Erasmus+background

Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus was born in either 1466 or 1469. He was a Dutch humanist and theologian. Early in life he studied at the Brethren of the Common Life, which practised a form of Christianity that was different to that of the Church. It was different because it did not feel that the ornament, ceremony or hireachy common in catholicism were important. The main focus was placed on education and the study of religious literature. It is said that the values he learnt at the Brethren shaped his later beliefs. When his parents died he joined a monastery but grew to resent their practises. After this he studied religion at the University of Paris which fuled his frustrations with Scholasticism - which is the attempt to reconcile Christian theology with Greek philosophy.

Many of his writings used humor and satire to convey his opinions on religion and society. He also pushed for the Bible to be translated into local languages so that more people could access it's teachings. It is said that Erasmus was very liberal for his time and had quite modern views for instance; he felt that women should be educated and minorities accepted. He is said to be one of the first Westen pacifists and was more or less opposed to war. While he criticized the Catholic church he still believed in the Catholic idea of Free Will and so, although Protestant Reformers of the time looked to him as a critic of the Church, they were not pleased by his continuing belief in Free Will as it was in direct opposition to the Protestant view of predestination.

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