The humanistic philosophy of Erasmus has influenced thought and literature in Europe from the Reformation to the present day. As a religious thinker, however, the Dutch scholar has long been perceived as a witty and erudite critic of Catholicism, whose thinking was ultimately eclipsed by Luther's purist strategies. The recent growth of interest in ecumenism, McConica argues here, should inspire new interest in Erasmus' philosophy with its "unorthodox" emphasis on the need for social harmony.