My Dear Erasmus: The Forgotten Reformer (David Bentley-Taylor)

My Dear Erasmus

The Forgotten Reformer

Erasmus was born in 1469 so you might not have heard of him; to his contemporaries this would be unthinkable. To them he was a modern Socrates whose learning and wisdom had not been equalled for a thousand years ‘a kind of divine being sent down to us from heaven’.

University of Toronto Press’s ‘Collected Works of Erasmus’ will extend to 86 volumes. This includes his letters. Erasmus corresponded on a massive scale all over Western Europe: including kings, popes, professors, humanists and many more – anyone who was anyone at some stage penned the words ‘My Dear Erasmus.’

The march of history has not been kind to Erasmus. In spite of his phenomenal achievements Luther, concealed behind the Reformation, has eclipsed him.

Yet the influence of Erasmus led to that Reformation. His life and work shows how God can use someone not in sympathy with the church to stimulate one of its greatest periods of growth and spirituality.

Endorsement

‘He deserves to be better known and to be more widely enjoyed. Contemporaries called this razor-sharp writer one of the wonders of the world. This attractive presentation of him is painted largely in his own words from his masterly letters. David Bentley-Taylor lays before us the many-sided genius of Erasmus in an easily accessible form.’ — David Wright, (1937-2008) Senior Lecturer in Ecclesiastical History, New College, University of Edinburgh

Contents

1. The Emerging Scholar
2. The Greek Language and the Christian Handbook
3. Misery, Kindness, and Greek in Italy
4. The Praise of Folly
5. Disappointment and Achievements
6. A Great Printing Shop
7. The Greek and Latin New Testament
8. A Public Enemy of Christianity
9. Paraphrase of the Epistle to the Romans
10. Slave of the New Testament
11. The Philosophy of Christ
12. Shepherds who Become Wolves
13. I Keep Myself Uncommitted
14. Confusion and Danger
15. The Champion of Moderation
16. You Belong to the Ages
17. Pope Adrian’s Appeal to Erasmus
18. Encouragement and Despair
19. A Discussion of Free Will
20. Monstrous Evils, Monstrous Remedies
21. The Mind Active, the Body Tormented
22. One of the Wonders of the World
23. Such a Gift from God

About the Author

David Bentley-Taylor’s(1915-2005) missionary service began in China, and continued later in Java. For many years he travelled widely on behalf of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students.