Erasmus the Hero
January 12th, 1998
In these essays I shall attempt to explain why I hold Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam in such high esteem.
First a quick introduction to the man and his work.
A description of his early years
Some quotations from his work
Why his behavior was so courageous
His Adages were a big hit and are still influencing us today
His thinking was surprisingly modern
His Latin style was impressive
He tried above all to be a peacemaker
He was most definitely not antisemitic
A playful piece on Erasmus
Why I recommend that you NOT read Erasmus
Erasmus the Ludosophist
He was the first star of the first mass entertainment medium
Some things never change
A shoddy attack on Erasmus
Erasmus was not gay (a whole section analyzing the matter from many angles)