From Shimon Markish, Erasmus and the Jews (1987) onward, the lenient narrative of Erasmus’s attitude toward the Jews is critically discussed here. Cornelis AugustijnCornelis Augustijn (1928–2008) emphasized that when Erasmus wrote against Judaism, he primarily meant Christians who focused on ceremony and ritual instead of the Evangelion. Dominic Baker-SmithDominic Baker-Smith went on to explain that Erasmus was concerned with the deterioration of Christianity into a “Jewish mentality.” Christians could mentally become Jews. Accordingly, in Erasmus’s mind, Judaism meant mentality and culture, without any ethnic significance. Han Van RulerHan Van Ruler argued that Erasmus hated Judaism but not Jews. This line of interpretation is reaffirmed by Terence J. Martin, providing the updated version of the lenient narrative and arguing that Erasmus polemicized not against living Jews and actual Judaism, but against the legalismlegalism and ceremonialism of his Catholic tradition.