A contradiction concerning Erasmus being an anabaptist

02-03-2009, 01:36 AM

Recently I was reading this article:
http://av1611.com/kjbp/articles/sorenson-ch10-1.html

and it states:

Quote:

"By the time of his death, the theology of Erasmus had shifted closer to that of the Ana-baptists than that of Rome."

There's ONE slight problem... King James was against papists, anabaptists, puritans, and so many denominations. That's not a bad thing of course, it rendered James unbaised (which is why the King James Bible isn't plagued with biased footnotes).

James writes in the Basilikon Doron:

Quote:

In your prayer, be neither over strange with God, like the ignorant common sort, that prayeth nothing but out of books, nor yet over-homily with him, like some of the vain Pharisee puritans, that think they rule him upon their fingers... And for keeping your conscience sound from that sickness of superstition, [which is called Morbus animi], ye must neither lay the safety of your conscience upon the credit of your own conceits, nor yet of other men’s humours, how great Doctors of Divinity that ever they be: but ye must only ground it upon the express Scripture: for conscience not grounded upon sure knowledge, is either an ignorant fantasy, or an arrogant vanity. Beware therefore in this case with two extremities: the one, to believe (with the Papists) the Churches authority, better nor your own knowledge: the other, to lean (with the Anabaptists) to your own conceits and dreamed revelations.

I have to agree with King James, the puritans thought they ruled God, the papists did everything upside-down, and the anabaptists were full of "dreamed revelations." (There were even a few that denied Christ in the flesh).

Now, King James' doctrines fully agree with the baptists today,
He writes that we are "Saved by faith" (not works):

Quote:

"But because no man was able to keep the Law, nor any part thereof, it pleased God of His infinite wisdom and goodness, to incarnate his only Son in our nature, for satisfaction of His justice in His suffering for us: that since we could not be saved by doing, we might, at least, be saved by believing." - King James, Basilikon Doron

And, all angels, visions, and "God speaking to people" has ceased:

Quote:

"...all we that are Christians, ought assuredly to know that since the coming of Christ in the flesh, and establishing of his Church by the Apostles, all miracles, visions, prophecies, and appearances of Angels or good spirits are ceased. Which served only for the first sowing of faith, and planting of the Church. Where now the Church being established..." - King James, Daemonologie

Note: God still heals and answers prayers (obviously), and the Holy Spirit can spit verses at you, BUT, God the father does NOT speak with a voice to us since the Bible has everything God needs to say (hence the Church is established).

So, I think it would be contradictory to call Erasmus an anabaptist when King James didn't heed them (then I guess he didn't like papists either to be fair). I think Erasmus was just sitting on the fence and not sure what he really believed (kind of like spurgeon).

Any thoughts? I would have only assumed the author of the article would be aware of what King James believed in, before stating that Erasmus was an anabaptist to fit his beliefs. King James himself was not an anabaptist, but he wasn't an Anglican either (the Church of England was a lot different back then through the changes Queen Elizabeth did). James was just your average ordinary Bible Believing Christian.

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