Erasmus

Erasmus, full name Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus,^[1] (28 October, probably 1466 in Rotterdam – 12 July 1536 in Basel) was a Dutch humanist, theologian and philosopher.

Erasmus was a classical scholar who wrote in a "pure" Latin style. Although he was a Catholic, he was critical of abuses in the Roman Catholic Church and wrote satires of them. He stood at the beginning of the reformation.

The following information from * to * is sourced from 'Oxford AQA History A LEVEL, The Tudors: England 1485-1603:

*He visited England four times, his most important visit being from 1509 to 1514 when he was appointed to a professorship at Cambridge University. During this visit, he also became a well known figure around the court of King Henry VIII.

In 1516, he published a Greek New Testament complete with a new Latin translation.

Some of his works include Julius Excluded from Heaven, On Civility in Children, The Praise of Folly, Discourse on Free Will, Copia: Foundations of the Abundant Style and a Handbook of a Christian Knight.

Although he was an important humanist figure who inspired who had some influence on the younger generations of English Humanists, the scope of Erasmian humanism is quite limited and much of the change that took place in England at this time stemmed from the influence of new religious thinking rather than simply scholarly Renaissance humanism.

The term Erasmianism is defined as the body of ideas that is associated with Erasmus and his followers. *