Erasmus, Desiderius

Erasmus, Desiderius (1446/9–1536), humanist. He became an Augustinian canon in 1487, but later left his monastery with the agreement of his superiors. For a time he joined Aldus Manutius' ‘New Academy’ in Venice, and while there published the Adagiorum chiliades, with which he achieved international fame. He was the first teacher of Greek at Cambridge. In 1521 he settled at Basle, in the house of J. Froben, refusing all offers of official position. When the Reformation was introduced at Basle in 1529, he fled to Freiburg.

Erasmus' Praise of Folly (1509) is a bitter satire on monasticism and the corruptions of the Church. In 1516 his celebrated Greek NT appeared, with his own translation into classical Latin. Next to his Greek NT, his most important work was probably his attempt to print reliable texts of the Fathers, though in some cases his own share in the editions perhaps did not go much beyond writing the prefaces. He was the most renowned scholar of his age. Though he paved the way for the Reformation by his satires, he remained loyal to the Church as the safeguard of stability.