ERASMUS

Desiderius Erasmus, was one of the greatest Dutch scholar's, his original name was Gerard, but he changed it according to the fashion of the time. After the death of his parents, whom he lost in his fourteenth year, he was schooled by an association of clergymen called the Brethren of the Common Life, compelled to enter a Augustinian monastery; and at the age of seventeen (1488) assumed the monastic habit, but he came to hate this way of life. The Bishop of Cambrai, delivered him with Erasmus becoming his secretary. In 1492 he traveled to Paris to perfect himself in theology and literature. He there became the instructor of several rich Englishmen, from one of whom Lord Mountjoy - he received a pension for life. He accompanied them to England where he found a group of scholars eager to master ancient Greek

Through his encouragement on his visits to England (1499- 1500,1505-6 and 1509-14) John Colet, the founder of St. Paul's School, and John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester and an eminent theologian, learnt Greek .

He also befriended and corresponded with Thomas More, the Chancellor of England, who, possibly at the instigation of Henry VIII, wrote to the University of Oxford urging it to abandon resistance to the study of Greek. His letters are very valuable in reference to the history of that period, his 12 volumes of letters, written in Latin, are flattering, and most are written in a style intentionally artificial. He wrote his Moriae Encomium (In Praise of Folly) while residing with Sir Thomas More an entertaining work with a play on his friend's surname, though the book is hardly read now .Erasmus was appointed Margaret professor of divinity and Greek lecturer at Cambridge .

More and Fisher ended as martyrs; Erasmus avoided having to pay such a price for his beliefs. In 1514 he returned to the Continent and lived chiefly at Basel. As well as extensive learning Erasmus had a refined taste and a delicate wit, books such as Colloquies eased his lack of money. Luther, once remarked that "to this barefaced scoundrel, God is merely funny". When Luther threatened to denounce him in print, he replied that he welcomed the prospect.

Although ho took no direct part in the Reformation, and was reproached by Luther, he attacked the disorders of monasticism and superstition, and everywhere promoted the cause of truth. He recognised the importance of the belief in the Apostle's and was disappointed by the disputes about theological opinion. The educational tradition of the universities of medieval Europe which both Luther and Erasmus were against were not those based on the theology of Thomas Aquinas, but that of the late medieval followers of William of Ockham.

It was not until 1517, aged 50, that the Pope relieved him from his monastic vows, he remained a priest and was not at liberty to marry. He wanted to revive bible study according to the principles of the early Fathers of the Church, Erasmus thought Greek to be a classical medium, and a better way of understanding the Bible.

He established a Greek text of the New Testament, by looking for the "best manuscripts" during his time in Cambridge. In 1517 the first edition of the Greek Testament from MSS. (with Latin translation), appeared. Through lack of patience or resources, he had hurried it to the press. It differed from the commonly used Vulgate, made by St. Jerome, and contained many misprints. The Greek text of the Complutensian Polyglot, sponsored by the Spaniard, Cardinal Ximenes was better. But the Polyglot was limited to 600 copies and was very expensive. Erasmus's edition was cheaper and was often reprinted, it was on his work that future scholars refined.

Erasmus had long resisted writing against Luther, he pointed out that he had devoted his life to the text of the Greek Bible and had no time to master debates about grace and predestination.

But in 1524, he took on Luther in a book, De Libero Arbitrio, on free will. It was praised by both the Pope and Henry VIII, and brought a reply from Luther, De Servo Arbitrio, on the bondage of the will .

He thanks Erasmus for not having "wearied me with such peripheral topics as the papacy, purgatory, indulgences and so on". - that - "The elect, who fear God," , - " will be reformed by the Holy Spirit; the rest will perish unreformed."

But Erasmus could not abide such a vision of a God. "We have had enough of quarrels," Erasmus wrote in 1533, three years before his death. "Perhaps sheer weariness may bring us together in concord, to dwell in the house of the Lord as friends." (he died 1536).