ERASMUS by James McConica (Oxford: $6.95)....

ERASMUS by James McConica (Oxford: $6.95). Erasmus of Rotterdam (ca. 1467-1536) was literally and figuratively an orphan of the Reformation: The practical Christianity based on first-hand knowledge of the Scriptures that he propounded was attacked by both militant Catholics and Protestants. McConica’s brief biography of the celebrated Dutch scholar/humanist stresses his intellectual achievements, especially his edition of the New Testament of 1516. Although it has become notorious for its numerous textual errors, this work made the Greek text available to a general readership for the first time. Erasmus noted with regret that unlike Christians, Jews and Moslems studied their Holy Books from childhood: Much of his work was directed toward instituting a broad program of educational reform that would stress Greek and Latin grammar as a tool for understanding the Bible. Erasmus’ gentle piety, with its emphasis on the spirit of religion rather than the letter, remains a welcome vision in an increasingly intolerant world.