Erasmus
Dutch Renaissance humanist and theologian
Erasmus of Rotterdam was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, priest and theologian. He prepared new Latin and Greek editions of the New Testament and wrote In Praise of Folly.
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Born 1466 in Rotterdam Died 1536
Influenced by Thomas More
About Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus, known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, was a classical scholar, teacher and social critic who wrote in Latin. As a Catholic priest, he prepared new Latin and Greek editions of the New Testament, and also edited works of the Church Fathers. His other writings include In Praise of Folly, On Free Will and Handbook of a Christian Knight. He lived as the Reformation was growing. He called for the Church to be reformed from within and stayed a Catholic all his life. He kept his distance from Martin Luther, and his middle path disappointed people on both sides. He died in Basel in 1536.