Open AccessÉrasme, les intellectuels et l’affaire Reuchlin
Author(s) -
Daniel Ménager
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
renaissance and reformation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.1
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 2293-7374
pISSN - 0034-429X
DOI - 10.33137/rr.v36i4.8661
Subject(s) - erasmus+ , archetype , power (physics) , law , art , sociology , political science , philosophy , media studies , humanities , theology , art history , physics , quantum mechanics , the renaissance
Intellectuals have been more than once accused of not caring about world affairs. Now, Erasmus appears to announce a modern reflection on power and knowledge. An archetype of our contemporary intellectual, he looked at and criticized the society he lived in. As a theologian and a priest, he conferred sacerdotal authority on his speech, but he spoke for a large audience, not exclusively for scholars. As a famous man, he played a role in the “Reuchlin affair,” the first time that intellectuals made a public engagement. Without blindly following the “Reuchlinist party,” Erasmus defended a scholar with his name and his pen. But he trusted the civil authorities more than pure truth, and he refused to discredit the theologians.