Erasmus became completely fluent not just in classical and medieval Latin, but in the Greek of the New Testament. (Most of the earliest versions of the New Testament of the Christian Bible are written...Erasmus became completely fluent not just in classical and medieval Latin, but in the Greek of the New Testament. (Most of the earliest versions of the New Testament of the Christian Bible are written in the vernacular Greek of the first century CE). The Christian message that emerged from the “correct” version of the New Testament was a deeply personal philosophy of prayer, devotion, and morality that did not correspond to many of the structures and practices of the Latin Church.