Friends and admirers, including Bishop John Fisher suggested that Erasmus write on the office of the Christian priesthood.
He also was a proponent of priests using the classical rhetorical tradition to supplement their ability to deliver sermons and serve their laity.
The priest learns a heavenly doctrine, transfers that knowledge into a better earthly life through the congregation, thereby affecting a right and peaceful relationship with God.
He writes: "If elephants can be trained to dance, lions to play and leopards to hunt, surely priests can be taught to preach."
"[2] According to Jesuit historian John O'Malley, it was "the longest, most learned, and most comprehensive study of the theory and practice of preaching published up to that time.
Erasmus was not the only figure at the time to voice similar concerns, but the Council of Trent did refer to the Ecclesiastes and used its thought while implementing reforms.