Desiderius Erasmus: Greatest Scholar Of The Northern Renaissance

Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (1467-1536) was a Dutch humanist and the greatest scholar of the Northern Renaissance (Britannica) who is remembered as "the crowning glory of the Christian humanists" (Wikipedia). He was undoubtedly one of the predominant classical humanist educator and critic of the Renaissance period (Gutek, 2011, p. 94). The Renaissance marked a shift in educational focus, from the Middle Ages “otherworldy” or heavenly view to a more “this-worldy” view which considered life in this world with its pleasures and purposes (Gutek, 2011, p. 95). This cultural and educational transition moved Europe from the medieval to the modern period of history (Gutek, 2011, p. 99). Erasmus’ in-depth research and thorough editing of classical

Like other Renaissance humanists Erasmus had become an expert in translating and interpreting the ancient Greek and Latin texts (Gutek, 2011, p. 97). He also held that reviving an interest in the classic texts would bring about a reexamination of The Bible as God’s authoritative revelation, free from any medieval scholastic framework (Gutek, 2011, p. 95) and felt obligated to purify doctrine by returning to the original languages of sacred Scripture (Wikipedia). Erasmus believed that people, through God’s enabling grace, could be guided towards moral piety through the proper education (Class Notes, Renaissance and Reformation) and that good literature and morality complimented each other (Gutek, 2011, p. 100). This thought was a consistent theme in his writings on education and was, according to Erasmus, a primary purpose for education (Class Notes, Renaissance and Reformation). Another purpose was found in instilling a love of learning through the liberal arts. Erasmus personally authored multiple critical writings on classical Greek and Latin authors as well as 5 works on humanist educational theory and multiple textbooks. However, although he esteemed the classical writers, especially the moral philosophers, his study and translation of The New testament made acutely aware of man's dependence on grace (Class Notes, Renaissance and