The Erasmus Reader

by Erasmus, Erika Rummel (Editor)

'A judicious and discerning selection of large extracts from the "Collected Works of Erasmus" ... thoughtfully designed to include major statements of Erasmus on civility in individual morals, humanistic study and education, the Christian life, reform of the church, and the peaceful constraint of political force. It is to my mind the most comprehensive and penetrating anthology of Erasmus' writing, forcefully revealing his central values.' - Charles Trinkaus, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Michigan

'Rummel's collection makes available readable translations of Erasmus' most original and influential works - the books that made him the intellectual conscience of his generation of scholars and the inspiration of many Reformers who took positions he did not accept. They reveal the biblical scholar, the humanist and literary theorist, and the social critic that Erasmus was, far more fully and vividly than any previous anthology.' - Anthony Grafton, Program in History of Science, Princeton University

'The high quality of the Toronto edition of the "Collected Works of Erasmus" has earned it a central place in the libraries of scholars around the world. "The Erasmus Reader" extends this impact to the carrels and desks of beginning and advanced students of Renaissance and Reformation history.' - Heiko A. Oberman, Director, Division for Late Medieval and Reformation Studies, University of Arizona

Genres: Philosophy, Classics

376 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 1990

About the author

Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (28 October 1466 – 12 July 1536), known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, social critic, teacher, and theologian.

Erasmus was a classical scholar and wrote in a pure Latin style. Among humanists he enjoyed the sobriquet "Prince of the Humanists", and has been called "the crowning glory of the Christian humanists". Using humanist techniques for working on texts, he prepared important new Latin and Greek editions of the New Testament, which raised questions that would be influential in the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation. He also wrote On Free Will, The Praise of Folly, Handbook of a Christian Knight, On Civility in Children, Copia: Foundations of the Abundant Style, Julius Exclusus, and many other works.

Erasmus lived against the backdrop of the growing European religious Reformation, but while he was critical of the abuses within the Catholic Church and called for reform, he kept his distance from Luther and Melanchthon and continued to recognise the authority of the pope, emphasizing a middle way with a deep respect for traditional faith, piety and grace, rejecting Luther's emphasis on faith alone. Erasmus remained a member of the Roman Catholic Church all his life, remaining committed to reforming the Church and its clerics' abuses from within. He also held to the Catholic doctrine of free will, which some Reformers rejected in favor of the doctrine of predestination. His middle road approach disappointed and even angered scholars in both camps.

Erasmus died suddenly in Basel in 1536 while preparing to return to Brabant, and was buried in the Basel Minster, the former cathedral of the city. A bronze statue of him was erected in his city of birth in 1622, replacing an earlier work in stone.

Reviews

[Lydia Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a lot of thoughts on this book and enjoyed a lot . Favorite part has been Julius excluded from heaven.
pg 231 & 232
The whole thing was just great to read since I feel like it reminds me of the Catholic church today. Gathering and living its highest and best on earth but the morals and love for Christ was never there. The one who was supposed to be closest to him on earth wasn’t even known at the gate of heaven. I respected that he really did try to help the leaders change and start following and teaching the Bible. He got a lot of hate in his time for trying to teach to have the truth out for the public in a simple and understandable way .

The reason for the 4 stars was because I got a headache everytime I read. It’s not his fault it’s reader error :)

[Ray Stafford · Rating 2 out of 5]

the satire was the only thing that made this worth reading, i found myself disagreeing with him a lot, especially his humanistic principles.