Erasmus, Desiderius
Pronunciation: /ɪˈrazməs/
Definition of Erasmus, Desiderius
- (circa 1469–1536), Dutch humanist and scholar; Dutch name Gerhard Gerhards. He was the foremost Renaissance scholar of northern Europe, paving the way for the Reformation with his satires on the Church, including the Colloquia Familiaria (1518). However, he opposed the violence of the Reformation and condemned Luther in De Libero Arbitrio (1523).