Handbook of The Christian Soldier
-Erasmus
Matti Cone
During his life, Erasmus, undoubtedly gained vast amounts of insight and knowledge. People held a respect for this and turned to Erasmus for answers. A woman, the wife of a soldier, came to Erasmus asking for wisdom to relay to her husband. This information later became titled “The Handbook of the Christian Soldier”. In it Erasmus gives examples, and situations defining the way many Christians fall short of the glory of God, and how our souls may not be as healthy as we think they are. A conflict between sacred as secular, or further defined as living out in every day life the actions and ideals you believe to be true based upon a refined belief in a religion.
In this essay I would like to discuss, in the terms of Erasmus teaching, what it would look like to live the life of an Christian soldier following keenly to the teaching of Jesus. To give examples of the likely success and struggles that the pursuit of this life might contain.
A man must hold tightly and firmly to the things he believes in. To know what you believe in and not to allow that to budge. Erasmus uses the symbolism of holding onto the sheet-anchor(Erasmus 139) to describe this. The sheet is the object that connects the anchor to the ship or the boat, this can be made of rope, line , or more commonly chain. The anchor is the place holder. It is responsible for keeping the ship steady in one place, It it a sign of coming to rest, laying roots, and holding ground. The Naval tradition of calling away the anchor detail to prep the ship for dropping anchor leads to a sigh of rest for the crew knowing that months of turmoil, of the ever changing sea, are over. Holding on to the sheet-anchor means holding fast to the ground you are set upon, your beliefs, your religions. Erasmus would imply to stay rooted in the Gospel.
A man should seek living water. In the desert Abraham dug wells (Erasmus 139). These wells allowed his people to continue life in the wilderness until they reached the land they were promised. The well is the source, and the water from the well the source of life in a harsh environment. Erasmus persuades the reader to see that the Word of God is the well which we find connection to the living water. In the New testament Jesus, to the Samaritan woman at a well, speaks that anyone who drinks from him will never be thirsty again. (New International Version, John 4:14) Erasmus warns us as you search out the well that is a source of living water you will come under attack by an enemy that will try to destroy your well. The Philistines were an enemy of the chosen people of God, they would attack a town and fill in the well. The Philistines in our life are more commonly identified as the people who reek of earthly things and twist the Gospel teaching to serve earthly appetites (Erasmus 139). These people will try to fill the well of your life to further their own pleasures and aspirations. Sometimes the well in our lives become filled in, but not to despair, because new wells can be dug, and hope restored much in the way Abraham sons would re-dig the wells destroyed by the Philistines(Erasmus 139).
Erasmus brought to the surface some of the actions of many Christians in the 15th and 16th century. Pilgrimages to the tombs of saints were very popular and thought to bring blessings to those who completed such journeys. Erasmus chastised these people calling to light that they worshiped the bones of Paul (Apostle of Jesus Christ) preserved in a relic casket, but do not worship the mind of Paul hidden away in his writings(Erasmus 145). Paul’s writing were not hidden behind a code to be decrypted, but in plain writing available to all those who could read. Regardless many still took no time to study his works and writing to apply them into life. To these individuals a pilgrimage was more important then a life of knowledge, the teaching of Christ either directly from Jesus or that of his disciples and apostles.
Preserve your soul, much in the way a person will instinctively remove themselves from a situation that would cause bodily harm or even death. As human beings we have hard wired into our nervous system the reflexes and automatic actions that pull our hand away from an object if upon first touch a burn or shock is received. These reflexes are automatic and preserve our body. In our reading Erasmus states “Death of the body frightens you, but much more to be dreaded is the death of the soul. Hemlock is a poison for the body, but much more deadly is the venom of the soul, sensual pleasures.”(Erasmus 143) These sensual pleasures will come at us in many forms but the same caution must be taken against all. Pursuit of the beauty of the body, even though that beauty is fading, will have no lasting reward on the other side of eternity. Turn from these earthly desires to the open arms of a loving God.
In conclusion Erasmus speaks a great wealth of knowledge for the reader to consider. In commentary on Erasmus writings, Cornelis Augustijn excellently summarizes “The most important part of self-knowledge is the realization that man in his soul belongs to the divine, but in his body to the animal world.” (43) He also quotes Paul in saying “ the flesh be despised as it is the source of contention.” (47) The struggles that many face in life are not to be taken lightly. They are not to be casually dismissed, but are to be properly dealt with. The true character of the soul is revealed through the actions that one takes in the secular world he or she lives in. What conclusions can be drawn about your sacred life, based upon the actions of your secular life? Erasmus would shine a flashlight into the darkness of our body, mind, and soul to expose those areas of conflict. People may tend to focus on the body aspect of life, the satisfaction of flesh and completely forgo the things that will produce a healthy soul. It is that healthy soul that will lead into a eternal life in heaven, but a life spent on earth searching to satisfy the body and flesh would result in an unhealthy soul destine for eternal fire and damnation.
Works Cited
Augustijn, Cornelis, Erasmus His Life, Works, and Influence. trans. J.C. Grayson Toronto, University of Toronto Press, Print
Rummel, Erkia Ed., The Erasmus Reader, Toronto, University of Toronto Press, Print
The Quest Study Bible: New International Version, Michigan: Zondervan Publish House, 1984. Print
In this essay I would like to discuss, in the terms of Erasmus teaching, what it would look like to live the life of an Christian soldier following keenly to the teaching of Jesus. To give examples of the likely success and struggles that the pursuit of this life might contain.
A man must hold tightly and firmly to the things he believes in. To know what you believe in and not to allow that to budge. Erasmus uses the symbolism of holding onto the sheet-anchor(Erasmus 139) to describe this. The sheet is the object that connects the anchor to the ship or the boat, this can be made of rope, line , or more commonly chain. The anchor is the place holder. It is responsible for keeping the ship steady in one place, It it a sign of coming to rest, laying roots, and holding ground. The Naval tradition of calling away the anchor detail to prep the ship for dropping anchor leads to a sigh of rest for the crew knowing that months of turmoil, of the ever changing sea, are over. Holding on to the sheet-anchor means holding fast to the ground you are set upon, your beliefs, your religions. Erasmus would imply to stay rooted in the Gospel.
A man should seek living water. In the desert Abraham dug wells (Erasmus 139). These wells allowed his people to continue life in the wilderness until they reached the land they were promised. The well is the source, and the water from the well the source of life in a harsh environment. Erasmus persuades the reader to see that the Word of God is the well which we find connection to the living water. In the New testament Jesus, to the Samaritan woman at a well, speaks that anyone who drinks from him will never be thirsty again. (New International Version, John 4:14) Erasmus warns us as you search out the well that is a source of living water you will come under attack by an enemy that will try to destroy your well. The Philistines were an enemy of the chosen people of God, they would attack a town and fill in the well. The Philistines in our life are more commonly identified as the people who reek of earthly things and twist the Gospel teaching to serve earthly appetites (Erasmus 139). These people will try to fill the well of your life to further their own pleasures and aspirations. Sometimes the well in our lives become filled in, but not to despair, because new wells can be dug, and hope restored much in the way Abraham sons would re-dig the wells destroyed by the Philistines(Erasmus 139).
Erasmus brought to the surface some of the actions of many Christians in the 15th and 16th century. Pilgrimages to the tombs of saints were very popular and thought to bring blessings to those who completed such journeys. Erasmus chastised these people calling to light that they worshiped the bones of Paul (Apostle of Jesus Christ) preserved in a relic casket, but do not worship the mind of Paul hidden away in his writings(Erasmus 145). Paul’s writing were not hidden behind a code to be decrypted, but in plain writing available to all those who could read. Regardless many still took no time to study his works and writing to apply them into life. To these individuals a pilgrimage was more important then a life of knowledge, the teaching of Christ either directly from Jesus or that of his disciples and apostles.
Preserve your soul, much in the way a person will instinctively remove themselves from a situation that would cause bodily harm or even death. As human beings we have hard wired into our nervous system the reflexes and automatic actions that pull our hand away from an object if upon first touch a burn or shock is received. These reflexes are automatic and preserve our body. In our reading Erasmus states “Death of the body frightens you, but much more to be dreaded is the death of the soul. Hemlock is a poison for the body, but much more deadly is the venom of the soul, sensual pleasures.”(Erasmus 143) These sensual pleasures will come at us in many forms but the same caution must be taken against all. Pursuit of the beauty of the body, even though that beauty is fading, will have no lasting reward on the other side of eternity. Turn from these earthly desires to the open arms of a loving God.
In conclusion Erasmus speaks a great wealth of knowledge for the reader to consider. In commentary on Erasmus writings, Cornelis Augustijn excellently summarizes “The most important part of self-knowledge is the realization that man in his soul belongs to the divine, but in his body to the animal world.” (43) He also quotes Paul in saying “ the flesh be despised as it is the source of contention.” (47) The struggles that many face in life are not to be taken lightly. They are not to be casually dismissed, but are to be properly dealt with. The true character of the soul is revealed through the actions that one takes in the secular world he or she lives in. What conclusions can be drawn about your sacred life, based upon the actions of your secular life? Erasmus would shine a flashlight into the darkness of our body, mind, and soul to expose those areas of conflict. People may tend to focus on the body aspect of life, the satisfaction of flesh and completely forgo the things that will produce a healthy soul. It is that healthy soul that will lead into a eternal life in heaven, but a life spent on earth searching to satisfy the body and flesh would result in an unhealthy soul destine for eternal fire and damnation.
Works Cited
Augustijn, Cornelis, Erasmus His Life, Works, and Influence. trans. J.C. Grayson Toronto, University of Toronto Press, Print
Rummel, Erkia Ed., The Erasmus Reader, Toronto, University of Toronto Press, Print
The Quest Study Bible: New International Version, Michigan: Zondervan Publish House, 1984. Print