ERASMUS, DESIDERIUS

born Oct. 27, 1469, Rotterdam, Holland [now in The Netherlands] died July 12, 1536, Basel, Switz. humanist who was the greatest scholar of the northern Renaissance, the first editor of the New Testament, and also an important figure in patristics and classical literature. The son of Roger Gerard, a priest, and Margaret, a physician's daughter, Erasmus was reared in schools at Gouda, Deventer, and Utrecht, Holland. Later he was educated under the influence of the pietist devotio moderna, became an Augustinian canon, and was ordained a priest in 1492. Studies in Paris confirmed his dislike of Scholastic theology and brought him into contact with humanist groups. He visited England (14991500, 150506, 150914, and 1517), lectured at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and became well acquainted with Thomas More, John Fisher, and John Colet, who inspired him to study the Bible. Erasmus began to study Greek and visited Italy, where he widened his humanist contacts. He also spent four years at Louvain, Belg., six years at Freiberg, Ger., and the rest of his life in Basel, Switz. The writings of Erasmus, covering a wide variety of topics, rank him as one of the greatest scholars of his time. The Adagia (1500; Proverbes or Adagies), published in Venice and containing more than 3,000 proverbs collected from the works of the classical authors, established his reputation, and the Moriae encomium (c. 1511; The Praise of Folly) and his edition of the New Testament (1516) ensured it. born Oct. 27, 1469, Rotterdam, Holland [now in The Netherlands] died July 12, 1536, Basel, Switz. humanist who was the greatest scholar of the northern Renaissance, the first editor of the New Testament, and also an important figure in patristics and classical literature. Using the philological methods pioneered by Italian humanists, Erasmus helped lay the groundwork for the historical-critical study of the past, especially in his studies of the Greek New Testament and the Church Fathers. His educational writings contributed to the replacement of the older scholastic curriculum by the new humanist emphasis on the classics. By criticizing ecclesiastical abuses, while pointing to a better age in the distant past, he encouraged the growing urge for reform, which found expression both in the Protestant Reformation and in the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Finally, his independent stance in an age of fierce confessional controversyrejecting both Luther's doctrine of predestination and the powers that were claimed for the papacymade him a target of suspicion for loyal partisans on both sides and a beacon for those who valued liberty more than orthodoxy. Additional reading Life and intellectual development Paul Mestwerdt, Die Anfnge des Erasmus: Humanismus und devotio moderna (1917, reprinted 1971); Johan Huizinga, Erasmus of Rotterdam (1952; originally published in Dutch, 1924); Augustin Renaudet, rasme et l'Italie (1954); Roland H. Bainton, Erasmus of Christendom (1969, reissued 1982); and James D. Tracy, Erasmus, the Growth of a Mind (1972). Humanist and educational writings Analyses include William Harrison Woodward, Desiderius Erasmus Concerning the Aim and Method of Education (1904); Otto Schottenloher, Erasmus im Ringen um die humanistische Bildungsform (1933); and Jacques Chomarat, Grammaire et rhtorique chez Erasme, 2 vol. (1981). Theology and religious thought Alfons Auer, Die vollkommene Frmmigkeit des Christen: nach dem Enchiridion militis Christiani des Erasmus von Rotterdam (1954); C. Augustijn, Erasmus en de reformatie (1962); Harry McSorley, Luther: Right or Wrong?: An Ecumenical-Theological Study of Luther's Major Work, The Bondage of the Will (1968; originally published in German, 1967); John B. Payne, Erasmus: His Theology of the Sacraments (1970); and Georges Chantraine, Erasme et Luther libre et serf arbitre: tude historique et thologique (1981). Scholarly work and views Jerry H. Bentley, Humanists and Holy Writ: New Testament Scholarship in the Renaissance (1983); Erika Rummel, Erasmus as a Translator of the Classics (1985), and Erasmus' Annotations on the New Testament: From Philologist to Theologian (1986); Marcel Bataillon, rasme et l'Espagne: recherches sur l'histoire spirituelle du XVIe sicle (1937); Andreas Flitner, Erasmus im Urteil seiner Nachwelt (1952); Guido Kisch, Erasmus und die Jurisprudenz seiner Zeit (1960); James D. Tracy, The Politics of Erasmus: A Pacifist Intellectual and His Political Milieu (1978); and Bruce Mansfield, Phoenix of His Age: Interpretations of Erasmus c. 15501750 (1979). James D. Tracy Major Works: Theological Works Enchiridion militis Christiani (1503; The Manuell of the Christen Knyght, trans. by W. Tyndale, 1533); Annotationes in Novum Testamentum (1516); Paraphrases in Novum Testamentum (1517; Paraphrase of Erasmus upon the Newe Testamente, 1548); Ratio verae theologiae (1519); De libero arbitrio diatribe (1524); Hyperaspistes diatribae adversus servum arbitrium Martini Lutheri (1526). Educational And Occasional Writings Adagia (1500; Proverbs or Adagies, 1539); Moriae encomium (1511; The Praise of Folie, 1549); Institutio principis Christiani (1516; The Education of a Christian Prince, 1936); Querela pacis (1517; The Complaint of Peace, 1559); Colloquia (152233); Ciceronianus (1528; Ciceronianus: or, A Dialogue on the Best Style of Speaking, 1908); De pueris instituendis (1529). Collections And Translations Opera omnia, emendatiora et auctiora, 10 vol. in 11, ed. by Jean Leclerq (170306, reprinted 196162), remains the most complete and authoritative among the early editions. Opera omnia Desiderii Erasmi Roterodami: recognita et adnotatione critica instructa notisque illustrata (1969 ) is a modern critical and annotated edition by an international team of scholars, under the auspices of the Royal Academy of The Netherlands. The multivolume edition is arranged not chronologically but according to the canon laid down by Erasmus himself. Opus epistolarum Des. Erasmi Roterdami, ed. by P.S. Allen, 12 vol. (190658), is a standard edition of the correspondence of Erasmus, whose letters are indispensable for any understanding of his work. For translations, the ongoing series Collected Works of Erasmus (1974 ), published by the University of Toronto Press, has set high standards for accuracy. Other notable translations include The Adages of Erasmus: A Study with Translations, by Margaret Mann Phillips (1964); and The Colloquies of Erasmus, trans. by Craig R. Thompson (1965).