Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)

by: ASH (with Mom), 2008

He was born Gerrit Gerritszoon in Rotterdam, Holland, on October 28, 1466, and later took for himself the name Desiderius Erasmus. Erasmus is chiefly remembered for his fresh Latin translation of the New Testament from several Greek texts. Erasmus hoped that access to a more accurate translation of the Scriptures would liberate men from the corruptions of the Roman Catholic church. The Erasmus translation became the basis for Tyndale's English New Testament and Luther's German one. Roman Catholic critics condemned Erasmus for having "laid the egg that hatched the Reformation." For his part, Erasmus was a moderate, believing that the Catholic church should be reformed rather than abandoned. Consequently, Erasmus was often at odds with the very men who had benefited the most from his translation of the New Testament.