How did Desiderius Erasmus respond to Martin Luther’s early writings?

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Portrait of Desiderius Erasmus, shown in dark robes and cap, writing with a quill at a desk, after Quinten Massijs, oil on panel, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. — Erasmus Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus.

Desiderius Erasmus’s initial response to Martin Luther’s writings was characterized by a mix of admiration and cautious detachment. While he recognized early on that they held differing interpretations of St. Paul, Erasmus found much to admire in Luther’s work prior to 1520, even describing him to Pope Leo X as a "mighty trumpet of Gospel truth."1

However, Erasmus was deeply concerned that the Reformation would destroy "good letters" and lead to destructive conflict. To avoid being associated with the movement, he privately instructed his printer to stop publishing Luther’s works as early as 1518 and eventually moved to Basel to escape pressure to write against him.1

Erasmus fundamentally believed in the unity of the church and viewed the schism as a result of anticlericalism rather than purely theological disagreement. He hoped for reconciliation by easing church burdens, such as allowing priests to marry, rather than engaging in the "cruel logic" of persecution.1