23 Nov 2004
Desiderius Erasmus (1466?-1536)
Major works
• 1516 edition of the Greek New Testament
• Diatribe on Free Will (1524)
Importance
• Leading Christian humanist of the Reformation
• Advocate of reform through scholarly effort. He was the epitome of Renassiance Humanism.
• Criticized the Pope and the Catholic Church for its corruption but did not advocate leaving the church as Luther would eventually do.
• Encouraged Luther before the Leipzig debate and thereafter began to criticize him. Erasmus disagreed with Luther over the issue of free-will.
• Rejected Plato's concept of the "Philosopher-Kings." According to Erasmus, philosophers would make the worst political leaders.
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