Erasmus

Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) was not a systematic philosopher, warns Rummel (history, U. of Toronto), and his writings contain inconsistencies and ambiguities unless each is examined in terms of the specific context and audience for which it was written. She follows his physical and mental progression chronologically, focusing successively on literature and education, piety, political thought, biblical scholarship, and theological controversy. Two important autobiographical works are considered first, to overview his life and how he thought about it. Other chapters look at his educational philosophy, the social order, his biblical humanism, and why he was no Lutheran. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR