Desiderius Erasmus

Definition

Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1469-1536) was a Dutch humanist scholar considered one of the greatest thinkers of the Renaissance. A prolific writer who made full use of the printing press, he produced editions of classical authors, educational treatises, translations, dialogues, and letters. Erasmus was a great champion of education, believing this was the best way to reform the medieval church.

More about: Desiderius Erasmus

Timeline

  • c. 1469 - 1536
    Life of the Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus.
  • 27 Oct 1469
    The Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus is born in Rotterdam.
  • c. 1487
    Desiderius Erasmus joins the monastery of the Augustinian monastic order in Steyn.
  • Apr 1492
    Desiderius Erasmus is ordained as a priest.
  • 1495
    Desiderius Erasmus studies theology at the University of Paris.
  • 1499
    The Dutch Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus travels to England.
  • 1500
    Desiderius Erasmus produces his Adagiorum Collectanea, an annotated collection of Greek and Latin adages. It is revised in 1508 and 1515 CE.
  • c. 1504
    The Dutch Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus publishes his Enchiridion Militis Christiani (Handbook of the Christian Soldier).
  • 1506 - 1509
    The Dutch Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus spends time in Italy.
  • 1509 - 1514
    The Dutch Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus stays in England for a second time.
  • 1511
    The Dutch Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus publishes his Moriae Encomium (Praise of Folly) which pokes fun at elements of Catholicism.
  • 1512
    The Dutch Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus publishes his On Copia which teaches students how to argue, revise texts, and produce new ones.
  • 1516
    The Dutch Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus publishes his Latin and Greek translation of the New Testament (Novum instrumentum).
  • 1516 - 1517
    The Dutch Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus publishes his Institutio principis Christiani (Education of a Christian Prince) and Querela pacis (Complaint of Peace).
  • 1 Mar 1516
    The humanist thinker Desiderius Erasmus publishes the first edition of his Greek New Testament, printed in Basel, Switzerland, and correcting many passages of the officially accepted Vulgate translation. The work helped encourage further challenges to ecclesiastical authority in the year before the start of the Protestant Reformation.
  • 1518
    The Dutch Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus joins the faculty of theology at the university in Leuven.
  • 1521 - 1529
    The Dutch Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus lives in Basel, Switzerland.
  • c. 1524
    The Dutch Reniassance scholar Desiderius Erasmus publishes his Paraphrases of the Four Gospels.
  • c. 1524
    The Dutch Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus publishes his De Libero Animo, an argument on free will directed against Martin Luther.
  • 1528
    The Dutch Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus publishes his Ciceronianus, an attack on those scholars too preoccupied with Cicero.
  • 12 Jul 1536
    The Dutch Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus dies in Basel, Switzerland.
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