Desiderius Erasmus

Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1466–1536) was a Dutch scholar, the most famous humanist of northern Europe. Born in Rotterdam, the illegitimate son of a priest, he was ordained, left the monastery and spent his life traveling between Paris, England, Italy, Louvain and Basel, living by his pen and by patrons. His edition of the Greek New Testament in 1516 laid the foundation of modern biblical scholarship; his Adages, Colloquies and In Praise of Folly made him the best-read author of his age. He attacked the corruption of the church but refused to follow Luther out of it, and he was condemned by both sides for standing in between.