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Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536)

Author of In Praise of Folly

507+ Works 8,959 Members 95 Reviews 15 Favorited

About the Author

Desiderius Erasmus was born, probably in 1469, in Rotterdam, Holland. He studied in Paris, traveled in England, Germany, and Italy, and wrote in Latin. Living at the time of the Renaissance when most intellectual concepts were being examined, Erasmus was a great admirer of the ancient writers and show more edited many of their works. Erasmus remained a Roman Catholic, but believed that many of the priests and theologians had distorted the simple teachings of Jesus. He published an edition of the New Testament-the first edition in the original Greek-in order to make clear the essential teachings of Christianity. Erasmus liked above all things clear and honest thinking; he despised intolerance and persecution. He was the greatest of the humanists because his books, more effectively than any others, propagated a humane philosophy of life, teaching that one's chief duties are to be intelligent, open-minded, and charitable. The most famous and the most influential of Erasumus' books were The Praise of Folly (1509) and Colloquies (1518). These works, written in lively, colloquial, and witty Latin, expressed his ideas on the manners and customs of his time. Erasmus exerted a powerful influence not only through his books, but also through the private letters that he wrote to a great number of humanist scholars in all parts of Western Europe. He carried on extensive correspondences with Thomas More of England. More than 1500 of his letters survive today. Erasmus died in Basel, Switzerland, on July 12, 1536. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

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Series

Works by Desiderius Erasmus

In Praise of Folly (1509) 3,930 copies
The Essential Erasmus (1964) 577 copies
Discourse on Free Will (1524) 570 copies
The Complaint of Peace (1518) 95 copies
The colloquies of Erasmus (1947) 87 copies
The Enchiridion of Erasmus (1905) 84 copies
The Erasmus Reader (1990) 76 copies
Etiquette (2001) 40 copies
Controversies (1989) 32 copies
Adagia: Lateinisch/Deutsch (1983) 23 copies
Julius excluded from heaven (1968) 22 copies
Brieven van Erasmus (1986) 22 copies
Oorlog (1515) 18 copies
Against War (2007) 16 copies
Oeuvres choisies (2001) 11 copies
The Education of Children (1990) 11 copies
Het boek tegen de barbarij (2001) 11 copies
The Apophthegmes of Erasmus (2014) 10 copies
Het leven van Hieronymus (1942) 9 copies
Selections from Erasmus (1908) 8 copies
De draagbare Erasmus (1993) 7 copies
Erasmo (Spanish Edition) (2011) 7 copies
Il disprezzo del mondo (2000) 6 copies
Lof der geneeskunde (1518) 6 copies
The Bible Exposed (2007) 5 copies
Erasmus von Rotterdam (2020) 5 copies
Trzy rozprawy (1990) 5 copies
Diálogo Ciceroniano (1900) 4 copies
I colloqui (2017) 4 copies
Paralleli, ovvero similitudini (2022) — Author — 3 copies
Prefazioni ai Vangeli (2021) 3 copies
Erasmo da Rotterdam (2020) 3 copies
Erasmus (1973) 3 copies
Rukouksia (2006) 3 copies
De Turkenkrijg (1530) 3 copies
The epistles of Erasmus (2009) 3 copies
Sulla pace (2005) 2 copies
Vieillir (1518) 2 copies
Erasmus: Stultitiae Laus (1991) 2 copies
La Misericonrdia di Dio (2016) 2 copies
Ausgewählte Texte (1991) 2 copies
Il lamento della pace (1990) 2 copies
OBRAS ESCOGIDAS 2 copies
Modi di dire (2013) 2 copies
No puc no parlar (2018) 1 copy
Epistolario 1 copy
Kršćanski vladar (2011) 1 copy
[Works] 1 copy
Civilite puerile (1999) 1 copy
Les Invectives (1997) 1 copy
Die Klage des Friedens (2017) 1 copy
Elogio alla follia (2022) 1 copy
Briefe 1 copy
Novum instrumentum (1986) 1 copy
Wybór pism (1992) 1 copy
Apophthegmes (1969) 1 copy
De spons 1 copy
[Erasmus] 1 copy
Aforismen 1 copy
A Sermon Made Unto Him (2013) 1 copy
De Contemptu Mundi (1967) 1 copy
Opere scelte 1 copy
Colloques choisis (1927) 1 copy
Adagios 1 copy
Erasmus on his Times (1967) 1 copy
Von walfart 1 copy
Lingua (2007) 1 copy

Associated Works

The Penguin Book of Exorcisms (2020) — Contributor — 55 copies
More's Utopia and its critics (1964) — Contributor — 21 copies
Masters of British Literature, Volume A (2007) — Contributor — 20 copies
O muze kom nu voort : ontluikende renaissance (1973) — Contributor — 20 copies
Mitt skattkammer. b.9 Gjennom tidene — Contributor — 9 copies
Erasmus : de actualiteit van zijn denken (1986) — honoree — 7 copies

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Members

Discussions

Folio Archives 256: Praise of Folly by Erasmus 1974 in Folio Society Devotees (November 2022)

Reviews

 
Flagged
SrMaryLea | 2 other reviews | Aug 23, 2023 |
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)
 
Flagged
Rawderson_Rangel | 2 other reviews | Sep 30, 2022 |
 
Flagged
laplantelibrary | Dec 6, 2021 |
I only read the intro, some of the book, and all of the postscript which is a long letter from Erasmus to a friend/critic/detractor explaining his motives for the book. I have no background in rhetoric and of course I have no interest in the historical dealings of the church or religious scholars, but I found the language and use of logic very interesting.
 
Flagged
keithostertag | 7 other reviews | Jun 26, 2020 |

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Associated Authors

Otto Dix Illustrator
Michiel Verweij Translator
R.A.B. Mynors Translator
Hans Trapman Composer, Introduction
Anton J. Gail Translator
Jacques Chomarat Translator
V.W.D. Schenk Translator
R. Marcel Editor
H.-J. van Dam Translator
Hans Holbein Cover artist, Illustrator
Kārlis Eliass Translator
A.H.T. Levi Introduction
Jaume Medina Translator
Kristaps Eliass Translator
J.B. Kan Translator
A.C. Nielson Translator
Albert Hahn, Jr. Cover designer
A.J. Hiensch Translator
A. Jagtenberg Cover designer
Heinrich Hersch Translator
Maurice Rat Contributor
A. Dirkzwager Translator
Michael Nordberg Translator
John Wilson Translator
Petty Bange Contributor
Betty Radice Translator
Leonard F. Dean Translator
Pierre de Nolhac Translator
A. H. Kan Editor
Harry N. Sierman Cover designer
Lester K. Born Translator
Bé Breij Translator
J. Huizinga Foreword
Ton Osinga Translator
O. Noordenbos Translator
T. Van Leeuwen Translator
Nathan Bailey Translator
Chris Heesakkers Translator
Leo Bruin Designer, cover designer
Lore Poelchau Translator
Gregorio Luri Foreword
Mart van Lieburg Introduction
Philip Gerrard Translator
Edmunde Becke Translator
Laura Cabré Translator
Roger L'Estrange Translator
John Piolon Translator
Charles Whibley Introduction
Y.H. Rogge Editor
István Bejczy Translator
Dean Simpson Translator
C. Reedijk Translator
Quinten Metsys Portraitist
M.J. Steens Translator
Conrad Busken Huet Introduction

Statistics

Works
507
Also by
9
Members
8,959
Popularity
#2,686
Rating
3.8
Reviews
95
ISBNs
926
Languages
29
Favorited
15

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