On the other hand, he also became repelled by the aggression of Luther, who was a born contrarian and fighter. Erasmus was not of that type, and he thought that it would make more sense “to mitigate through courteous treatment an issue sharp by its very nature than to add ill will to ill will.” Courtesy, of course, was everything to him: more than just a social veneer, it was the very basis for all mutual respect and concord. He and Luther had theological disagreements, too, notably on the question of human free will. (Erasmus, remaining consistent with the church’s position, believed that
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