"All Europe, including Erasmus, has followed Luther"

Julien Benda, in his statement "All Europe, including Erasmus, has followed Luther," touches upon the profound influence Martin Luther had on the social and religious structures of Europe. To unpack this quote, one should look into the historic context and the characters included.

Martin Luther, a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation, challenged the Roman Catholic Church's doctrines in the early 16th century, triggering a chain of occasions that would improve European society. Luther's 95 Theses slammed the corruption within the Church, particularly the sale of extravagances, and promoted for a go back to scriptural foundations. What followed was not simply a religious turmoil but a cultural and intellectual transformation that spread out throughout Europe, leading to the establishment of Protestantism as a major branch of Christianity.

Julien Benda's mention of Erasmus is especially poignant. Desiderius Erasmus was a Dutch Renaissance humanist and theologian known for his critical yet reformist method to Christianity. Although Erasmus shared Luther's criticisms of Church abuses and promoted for reform, he ultimately picked not to break away from the Catholic Church. His emphasis on humanism and rationality stood in contrast to Luther's more extreme method. By including Erasmus in his declaration, Benda symbolizes the extensive nature of Luther's impact, suggesting even those who may have ideologically disagreed with or were more moderate than Luther were nonetheless influenced by the tidal wave of change he initiated.

Thus, the declaration encapsulates a historical acknowledgment that Luther's doctrinal and ideological impact penetrated practically all intellectual and spiritual circles in Europe. It underscores the dichotomy of thought in that period-- between reform and disobedience, in between Erasmus's humanism and Luther's radicalism. Benda highlights Luther's critical function in shifting Europe far from a particular religious orthodoxy towards a landscape of diverse theological discourse, which, in lots of methods, laid the groundwork for modern Western thought. Luther's influence, as recommended by Benda, was so profound that it swept throughout Europe, impacting both those who looked for reform within the Church and those who looked for to redefine it entirely.