Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536)

Another academic book off the shelf, read, going bye-bye! It is my understanding that Eramus wrote these discussions so that school boys could memorize them as part of their education. He started out serious, but by the time he got to about the 100th one, he tone became ironic--or so my old notes from 50 years ago say. Craig R. Thompson is the translator of this book (1957) and has been criticized for his selection of the ten. It would seem others have varying opinions on which ones were more significant. My favorite was "Cyclops or the Gospel Bearer." This was written in play form where Cannius comes upon Polyphemus, a known womanizer and drunkard. Cannius discovers that Polyphemus is actually reading the Gospels. Cannius goes on a long rant/rave about wolves in sheep's clothing. The dialogue ends much as it began, with Cannius fully accusing Polyphemus as being a drunkard and Polyphemus admitting to the same 208 pages… (more)

Desiderius Erasmus was the most renowned scholar of his age, a celebrated humanist and classicist, and the first teacher of Greek at Cambridge. An influential figure in the Protestant Reformation, though without ever breaking from the Church himself, he satirised both human folly and the corruption of the Church.

Martin Luther was the founder of the German Reformation. His 95 Theses became a manifesto for reform of the Catholic Church and led to his being tried for heresy. He remained in Germany, professor of biblical exegesis at the University of Wittenberg, until his death, publishing a large number of works, including three major treatises and a translation of the New Testament into German.

Comprising Erasmus’s The Free Will and Luther’s The Bondage of the Will, Discourse on Free Will is a landmark text in the history of Protestantism. Encapsulating the perspective on free will of two of the most important figures in the history of Christianity, it remains to this day a powerful, thought-provoking, and timely work.… (more)