts of household goods, an immense amount of rings, clothes, and vessels, and having spoiled the Egyptians, they departed secretly. As we know that this flight, this fact, was done with the sanction of God, we may take it that there is a significance here: that divine providence was acting in consideration for the timidity of some people who would have been frightened to spoil the Egyptians, that is to take over the wisdom of the heathen, unless they had such an example of this very thing, such a commander, such a leader. To come out of Egypt is to leave behind even superstition and be converted to the Christian religion. To take away the wealth of Egypt is to transfer heathen literature to the adornment and use of our faith."
Erasmus concludes his persuasive argument by listing a number of those who "left Egypt"- Cyprian, Lactantius, Victorinus, Optatus, and Hilary. After reading this short masterpiece by Erasmus and recognizing that many have gone before us having fled Egyptian captivity, how can we not joyously follow them and call others to follow, to receive such a grand inheritance of many treasures?
