Erasmus 1466 – 1536

Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, and one of the most influential European intellectuals of the early 16th century. His critical edition of the Greek New Testament, published in 1516, was foundational for Renaissance and Reformation biblical scholarship. His satirical work In Praise of Folly, published in 1511, is one of the masterpieces of the Northern Renaissance, lampooning the corruption of the Church and the pretensions of scholastic philosophy in equal measure. His Adages, a collection of classical proverbs with extensive commentary, transmitted ancient wisdom to a wide European audience and went through many editions in his lifetime. Although a sharp critic of clerical abuses, he refused to break with the Catholic Church during the Reformation, taking issue with both Luther's doctrines and the Church's resistance to reform.