 Erasmus was a prolific writer. His works were translated into the vernacular and circulated widely. His ideas had a strong impact that can be traced into the modern age. Even in his own time, the term “Erasmian” denoted a certain set of values. In 1530, the Leuven theologian Frans Titelmans noted that enthusiasts of humanistic studies were called “Erasmians” because Erasmus was their chief inspiration (1530, Ei verso–Eii recto). His contemporary, the Swiss chronicler Johann Kessler, declared that “whatever is skilled, polished, learned, and wise is called Erasmian” (1523–1539, 87). It was classical learning and eloquence that defined Erasmus in his own time, and modern scholarship has come to recognize the role that Erasmus played in the cultivation of his own image (see Jardine 1993). In the Age of Enlightenment he was celebrated as a rationalist, an image that held into the 20th century (as chronicled by Mansfield 1992). Wilhelm Dilthey, for example, called Erasmus the Voltaire of the 16th century (GS II, 74). The emphasis shifted in the 20th century, when Erasmus’ irenicism caught readers’ attention. Thus José Chapiro (1950) dedicated his translation of The Complaint of Peace to the United Nations, and Erasmus’ biographer Johan Huizinga identified “Erasmian” with “gentleness, kindliness, and moderation” (1912 [1957], 194). In 1999, Ralf Dahrendorf defined Erasmus-Menschen as people guided by reason and avoiding the pitfalls of political extremism. Their hallmark was compassion and tolerance. In contemporary usage, then, “Erasmian” has come to denote a liberal thinker, an attitude or modus vivendi rather than a school of philosophy. The newest trend emerging from contemporary scholarship is to recognize Erasmus as one of the makers of the modern book, due to his collaboration with printers and book sellers and his indefatigable efforts as editor of classical and patristic texts (see Vanautgaerden 2012).