Religious Figures in the Transition from Henry VII to Henry VIII

John Colet

• Dates
  • Born  in London, January 1467 
  • Died in London, September 1519
• Achievments
  • Colet studied at Oxford University and was ordained deacon in 1497, and priest shortly afterwards.
  • He travelled in France and Italy and then returned to teach at Oxford.
  • Colet's great friendship with the Dutch scholar Erasmus began around 1498.
  • He was an important early humanist - he even established St. Paul’s School in 1509, on a 43 acre (largest school on England at its foundation) plot situated by the River Thames with the money he had inherited.
    • It was the first English school that taught Greek and the pupils didn’t have to pay any fees, thus depicting the humanist nature of Colet.
• Relationship with Henry VII
  • Wanted to change the church from the inside suggesting insecurity in the way the church was run under Henry.
• Relationship with Henry VIII
  • Held in high esteem, despite his sermons against the French Wars.

Erasmus

• Dates
  • Born c. 28th October 1466
  • Died 12th July 1536
• Achievments
  • Christian philosophy and Renaissance humanism
  • Using humanist techniques for working on texts, he prepared important new Latin and Greek editions of the New Testament, which raised questions that would be influential in the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation.
  • The first editor of the new testament 
  • Excellent at Latin and Greek
    • The testament was the magnum opus, ‘Novum instrumentum omne’ which was a heavily explained edition of the New Testament. The book was highly sought after by scholars and educated Europeans as its content and interpretation of scripture challenged the age-old theological thinking that had been dominating the society. Through the book, he aimed at spreading classical knowledge that would in turn promote better understanding between people and help them turn to the roots of Christian tradition.
• Relationship with Henry VII
  • His attitude was encouraged by Henry VII and his chief minister (till he died…