‘I am a citizen of the world, known to all and to all a stranger.’ (Erasmus, as quoted in Erasmus (1970) by György Faludy, p. 197).
I see Erasmus best described in his own words in the letter he wrote to Budé:
"That you are patriotic will be praised by many and easily forgiven by everyone; but in my opinion it is wiser to treat men and things as though we held this world the common fatherland of all."
Erasmus’ Praise of Folly was in Montaigne’s library and influenced him greatly. E.M. Forster declared ‘my law-givers are Erasmus and Montaigne.’ He saw them both as representing values of tolerance and loyalty to one’s friends rather than to one’s nation or to some abstract idea or collectivity apart from attachments to persons and places.
This, I take, to be Erasmus’ enduring message to the world, and testimony to Erasmus’ importance to an era in which we seek global governance to address issues of supranational concern on this planet and try to make a home for ourselves in a commonwealth of life embracing each and all and all other beings and bodies.
“Moreover God hath ordained man in this world, as it were, the very image of himself, to the intent, that he, as it were a god on earth, should provide for the wealth of all creatures.”
― Desiderius Erasmus, Against War
Anyhow ... here are some photos from my visits to Erasmus’ home in Freiburg and to the Erasmus exhibition in Basel Minster, celebrating the 500 years since his Greek translation of the New Testament.
I've read Erasmus for years and years now, since I discovered him in Reid of Liverpool, a used book store up Mount Pleasant in Liverpool - lovely name - that I visited weekly, coming away with a bagful of books every time. I recognised a kindred spirit in Erasmus immediately. ‘When I get a little money, I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.’ ‘Your library is your paradise’, he wrote.
He's very sane. He was an internationalist and a scholar and the scourge of dogma, empty ritual, war, false idols, avarice, ignorance, hatred and intolerance, vicious words, sectarianism, and the dogmatic certainty possessed by certain Christians, leading them to 'set each other on fire' - persons as well as their ideas - over doctrinal disputes that led to a world a million miles away from Jesus' teaching. He was a superb scholar who affirmed the power of ideas and education to bring about the human betterment. That commitment to reason, learning, education and free will rendered him ‘godless’ in the eyes of Martin Luther, another theologian possessed with dogmatic certainty, a man who denounced reason as a ‘whore.’ That was a different temper to Erasmus. Erasmus was a man who possessed a rare breadth of spirit, and his combination of free enquiry and living the simple ‘philosophy of Christ’ had the potential to create a genuine reformation grounded in creative shared communities. We need the spirit of Erasmus in the world today. Less dogma, hatred, violence in thought, word and deed, less stoking of the fires of division. Erasmus was not 'godless' at all, and it is the curiously blinded view of those who speak with dogmatic certainty, a certainty born, ironically, of a commitment to faith against reason, that sees things so.
My own piece of work on Erasmus
Exhibition in Basel Minster
Incredible to see the man's work and his writing.
Erasmus Exhibition, Basel Minster
The Bible text as a source of the renewal of faith. ‘The scriptures will show the better image.’ ‘Why have we steadfastly preferred to learn the wisdom of Christ from the writings of men rather than from Christ himself? And He, since He promised to be with us all days, even unto the consummation of the world, stands forth especially in this literature, in which He lives for us even at this time, and breathes and speaks – I should say almost more effectively than when He dwelt among men.’ (Erasmus, Paraclesis). ‘Indeed, I disagree very much with those who are unwilling that Holy Scripture, translated into the vulgar tongue, be read by the uneducated, as if Christ taught such intricate doctrines that they could scarcely be understood by very few theologians.’ ‘According to Erasmus, piety does not mean worshipping relics and statues, but it means Imitatio Christi, following Christ’s example. With his Novum Instrumentum he tried to ‘restore’ the best image of Christ handed down to us, the New Testament. Under the sediments of more than a thousand years he made visible the live prototype, and in his prefaces he instructed the reader in the art of seeing and listening.’ (A Better Image of Christ, The Basel University Library, Exhibition, Basel Minster 24th June- 12th November 2016). Facsimile of the Novum Instrumentum of 1516 The Greek text: based on the Basel Manuscripts The Latin Translation: Erasmus’ Revision of the Vulgate The Annotations The Editions from 1519 to 1535
Erasmus' Greek NT changed history
Five hundred years ago, in Basel... ‘On 1 March 1516, Erasmus's bilingual edition in Greek and Latin, entitled Nouum Instrumentum omne, issued from the press of the famous Basel printer Johann Froben (c. 1460–1527). The Greek text is on the left-hand side of the page and the Latin translation based on the Vulgate on the right. Several editions appeared in close succession, accompanied by Erasmus’s "Annotations"’.
Been there, got the poster!
The Erasmus Exhibition, Basel Minster, put on by the Basel University Library. My book Heaven. The Library as Paradiso.
I love Freiburg! This is a wonderful place indeed. I can be a citizen of the world and a citizen of Freiburg very easily.
Basel Minster 500 Years of Erasmus's New Testament!
Erasmus was a beautiful writer. I’ve gathered up some quotes here to give some idea of the man. People know the 'Praise of Folly' most. He was witty indeed, he was satirical, but he was also cutting with his words, and he bit princes, priests, popes, merchants and anyone who sold themselves or sold others short out of greed, ignorance, stupidity and self-interest. And behind the criticisms lie a message of real weight and substance.
Some quotes then:
"There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other."
On over-concern with material gain
“Nowadays the rage for possession has got to such a pitch that there is nothing in the realm of nature, whether sacred or profane, out of which profit cannot be squeezed.”
“There is no joy in possession without sharing.”
The politics of the common good
‘In your defense against contempt and ambition place your reliance on good example rather than on the weapons of your guards. Let your rule of government be determined by the common good. The common people owe many things to you, but you in turn owe everything to them… If you are talented in affairs of state and courageous in danger, be mindful not of these talents but of the responsibilities you carry… Let no empire be to you of such worth that you would deviate from justice for its sake.
It is always a source of amazement to me that popes and bishops so indiscreetly wish to be called lords and masters when Christ forbade His disciples to be called either. We must ever bear in mind that there is but one Lord and Master, Christ Jesus, our Head. The expressions apostle, shepherd, bishop, are terms denoting office or service, not dominion or rule. Pope, abbot, are terms meaning love, not power. Yet we are living in a world that has grown alien to the world of Christ both in doctrine and practice.’
Folly as the source of civilisation and advance.
“Besides this, I have not said anything about Minos and Numa, both of whom ruled their foolish throngs by making up tall tales. By this sort of trivial device that huge and powerful beast, the people, is managed. Furthermore, what city ever accepted the laws of Aristotle and Plato or the doctrines of Socrates? … For, what is more foolish … than for a political candidate to flatter the people, to buy their favor with gifts, to seek the applause of so many fools, to be pleased by their shouts of approval, to be led around in triumph as if he were some public spectacle for the people, and to have his statue placed in the marketplace? Add to this the adoption of new first and last names, the divine honors paid to these nobodies, and the public deification of even the most evil tyrants. These things are all very foolish and one Democritus is not enough to laugh at them. Who denies it? But from this source spring the deeds of heroes that are borne to the very heavens by the writings of so many eloquent men. This same folly brought forth cities, maintained empires, authority, religion, governing and judicial bodies; nor is human life anything more than the play of folly.”
Love and concord in the community of life
'But we are dealing with men endowed with reason and enriched with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which should incline them toward love and concord with their fellow men. It is a strange situation, indeed, that I should prefer to take up my abode among beasts rather than men.
If we look at the various solar systems and the stars in the firmament, we find, although there is a diversity of motion and power, one continuing harmony. The very forces of the elements about us, although often ranged in opposition to one another, actually through a shifting of pressures bring about and facilitate a great concord. If we turn to animal life, we see that there is here every evidence of agreement and collaboration for mutual ends. What can be more dissimilar than the body and the soul? Yet nature has bound them together in such a marvelous manner that only death can adequately illustrate it. Life itself is nothing other than a union of body and soul, and health is based upon a working together of the various parts of the body. The various species of the animal kingdom live everywhere in peaceful communities. Take, for example, the behavior of elephant herds, of swine and sheep pasturing together. Cranes and jays flock together. Storks noted for their parental care have their well-known roosts. Dolphins are known to defend one another, bees and ants demonstrate great community efforts.
Thus far I have spoken of creatures that lack intelligence but are nevertheless equipped with sense perception. Yet even members of the vegetable world, trees and herbs, show an attraction toward others of the same species. Vines embrace elms, peaches welcome the encirclement of vines. The world of the insensible appreciates the benefits of peace. Possessing life, they come close to the power of sense perception. Lifeless stones have a sense of peace and concord, as for example the magnet attracts and holds metal. Among themselves wild beasts exhibit basic agreement. Lions are wont to act civilly toward fellow lions, a boar will not threaten one of his own kind with its tusks, there is peace in the lynx family. Dragons refuse cruelty to fellow dragons, and the behavior of wolves has been praised in proverbs. It may amaze you to note that even the diabolic spirits who first broke the peace and continue to create discord among men and angels are joined together in an effort to defend their tyranny.
Unanimity is of absolute necessity for man, yet neither nature, education, nor the rewards of concord and the disadvantages of disunity seem to be able to unite mankind in mutual love. Man possesses a unifying principle in the fact that he is molded to the same figure and form and endowed with the same power of speech. Whereas beasts differ in the variety of their shapes, man is identical with fellow man in possessing speech and reason. It is this that distinguishes him from the beast. His ability to speak enables him above all to cultivate friendship. We find in him the seeds of all virtue, a ready disposition toward mutual benevolence, and a delight in helping others. Yet he appears to have been corrupted and to be prone to fall to the very level of beasts. What the common people call humanness and gentility we prefer to term benevolence. To all of this nature has added the gift of tears. Should any offense be committed or friendship darkened, the shedding of tears often rectifies the situation. Although nature has provided so many means for securing concord, she has not done so merely to afford pleasantries but rather because amity is of necessity as far as man is concerned. The very makeup of man is such that regardless of how well he may be endowed with various gifts of mind and body, he still requires the aid and assistance of his inferiors. This very fact that various men have diversified gifts indicates the need for mutual love and friendship. The variety of products of different nations lends itself to this need for reciprocity. Whereas nature has equipped the animal kingdom with various sorts of armor and means of defense, man's lack of these means necessitates mutual assistance. Necessity has invented cities, constructed for the purpose of repelling the attacks of beasts and brigands through the combined efforts of its citizenry.
… We can add to this the bonds of kinship and affinity. Some display a similarity of natural dispositions, similar tastes and interests that are a sure means of mutual love….
Thus we see that nature has amply provided man with inducements to peace and concord. With how many different arguments does she not attract us? With how many means does she not actually compel us to concord? Yet it appears that some diabolical fiend has taken over the very heart of man and forced him to reject and destroy these inclinations to tranquillity with an insatiable desire for fighting. Had not continual strife and discord dulled our sense of concord, who could believe that man endowed with reason could perpetrate with continual strife such crime, bloodshed, and destruction of places sacred and profane? No combination of efforts, however holy, is able to prevent them from destroying each other. If affairs were as they should be, the very nature of mankind would be sufficient to bring some kind of agreement.’
(The Complaint of Peace)
Against war:
‘War! Because of its barbarity, it is befitting of beasts, not men; it is so violent that many scholars say that it is sent with evil purposes by the Furies. It is referred to as pestilent because it is accompanied by a general disregard of morals; as iniquitous because the worst bandits usually are its leaders; and as hypocritical because of its discord with Christ's teachings and principles. In these wars even old and feeble men receive a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction by upsetting the established laws, religion, and peace—so much so, in fact, that they assume the vitality of youth and are not troubled by the waste of countless numbers of lives in the war or exhausted by the work involved. There are many learned sycophants who refer to this obvious madness as zeal, piety, or fortitude, thus making it legal for a man to draw his sword, kill his brother with it, and still be considered to be of the greatest charity—charity, which, according to Christ, is due every man by his neighbor.’
(The Praise of Folly).
‘All Christian doctrine in both the Old and New Testament calls for peace, yet Christian life is filled with warfare.’
(The Complaint of Peace)
‘It shames me to recall the vain and superficial reasons whereby Christian princes provoke the world to war… The most criminal of all causes of war is, of course, the desire for power. When certain princes see power slipping from them because a general peace has rendered them expendable, they stir up war in order to remain in power and oppress the people. Others are unable to find a place in peaceful society. What diabolical agents could have put such poison into Christian hearts? Who taught Christians this tyranny? No Dionysius or Mezentius can answer this. They are beasts, not men, and are noble only in tyranny. Their wisdom leads only to harm and misfortune. They are in agreement only to oppress the common good, yet they who do these things are accepted as Christians. …
All this madness we cloak with fine-sounding terms.
The excuses that are made to explain warfare are well known to me. They protest that their action is not in the least voluntary. It is high time they threw aside the mask and dropped their pretenses. If they examined their consciences, they would find that the real reasons are anger, ambition, and stupidity. If these constitute necessity, you ought to reevaluate them.’
(The Complaint of Peace)
‘Let me give a few words on the defense of peace and concord to those of you who actually despise war. Peace is not to be found in various leagues or confederations of men, which are ofttimes the very source and cause of wars. We must look for peace by purging the very sources of war, false ambitions and evil desires. As long as individuals serve their own personal interests, the common good will suffer. No one achieves what he desires if the methods employed be evil. The princes should use their wisdom for the promotion of what is good for the entire populace. The measure of their majesty, happiness, renown, and riches should be what actually makes great men outstanding.’
(The Complaint of Peace)
‘How often it is that very insignificant matters of petty rulers are the causes of conflict, their true nature being withheld from the public. Lacking causes they use false propaganda to stir up the populace, nursing their grievances with all sorts of falsehood for no other purpose than personal gain.’
‘Let them examine the self-evident fact that this world of ours is the fatherland of the entire race.’
(The Complaint of Peace)
‘Even though I am trying to move this speech along, I can hardly pass over without a word those nobodies who take enormous pride in the empty titles of nobility. There is one who will trace his family back Jo Aeneas, another to Brutus, and another to King Arthur. They display everywhere the bust and portraits of their ancestors. They rattle off their grandfathers and great-grandfathers and know all the old titles by heart. Meanwhile, however, they are not far from being dumb statues themselves and are probably worth less than the statues they display. Sweet little Philantia, however, helps them to live a happy life; and there are always fools who regard strange animals like these as gods.’
(Praise of Folly)
Free riders
‘But the most foolish and sordid of all are your merchants, in that they partake in the most illicit business by the most illegal means they can find. Sometimes they lie, they perjure themselves, they steal and cheat, and they impose on the public. Yet they consider themselves important men because they have gold rings on their fingers. Nor do they hesitate to flatter the friars who admire them and call them Right Honorable in public, with the purpose that surely a stipend from the ill-gotten gains may come into their possession.’
‘Now with no exceptions I beseech all Christians unselfishly to consent to universal peace and fervently to obey those who govern it. Illuminate the power of peace and tranquillity among all men, so as finally to terminate the tyranny of nobles.
For this purpose let everyone muster all that he possesses. May eternal concord, already established by nature, and more wondrously reestablished by Christ, unite all things. And finally, let every man zealously aspire to that which pertains to the concord of all men. Every evidence points to peace: in the first place the very meaning of nature and humanity; secondly, Christ, the Prince of human concord; finally, the many fruitful advantages of peace and the many destructive disadvantages of war.’
(The Complaint of Peace)
While peace is fervently adhered to, every man's fortune will be increased. Princes' kingdoms will be carefully amplified if they conscientiously rule their subjects by laws rather than arms … the contentment of the people more productive and their productivity more quietly directed … and finally everyone shall be fraternally affectionate to his fellow man and, above all, pleasing to Christ, the pleasing of Whom constitutes the greatest happiness. I rest my case.’
(The Complaint of Peace)
Towards the end of his life, Erasmus reflected on his life and his work and what it represented:
‘From all parts of the world I am daily thanked by many, because they have been kindled by my works, whatever may be their merit, into zeal for a good disposition and sacred literature; and they who have never seen Erasmus, yet know and love him from his books.’
A citizen of the world appreciated all over the world. Having read his books for so many years, since discovering him up Mount Pleasant in Liverpool on my way to a football match, I was rather glad to walk in Erasmus’ footsteps, see some of those books, see his writing and his annotations.
“Before you sleep, read something that is exquisite, and worth remembering.” Erasmus
Read Erasmus! You probably already do, without realising it.
The Adages of Erasmus ranks among his least known work today, but was most esteemed in his day. Reading wisdom literature in a foolish age can be dangerous night reading. ‘Where ignorance is bliss, ‘tis folly to be wise’ (Thomas Gray). Where folly is seemingly all-pervasive in the systems and institutions by which we govern our existence, reading wise sayings is imperative to survival. Anyhow, not all adages are wise, but there wisdom indeed in Erasmus’ endeavour. Niccolo Sagundino wrote about them at the time: “I can hardly say what a sweet nectar as honey I sip from your delightful Adages, rich source of nectar as they are. What lovely flowers of every mind I gather thence like a honey-bee….to their perusal I have devoted two hours a day.”
Erasmus' Adages run right throughout the works of Shakespeare. Erasmus became somewhat invisible because of his absorption into the mainstream of European thought.
The Adages can be enjoyed along with Erasmus’ other works. It fits nicely alongside Praise of Folly and Colloquies, and demonstrates his wit, learning and philosophical and religious insight. He was a keen observer of human nature, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the adages remain pertinent. Leaders and followers are acting out of the same folly that Erasmus’ satirised so well all those centuries ago.
Erasmus' collection of proverbs is "one of the most monumental ... ever assembled" (Speroni, 1964, p. 1). There is probably no other work from Erasmus’ hand which had a greater impact on European culture than his Adagia. Which contains phrases which are still on our lips. It was Erasmus’ great compilation that put these phrases abroad. Here are a few of the 4,000 he collected:
To drive out one nail with another; So many men, so many opinions; You write in water; You are building on the sand; A necessary evil; there’s many a slip; to squeeze water from a stone; to leave no stone unturned; God helps those who help themselves; the grass is greener over the fence; the cart before the horse; dog in the manger; to be in the same boat; to call a spade a spade; to break the ice; ship-shape; to die of laughing; to have an iron in the fire; to look a gift horse in the mouth; neither fish nor flesh; like father, like son; to show one’s heels; More haste, less speed; One step at a time; To be in the same boat; To lead one by the nose; A rare bird; To have one foot in Charon's boat (To have one foot in the grave); To walk on tiptoe; One to one; Out of tune; A point in time; I gave as bad as I got (I gave as good as I got); To call a spade a spade; Hatched from the same egg; Up to both ears (Up to his eyeballs); Think before you start; What's done cannot be undone; Many hands make light work; Where there's life, there's hope; To cut to the quick; Time reveals all things; Golden handcuffs; Crocodile tears; To show the middle finger; You have touched the issue with a needle-point (To have nailed it); To walk the tightrope; Time tempers grief (Time heals all wounds); To dangle the bait; To swallow the hook; Complete the circle; In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king; No sooner said than done; Neither with bad things nor without them (Women: can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em); Between a stone and a shrine (Between a rock and a hard place); Like teaching an old man a new language (Can't teach an old dog new tricks); To leave no stone unturned; To show one's heels; not worth a snap of the fingers; he blows his own trumpet; (I like the Liverpudlian, ‘not worth a blow on a ragman’s trumpet’. Erasmus can have that one for free); To sleep on it …
I’m off to bed. That’s enough exquisite night reading for now.