Desiderius Erasmus

The 'Prince of Humanists'. His Praise of Folly (1511) satirised clerical corruption with a wit that prefigured the Reformation without endorsing it. His critical edition of the Greek New Testament (1516) gave Luther his textual weapon. Erasmus refused to join either side in the Reformation, insisting on dialogue — a position that earned him enemies on both sides and made him the patron saint of moderate reform.

• Roles: Humanist, Theologian, Writer, Philosopher