Desiderius Erasmus

            Erasmus was born at Rotterdam, Holland on July12, 1536. He was the illegitimate son of Gerard and Margaretha Rogers. He went to a strict monastic school. In 1492, he entered priesthood, but found religion distasteful. The chief centers of his activity from then on were Paris, France, Louvain, Belgium, Basel, Switzerland, and various parts of England. His work helped in giving birth to Reformation. He died on 1536 at Basle, Switzerland.
             Erasmus was on of the most prominent and well-known scholar of his time. He moved from city to city, lecturing and teaching people, constantly writing and searching for ancient manuscripts. Erasmus kept huge correspondence with people of all walks of life; more than 1500 of his letters survive. During his four trips to England, he made frienship with John Colet, Thomas More, Thomas Linacre, and William Grocyn, most prominent figures of their time. With their help, Erasmus helped in establishing humanism in England, especially the studies of classical studies to Christian learning. He was deeply involved in discussions pertaining to the affairs of church. Perceiving himself as a preacher of righteousness, he set about purifying scholarship and Christian tenets from the rigid medieval culture. .
             Erasmus's works, written in Latin, display a superior sense of temper by tolerance and wit. His Adagia (Adages, 1500), a collection of Latin proverbs, established his scholarly reputation. Most of his early works attacked church practices and church leaders. His The Manuell of the Cristen Knyght (1503) and the famous The Praise of Folie (1509), express a return to simple and pure church life and tenets. He also wrote New Testament in .
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             Greek. Because his works influenced reformers of his time, he is also referred to as the father of transformation, a 16th century religious revolution in Christian church. .
             Erasmus advocated his educational views in De Ratione Studii (On the Method of Study, 1511) and De Pueris Satim ac Liberaliter Instituendis (On Teaching Children Firmly but Kindly, 1529).