Is/was

[Xinfu]

Do you agree with my analysis?:

They are both correct, no difference in meaning:

-In the history of English, the most erudite man is Samuel Johnson.(=Whenever we compare him with other literary figures like Shakepeare and Milton, he is so.)

-In the history of English, the most erudite man was Samuel Johnson.(=We view him as a dead man, so the past tense is valid.)

-In the history of English, the most erudite man has been Samuel Johnson.(=He has held the post of being so up to now, and the history of English is still developing.)