Early Years: Desiderius Erasmus was born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands on October 28, probably in the year 1466. Little is known of his parents other than they were not legally married, the mother was a daughter of a physician, the father later became a priest and that they both died of the plague in 1483. The appointed guardians of Erasmus ensured that he was well educated by enrolling him in monastic schools.Life and Works: Erasmus was ordained a priest in the Order of St. Augustine in 1492. Shortly thereafter, he became the secretary to the Bishop of Cambray. Two years later the in 1495, the Bishop allowed Erasmus to study in Paris. This truly was the beginnings of a lifetime of international study. From Paris he traveled to England, then to Italy and back to England. From this point on, Erasmus began to write in earnest. He was so prolific that in the 1530s ten to twenty percent of all book sales were from his pen. Possibly the most influential of his publications was his Greek New Testament.
This was initiated at the request of a famous Swiss printer named Froben. Froben knew that Cardinal and Archbishop of Toledo, Spain, Francisco Ximenes de Cisneros was working on a Greek edition. Froben wanted the honor of being the first to print. Erasmus moved to Basel, Switzerland and set to work. In order to be first, it was done in great haste, being completed in a mere eleven months. Consequently, the first edition was full of printing errors.
Erasmus and his work was criticized for contending that the Greek text was more accurate than the Latin Vulgate. He defended his preference of the Greek text over the Latin Vulgate: “But one thing the facts cry out, and it can be clear, as they say, even to a blind man, that often through the translator’s clumsiness or inattention the Greek has been wrongly rendered; often the true and genuine reading has been corrupted by ignorant scribes, which we see happen every day, or altered by scribes who are half-taught and half-asleep. Which man encourages falsehood more, he who corrects and restores these passages, or he who would rather see an error added than removed.” (Desiderius Erasmus, Jesse Kelley Sowards, “Collected Works of Erasmus: Controversies”, Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, [1993], pg 26)
In spite of the uproar and possibly because of it, Erasmus’ Greek New Testament was well received. Later editions corrected the errors and these subsequent editions went on to form the basis for the translation of Martin Luther’s German Bible and Tyndale’s English Bible. It also formed the core of the Stephanus edition of the Greek scriptures from which the Geneva Bible and the King James Version of the Bible was translated.
Final Years: Throughout his life, Erasmus continued his journeys and his writing. He lived during the initial phases of the reformation. He tried to remain impartial and above the fray saying, “I detest dissension because it goes both against the teachings of Christ and against a secret inclination of nature. I doubt that either side in the dispute can be suppressed without grave loss.” For this he was both respected and disliked by both parties. He angered Luther because he supported the doctrine of Free Will, which Luther detested. Though he refused to become a Protestant, he angered the Catholics because he felt that the common people should have access to the Bible. Some Catholics felt he should have used his popularity to take a stronger stance against Luther. Some Protestants thought he was too harsh in his criticisms. Most respected him for his brilliance. When Basel officially “reformed” in 1529, Erasmus moved to the Catholic city of Frieburb im Briesgau. Erasmus returned to Protestant Basel in 1535 and died there on July 12, 1536 from a sudden onset of dysentery. He was buried in the newly “reformed” Basel cathedral. Interestingly, after his death, the Catholics censored his works and the Protestants voraciously read them.
Quotations from: Desiderius Erasmus
This was initiated at the request of a famous Swiss printer named Froben. Froben knew that Cardinal and Archbishop of Toledo, Spain, Francisco Ximenes de Cisneros was working on a Greek edition. Froben wanted the honor of being the first to print. Erasmus moved to Basel, Switzerland and set to work. In order to be first, it was done in great haste, being completed in a mere eleven months. Consequently, the first edition was full of printing errors.
Erasmus and his work was criticized for contending that the Greek text was more accurate than the Latin Vulgate. He defended his preference of the Greek text over the Latin Vulgate: “But one thing the facts cry out, and it can be clear, as they say, even to a blind man, that often through the translator’s clumsiness or inattention the Greek has been wrongly rendered; often the true and genuine reading has been corrupted by ignorant scribes, which we see happen every day, or altered by scribes who are half-taught and half-asleep. Which man encourages falsehood more, he who corrects and restores these passages, or he who would rather see an error added than removed.” (Desiderius Erasmus, Jesse Kelley Sowards, “Collected Works of Erasmus: Controversies”, Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press, [1993], pg 26)
In spite of the uproar and possibly because of it, Erasmus’ Greek New Testament was well received. Later editions corrected the errors and these subsequent editions went on to form the basis for the translation of Martin Luther’s German Bible and Tyndale’s English Bible. It also formed the core of the Stephanus edition of the Greek scriptures from which the Geneva Bible and the King James Version of the Bible was translated.
Final Years: Throughout his life, Erasmus continued his journeys and his writing. He lived during the initial phases of the reformation. He tried to remain impartial and above the fray saying, “I detest dissension because it goes both against the teachings of Christ and against a secret inclination of nature. I doubt that either side in the dispute can be suppressed without grave loss.” For this he was both respected and disliked by both parties. He angered Luther because he supported the doctrine of Free Will, which Luther detested. Though he refused to become a Protestant, he angered the Catholics because he felt that the common people should have access to the Bible. Some Catholics felt he should have used his popularity to take a stronger stance against Luther. Some Protestants thought he was too harsh in his criticisms. Most respected him for his brilliance. When Basel officially “reformed” in 1529, Erasmus moved to the Catholic city of Frieburb im Briesgau. Erasmus returned to Protestant Basel in 1535 and died there on July 12, 1536 from a sudden onset of dysentery. He was buried in the newly “reformed” Basel cathedral. Interestingly, after his death, the Catholics censored his works and the Protestants voraciously read them.
Quotations from: Desiderius Erasmus
“When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.”
“In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.”
“Wherever you encounter truth, look upon it as Christianity.”
“I am a citizen of the world, known to all and to all a stranger.”
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