It is a widespread myth that Erasmus of Rotterdam is the inspiration of the “Erasmus” program initiated by the European Union in 1987. However, that is only half of the story. Actually, ERASMUS is an acronym for European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students.

Is Erasmus of Rotterdam therefore only a historically marginal figure of this European program, invoked by accident and misinterpretation? Definitely not; the program and the alleged inspiration for its name seem to be made for each other, not only because of the label. The purpose of the program is to support the cooperation of universities inside the European Union and other European countries as well as to encourage the mobility of students and professors, ideas that influenced Erasmus’s own life.

LIFE AND ACTION
Erasmus “Desiderius“ of Rotterdam was born the son of a priest and a housekeeper in Rotterdam sometime between 1464 and 1469. He was ordained as a priest in April 1492. One year later he left the abbey to work for the bishop of Cambrai. From 1495 to 1499 he studied at the Sorbonne University in Paris.
Afterwards he went to England, where he evolved from a canon into a worldly scholar.
From 1500 to 1506 he stayed alternately in the Netherlands, Paris and England. In the years ahead he visited Italy to complete his doctorate in theology in Torino. In Venetia some of his opuses were printed by Aldus Manutius.
After that he returned again to England, where he taught Greek in Cambridge and obtained the parish of Aldington in 1511. From 1515 onwards Erasmus worked at the court of Bourgogne in Leuven, among other things as an educator of Prince Karl, later the Emperor Karl V.
From 1524 to 1529 he lived in Basel, went to Freiburg in 1529, returned to Basel in 1535 and died on July the 12th, 1536.

MEANING
Who is the person behind Erasmus of Rotterdam? Obviously he was a restless traveler. Another thing that’s for sure: he was and is still one of Europe’s most popular and influential humanists. In his 150 books and 2000 letters, always written in Latin or Greek, he dealt especially with the New Testament – his docufor good, he told the people to put up red paper decorations on their windows and doors at the beginning of each new year because the color red scared the beast. They also set off firecrackers to scare away the horrible beast. This is only one idea about how Chinese New Year began, there are many other ideas about how this celebration began. Most people just celebrate the holiday without really knowing why.
It is common knowledge that Chinese know how to serve a good meal. most delicious dishes are served during the holidays. The foods served at these feasts vary, but what is served is always a tradition for that family. Before they eat, they place their food on alters and make offerings to the gods. A Chinese New Year celebration would not be complete without fireworks. There are many beliefs about why fireworks are used. One is that the noise wakes up the dragon who will fly across the sky to bring the spring rain for the crops. Another belief is that the noise of the fireworks is supposed to scare away all evil spirits and misfortunes, preventing them from coming into the new year. In fact, gunpowder was invented in China over 1000 years ago for that very purpose. Firecrackers are thrown at the feet of the dragons in the parade to keep them awake for the celebration. The dragons are believed to sleep the rest of the year. ments were sampled by the translators of the King James Bible and functioned as a foundation for Luther’s German translation of the Bible. He dealt critically with Luther’s theses and sought to pacify the two quarreling religious groups of his time.
In his writings Erasmus fought against clerical abuses, opposed the capitalization of religion and challenged dogmas. He espoused freedom during the struggle for supremacy in Italy and championed the idea of an individual antique lifestyle.
Furthermore, his book of etiquette “De Civilitate” gained popularity in schools. Erasmus was known for his eloquence, his highly gifted formulations and his love of irony.

Erasmus corresponded with almost every European scholar and was admired by emperors, kings and lords as well as by humanists, reformers and defenders of the old church. Erasmus of Rotterdam – a great thinker. The European Erasmus-program – a great idea. Once Victor Hugo said: “All the forces in the world are not so powerful as an idea whose time has come.” Good to know that we can experience this great idea under Erasmus’ name today. |