Erasmus was arguably the greatest scholar and foremost humanist of the Northern Renaissance. As we learn more about him, we’ll explore the following questions:

1. How was Erasmus’ Greek language scholarship foundational to the Protestant Reformation?
2. What were Erasmus’ basic criticisms of the Catholic Church? How did those critiques differ from Luther’s?
3. Why is it still important to read Erasmus today, despite his fundamental character flaws?

Recommended Reading: Shepherd, Victor. Interpreting Martin Luther: An Introduction to His Life and Thought. Canada: Regent College Publishing, 2008.
Reverend Dr. Victor Shepherd’s website: https://victorshepherd.ca/

Political turmoil swept across Europe in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. To help us expand the topic, Rabbi Rocklin will answer the following questions:

1. How did Luther’s approach to religious reform encourage a rise in centralized power?
2. Why was it necessary to divide the Holy Roman Empire in the Peace of Augsburg?
3. How did Rashi, an eleventh century Jewish scholar, indirectly influence Luther’s interpretation of scripture?

Few events in Christian history had a more dramatic impact than the Protestant Reformation. As we survey this seismic event, Rabbi Rocklin will answer the following questions:

1. How did the spirit of the Renaissance that swept through Europe foster a culture that could lead to the Reformation?
2. What theological debates led to Martin Luther’s eventual split from the Roman Catholic Church?
3. How is Luther’s insistence that the Bible can be translated into the vernacular an outgrowth of his view of the ordinary man?