Desiderius Erasmus (1469-1536) was the greatest scholar of the northern Renaissance, the first editor of the New Testament, and an important figure in classical literature. He helped lay the groundwork for the historical-critical study of the past, and his educational writings contributed to the replacement of the older scholastic curriculum by the new humanist emphasis on the classics. By criticizing ecclesiastical abuses, he encouraged the growing urge for reform, and his independent stance in an age of fierce controversy made him a target of suspicion for loyal partisans on both sides and a beacon for those who valued liberty over orthodoxy. Praise of Folly is one of his best-known works.

John P. Dolan was a professor of European history at the Graduate School of the University of Notre Dame. Born in Waterloo, Iowa, he received his AB from the University of Notre Dame in 1947 and his PhD in 1955 from the University of Bonn. From 1951 to 1957 he was associated with the office of the United States High Commission for Germany, and he lectured in Germany and Austria for the United States Information Agency. Dr. Dolan's works include Unity and Reform: Selected Writings of Cusa.