this issue
previous article in this issuenext article in this issue

Document Details :

Title: Courtship / Junges Pärchen
Author(s): ERASMUS, Desiderius , DÜRER, Albrecht
Journal: Marriage, Families & Spirituality
Volume: 5    Issue: 1   Date: 1999   
Pages: 74-84
DOI: 10.2143/INT.5.1.2014748

Abstract :
Desiderius Erasmus (c.1466-1536), one of the most influential intellectuals of Renaissance humanism, was born in Rotterdam of unmarried parents. His mother was a widow, and his father at some stage became a priest. Orphaned at an early age, Erasmus entered religious life at the Augustinian Canons and was ordained priest. After studies at the University of Paris, a visit to England put him in touch with British humanists, among them Thomas More with whom he kept up a lifelong friendship. From that moment on, Erasmus led a restless life which made him reside in several European cities including London, Louvain, Basel, Freiburg, Bologna, Turin and Rome. In his various writings he tried to combine Christian thought with the classical tradition revived by the Renaissance humanism. While he was no doubt sympathetic to the goals of the Reformation, he disapproved of the radical methods adopted by its advocates. Thus, he soon found himself attacked by reformers and conservative theologians alike and these controversies continued even after his death in 1536.

Download article