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What did Desiderius Erasmus stand for?
He embraced the humanistic belief in an individual's capacity for self-improvement and the fundamental role of education in raising human beings above the level of brute animals. The thrust of Erasmus' educational programme was the promotion of docta pietas, learned piety, or what he termed the “philosophy of Christ”.
What does Erasmus mean in history?
Erasmus, in full Desiderius Erasmus, (born October 27, 1469 [1466?], Rotterdam, Holland [now in the Netherlands]—died July 12, 1536, Basel, Switzerland), Dutch 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 ...
What does Erasmus mean in the Renaissance?
Erasmus was a Dutch Renaissance Humanist, Catholic priest, social critic, teacher, and theologian known as the “Prince of the Humanists” for his influential scholarship and writings.
What did Erasmus write about and why?
In the early 1500s, Erasmus was persuaded to teach at Cambridge and lecture in theology. It was during this time that he wrote The Praise of Folly, a satirical examination of society in general and the various abuses of the Church.
Where is the name Erasmus from?
The distinguished German surname Erasmus is derived from the Greek term "erasmos," meaning "loved," and was initially used as a personal name. It was most likely originally borne as a surname by the son of someone named Erasmus or a variation of it.
What are three facts about Erasmus?
ErasmusDied of dysentary in 1536.Considered to have rescued theology from the pedantries (formalism) of Schoolmen.Revered for exposing the abuses of the Church.Believed to have done more than any other single person to advance the "Revival of Learning."
How did Erasmus impact the Renaissance?
Erasmus contributed to the Renaissance by revising ancient works and translating them into Greek and Latin such as the Bible. Erasmus also contributed to the Reformation by calling for reform in the Church through his various satirical works.
Why can Erasmus be called a humanist?
At the same time, Erasmus was greatly inspired by the classics. For Erasmus, ancient Greek and Roman authors – while technically pagan – were “the very fountain-head” of “almost all knowledge.” Because of his love of the ancients, he is often called a Renaissance humanist, or, more appropriately, a Christian humanist.
Why did Erasmus translate the Bible?
Erasmus decided in 1515 to offer a new edition of the New Testament to the Christian Europe of his time. Deeply inspired by this text, and seeking to bring about the rebirth of apostolic times, those blessed times of Christianity, he wanted to correct the Vulgate more so than offer a new translation of the work.
What is Erasmus best known for?
Desiderius Erasmus was one of the leading activists and thinkers of the European Renaissance. His main activity was to write letters to the leading statesmen, humanists, printers, and theologians of the first three and a half decades of the sixteenth century.
Who was the father of humanism?
PetrarchToday, people call Petrarch the “father of humanism” and even the “first modern scholar.” Petrarch's humanism appears in his many poems, letters, essays, and biographies that looked back to ancient pagan Roman times.
What did Erasmus believe about free will?
Erasmus defines free will: “By freedom of the will we understand in this connection the power of the human will whereby man can apply to or turn away from that which leads unto eternal salvation.” Luther says that man is unable to do anything but continue to sin, except for God's grace.
Who was Erasmus in the Renaissance?
(Show more) Full Article. Erasmus, in full Desiderius Erasmus, (born October 27, 1469 [1466?], Rotterdam, Holland [now in the Netherlands]—died July 12, 1536, Basel, Switzerland), Dutch humanist who was the greatest scholar of the northern Renaissance, the first editor of the New Testament, and also an important figure in ...
What did Erasmus do in his time in England?
Little is known of Erasmus’s long stay in England (1509–14), except that he lectured at Cambridge and worked on scholarly projects, including the Greek text of the New Testament. His later willingness to speak out as he did may have owed something to the courage of Colet, who risked royal disfavour by preaching a sermon against war at the court just as Henry VIII was looking for a good war in which to win his spurs. Having returned to the Continent, Erasmus made connections with the printing firm of Johann Froben and traveled to Basel to prepare a new edition of the Adagia (1515). In this and other works of about the same time Erasmus showed a new boldness in commenting on the ills of Christian society—popes who in their warlike ambition imitated Caesar rather than Christ; princes who hauled whole nations into war to avenge a personal slight; and preachers who looked to their own interests by pronouncing the princes’ wars just or by nurturing superstitious observances among the faithful. To remedy these evils Erasmus looked to education. In particular, the training of preachers should be based on “the philosophy of Christ” rather than on Scholastic methods. Erasmus tried to show the way with his annotated text of the Greek New Testament and his edition of St. Jerome ’s Opera omnia, both of which appeared from the Froben press in 1516. These were the months in which Erasmus thought he saw “the world growing young again,” and the full measure of his optimism is expressed in one of the prefatory writings to the New Testament: “If the Gospel were truly preached, the Christian people would be spared many wars.”
What did Erasmus urge readers to do?
In this work Erasmus urged readers to “inject into the vitals” the teachings of Christ by studying and meditating on the Scriptures, using the spiritual interpretation favoured by the “ancients” to make the text pertinent to moral concerns.
What did Erasmus do after his parents died?
Erasmus would remember this school only for a severe discipline intended, he said, to teach humility by breaking a boy’s spirit.
What was Erasmus clever enough to write?
The schoolboy Erasmus was clever enough to write classical Latin verse that impresses a modern reader as cosmopolitan. After both parents died, the guardians of the two boys sent them to a school in ’s-Hertogenbosch conducted by the Brethren of the Common Life, a lay religious movement that fostered monastic vocations.
What did Erasmus do to help the Church?
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.
Where did Erasmus live in 1502?
By 1502 Erasmus had settled in the university town of Leuven (Brabant [now in Belgium]) and was reading Origen and St. Paul in Greek. The fruit of his labours was Enchiridion militis Christiani (1503/04; Handbook of a Christian Knight ).
