Story of Erasmus of Rotterdam
Story of Erasmus of Rotterdam
Erasmus’ attitude toward learning embodies important aspects of cultural change in the 16th century. “He was a man of deep religious feelings and conviction, an independent thinker, greatest philologist of his time and one of the greatest of all times, a staunch defender of human reason, opposed Luther’s teachings, religious reformer, and a fearless critic” (Runes p.184). Erasmus did and thought many things in his lifetime. His philosophy was mainly based on God and the Church. He was a true man of letters, he wrote and translated tirelessly; arguing, teaching, and campaigning for the purification of the Church. People believed he was a variety of things, but he conceived of himself as a preacher of righteousness and was convinced that what was needed to regenerate Europe was sound learning. He was a man who hated ignorance as much as Luther and Calvin hated sin.
Desiderius Erasmus was born in October of 1469 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. His father, Gerard, was a priest and his mother was a daughter of a physician. His childhood was apparently very unhappy, and so was his youth. He mentioned it with bitterness. He had a mother named Margaret and a brother named Peter. It was said that he had hated his brother. He did not claim his father, and denied using his name. Since he was born out of wedlock, his birth was not blessed. His parent’s story is a unique one. His father’s parents pressured him into priesthood, but he was living with a view to marriage with Erasmus’ mother, Margaret. His family harassed him so much that he left Margaret pregnant, and fled to Rome. His family sent him word that she had died and he returned home only to find that he had been deceived, for Margaret was still alive. “His parents love affair was the base of Charles Read’s novel The Cloister and the Hearth” (Erasmus p.8).
Many major historical events happened in his time, such as the Luther Reformation. Erasmus was involved a lot in the reformation of the Roman-Catholic Church. Most of the books written about Erasmus have a lot to say about the disagreements between Luther and Erasmus. Also, the French-Burgundism wars began shortly before Erasmus was born and lasted all the years that he lived in Holland. Where he lived was a dull and oppressive place because of the collapse of civil...