Collected Works of Erasmus
17 primary works • 23 total works
Book 12
The correspondence of Erasmus has never been completely translated into English, although it has long been acknowledged to be one of the most illuminating sources for the history of northern humanism and the first two decades of the Protestant Reformation. In his letters, to and from scholars and religions leaders, printers and patrons, princes and prelates in every country of western Europe, the interests and issues of that critical era found free expression. They are connected by the thread of Erasmus' personal experience, his joys and sorrows, triumphs and tribulations, and his uninhibited conversation with his friends. Erasmus himself regarded his letters as a form of literature, and they were valued in his time, as they are now, as much for their style as for their content. In The Study of Good Letters (Clarendon 1963), H.W. Garrod wrote: 'As a document of the history of the times the Letters have primary importance. Yet they ar to be valued, ultimately, not as they enable us to place Erasmus in history, but as they help us to disengage him from it, to redeem him out of history into literature, placing him where, in truth, he longed to be.
Not the Folly nor the Colloquies but the Letters, are his best piece of literature. What he did in scholarship, whether biblical, patristic, or classical has been superseded - though not the fine temper of it. That fine free temper shines also in the Letters, being indeed one of the elements of literature...In the immortality of their readableness Erasmus lives securely, immune from the discredits of circumstances.' The volume of the correspondence is enormous, and its cumulative effect fully justifies the claims that have been made for its importance. Erasmus was from his youth on an indefatigable correspondent, although he was careless about preserving his own letters or those written to him until he became famous and found printers eager to publish them. As a consequence, 85 per cent of the surviving letters were written after he reached the age of forty-five. Even when he had no thought of publication, however, he strove ceaselessly to make his letters models of elegant classical latinity, while adjusting the style of each letter to fit its purpose, content, and recipient. Even the earliest letters of volume 1 bear evidence of this concern.
This volume includes a number of youthful rhetorical attempts, letters describing his early vicissitudes as he struggled to maintain himself as a scholar, letters to friends and letters about enemies, letters to patrons and prospective patrons, and the beginnings of the more serious intellectual correspondence of his later years in an exchange of letters with John Colet on the subject of Christ's agony. Volume 1 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series.
Not the Folly nor the Colloquies but the Letters, are his best piece of literature. What he did in scholarship, whether biblical, patristic, or classical has been superseded - though not the fine temper of it. That fine free temper shines also in the Letters, being indeed one of the elements of literature...In the immortality of their readableness Erasmus lives securely, immune from the discredits of circumstances.' The volume of the correspondence is enormous, and its cumulative effect fully justifies the claims that have been made for its importance. Erasmus was from his youth on an indefatigable correspondent, although he was careless about preserving his own letters or those written to him until he became famous and found printers eager to publish them. As a consequence, 85 per cent of the surviving letters were written after he reached the age of forty-five. Even when he had no thought of publication, however, he strove ceaselessly to make his letters models of elegant classical latinity, while adjusting the style of each letter to fit its purpose, content, and recipient. Even the earliest letters of volume 1 bear evidence of this concern.
This volume includes a number of youthful rhetorical attempts, letters describing his early vicissitudes as he struggled to maintain himself as a scholar, letters to friends and letters about enemies, letters to patrons and prospective patrons, and the beginnings of the more serious intellectual correspondence of his later years in an exchange of letters with John Colet on the subject of Christ's agony. Volume 1 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series.
Book 29
This final volume in the Literary and Educational Writings contains diverse woks spanning a generation. They demonstrate Erasmus' skill in applying classical rhetoric to contemporary Christian needs. Four are short rhetorical pieces; the next group illustrates facets of Erasmus' classical scholarship and includes several works that bear witness to Erasmus' friendship with Thomas More. The last and most expansive piece in the volume, the Lingua, has not previously been translated into English. This work represents Erasmus' growing criticism of his theological position by both Catholics and reformers. Volume 29 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series.
Book 31
This sixth of seven volumes devoted to the Adages in the Collected Works of Erasmus completes the translation and annotation of the more than 4000 proverbs gathered and commented on by Erasmus in his Adagiorum Chiliades (Thousands of Adages, usually known more simply as the Adagia). This volume's aim, like that of the others, is to provide a fully annotated, accurate, and readable English version of Erasmus' commentaries on these Greek and Latin proverbs, and to show how Erasmus continued to expand this work, originally published in 1508, until his death in 1536. An indication of Erasmus' unflagging interest in classical proverbs is that almost 500 of the 951 adages translated in this volume did not make their first appearance until the edition of 1533. Following in the tradition of meticulous scholarship for which the Collected Works of Erasmus is widely known, the notes to this volume identify the classical sources and illustrate how the content of his commentaries on the adages often reflects Erasmus' scholarly and editing interests in the classical authors at a particular time.
The work was highly acclaimed and circulated widely in Erasmus' time, serving as a conduit for transmitting classical proverbs into the vernacular languages, in which many of the proverbs still survive to this day.
The work was highly acclaimed and circulated widely in Erasmus' time, serving as a conduit for transmitting classical proverbs into the vernacular languages, in which many of the proverbs still survive to this day.
Book 36
This sixth of seven volumes devoted to the Adages in the Collected Works of Erasmus completes the translation and annotation of the more than 4000 proverbs gathered and commented on by Erasmus in his Adagiorum Chiliades (Thousands of Adages, usually known more simply as the Adagia). This volume's aim, like that of the others, is to provide a fully annotated, accurate, and readable English version of Erasmus' commentaries on these Greek and Latin proverbs, and to show how Erasmus continued to expand this work, originally published in 1508, until his death in 1536. An indication of Erasmus' unflagging interest in classical proverbs is that almost 500 of the 951 adages translated in this volume did not make their first appearance until the edition of 1533.
Following in the tradition of meticulous scholarship for which the Collected Works of Erasmus is widely known, the notes to this volume identify the classical sources and illustrate how the content of his commentaries on the adages often reflects Erasmus' scholarly and editing interests in the classical authors at a particular time. The work was highly acclaimed and circulated widely in Erasmus' time, serving as a conduit for transmitting classical proverbs into the vernacular languages, in which many of the proverbs still survive to this day.
Book 44
Erasmus yearned to make the Bible an effective instrument in the reform of society, church, and everyday life. He therefore composed paraphrases in which the words of Holy Scripture provided the core of a text, vastly expanded to embrace the reforming 'philosophy of Christ.' The Paraphrases were successful beyond all expectations, and were quickly translated into French, German, English, and other languages. This is the fourth volume of Paraphrases to be published in the New Testament Scholarship Series in the CWE. The volume includes the Paraphrases on the Pastoral Epistles and the Catholic, or General, Epistles, as well as the Paraphrase on Hebrews. These books, in the biblical text, address the central issues of the Christian life within the context of family, church, and community.
The Paraphrases sharpen the accent of the biblical message, speaking in an idiom appropriate to the sixteenth century but also surprisingly relevant to our own age: they condemn, for example, every form of tyrannizing in the home and self-aggrandisement in the church; perhaps above all, the Paraphrases expose the social injustice (inevitable, Erasmus would have us believe) of those who have acquired great personal wealth. Erasmus also reformulates, and sometimes develops, some of the great theological themes already defined in earlier volumes of this series. Is sin congenital, or do we sin simply in 'imitation' of Adam? How do the Hebrew Scriptures attest to the presence of divine grace in the world before the birth of Christ? What is faith if not a vision of eternal realities so sure that we can clearly recognize the things of this passing world as the shadows they are? These Paraphrases address the modern reader with the relevance of the moral issues they define and the perennial importance of the theological questions they raise. Erasmus clarified and interpreted biblical text with immense rhetorical skill. Volume 44 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series.
The Paraphrases sharpen the accent of the biblical message, speaking in an idiom appropriate to the sixteenth century but also surprisingly relevant to our own age: they condemn, for example, every form of tyrannizing in the home and self-aggrandisement in the church; perhaps above all, the Paraphrases expose the social injustice (inevitable, Erasmus would have us believe) of those who have acquired great personal wealth. Erasmus also reformulates, and sometimes develops, some of the great theological themes already defined in earlier volumes of this series. Is sin congenital, or do we sin simply in 'imitation' of Adam? How do the Hebrew Scriptures attest to the presence of divine grace in the world before the birth of Christ? What is faith if not a vision of eternal realities so sure that we can clearly recognize the things of this passing world as the shadows they are? These Paraphrases address the modern reader with the relevance of the moral issues they define and the perennial importance of the theological questions they raise. Erasmus clarified and interpreted biblical text with immense rhetorical skill. Volume 44 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series.
Book 45
Erasmus yearned to make the Bible an effective instrument of reform in society, church, and everyday life. To this end, he composed the Paraphrases, in which the words of Holy Scripture provide the core of a text vastly expanded to embrace the reforming 'philosophy of Christ.' Matthew was Erasmus's first paraphrased Gospel and was thus the great theologian's first opportunity to set out a full portrait of the life of Jesus. In this Paraphrase, the wonderful complexity of Jesus's life finds coherence in the conception of Him as a teacher. The baptism, the dove, and the divine voice attesting sonship are called the 'inaugurating ceremonies' that authenticate Jesus as the divine teacher of heavenly philosophy. His students are the disciples, who are to be teachers themselves, initiating an unending line of Christian teachers. The Jesus of this Paraphrase understands pedagogy: He adapts His teaching to the developing abilities of His pupils, quizzes them, and gently rebukes them. His actions as well as His words have one primary objective: to teach the disciples.
As a Preface to the Paraphrase, Erasmus wrote a 'Letter to the Pious Reader,' which became one of his most provocative and important essays. Like the more published Paraclesis, this 'Letter' vigorously advocates the translation of scripture into the vernacular languages, and proposes a 'confirmation' ceremony to encourage young people to assume responsibility for the vows taken for them at baptism by their sponsors. This volume illuminates the early thinking of Erasmus and is a welcome addition to the Collected Works series. Volume 45 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series.
As a Preface to the Paraphrase, Erasmus wrote a 'Letter to the Pious Reader,' which became one of his most provocative and important essays. Like the more published Paraclesis, this 'Letter' vigorously advocates the translation of scripture into the vernacular languages, and proposes a 'confirmation' ceremony to encourage young people to assume responsibility for the vows taken for them at baptism by their sponsors. This volume illuminates the early thinking of Erasmus and is a welcome addition to the Collected Works series. Volume 45 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series.
Book 46
Book 47
Erasmus yearned to make the New Testament an effective instrument of reform in society, church, and everyday life, and to this end he composed the Paraphrases, in which the words of Holy Scripture provide the core of a text that was vastly expanded to embrace the reforming "philosophy of Christ." Paraphrase on Luke 1-10 contains the first half of Erasmus's Paraphrase on Luke - the second half of which appeared in this series in 2003 - and completes the set of translations of the Paraphrases into English. In his Paraphrase on Luke, Erasmus expands on the original Gospel of Luke in the voice of its original author. The narrative is supplemented by Erasmus' explications of the text's moral, theological, and allegorical meanings and its psychological, historical, and geographical context. In addition to a fluid and idiomatic translation, Paraphrase on Luke 1-10 includes extensive annotations for the general or scholarly reader, making this a valuable and accessible resource for the study of both Erasmus and the New Testament. Volume 47 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series.
Book 58
Book 61
Book 64
Between 1515 and 1533 Erasmus wrote commentaries on eleven psalms, his only treatment of texts from the Old Testament. His principal aim was, as in his Paraphrases, to contribute, through the exposition of the Bible, to the renewal of preaching and devotional literature. This second of three volumes of the Expositions of the Psalms in the Collected Works of Erasmus, continues the chronological sequence of composition, containing commentaries on psalms 85, 22, 28 (the De bello Turcico), and 33. Erasmus wrote these expositions between August 1528 and February 1531, a time of growing anxiety for him as the bitterly contested issues of Reformation theology began to slip beyond hope for reconciliation. The expositions clarify his own fidelity to a moderate and conciliatory line of argument, and expose his constant preoccupation with the rediscovery of the spiritual dimension in Christian practice through ruminative meditation, which was the ultimate goal of these works. The expositions offer an absorbing range of nuances on the critical issues of the time, many of which have been neglected or obscured by partisan accounts of the Reformation crisis.
Together, these three volumes open new sources for Erasmus scholars interested in humanist scriptural interpretation, the patristic heritage, and the religious and intellectual history of the Renaissance and Reformation. Volume 64 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series.
Together, these three volumes open new sources for Erasmus scholars interested in humanist scriptural interpretation, the patristic heritage, and the religious and intellectual history of the Renaissance and Reformation. Volume 64 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series.
Book 65
This new volume of the CWE presents three of Erasmus' polemic works against Alberto Pio, Prince of Carpi. A leading diplomat of the period, patron of artists and humanists, and conservative Catholic, Pio continually angered Erasmus by criticizing him for his denunciations of church practices and officials, and by accusing him of supporting Luther and holding dangerous opinions. The texts are lucid, passionate, and even vitriolic at times. The introduction by Nelson H. Minnich provides a biography of Pio, an overview of the controversy and related texts, and a bibliographical conspectus of source-texts. The translation is by Daniel J. Sheerin. The annotation by Minnich and Sheerin is wide-ranging and informative, answering questions posed by the text and placing the reader firmly in the sixteenth-century context of the dispute. This is the first English translation of the Alberto Pio controversies. In the CWE series it follows on volumes 71-83, which contain Erasmus' controversies with other critics on theological, political, social, philological, and educational matters. Volume 84 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series.
Book 66
This is the first of five volumes to appear in the section of the CWE devoted to Erasmus' spiritualia, works of spirituality that include such aspects of religion as piety, theology, and the practice of ministry. The volume begins with an introductory essay that provides the first comprehensive review of the content, sources, and style of Erasmus' many works dealing with piety. Volume 66 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series.
Book 70
Among Erasmus of Rotterdam's many influential treatises on theology during the early Reformation, Exomologesis (1524; revised 1530) and Ecclesiastes (1535) stand out as two of his most significant. Exomologesis, or The Manner of Confessing, in which Erasmus articulated his views on the true manner of Christian confession, was sufficiently controversial that he published an expanded version with concessions and clarifications six years later. Ecclesiastes, or The Method of Preaching, was an extensive exposition on how to employ scripture, the writings of Church Fathers, and classic rhetoric to reinvigorate the practice of preaching. This innovative work ushered in a new genre of homiletic treatises that supplanted medieval preaching manuals and paved the way for what has been called "the age of eloquence." The Collected Works of Erasmus presents these two important works, complete with extensive introductions and annotations, in an elegant and precise two-volume modern translation for the first time. Volumes 67 and 68 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series - Two-volume set.
Book 72
In 1520, the reading public witnessed the eruption of a simmering conflict between Erasmus, the foremost advocate of the new biblical humanism, and Edward Lee, a younger scholar at the University of Louvain and spokesman for the traditionalists in matters of biblical interpretation and church discipline. When Erasmus (perhaps unconsciously) subsumed criticisms Lee had sent to him of his 1516 Annotations on the New Testament into the second edition (1519) without properly crediting their source, Lee resorted to publication of his collection of criticisms. Erasmus responded immediately with the Apologia which is neither arrogant nor biting nor angry nor aggressive, and which responds to the two invectives of Edward Lee, describing his version of the history of the dispute with Lee, and less than two months later produced Responses to Lee's criticisms. This new volume in the Collected Works of Erasmus series contains the first-ever English translations of the Apology and the Responses. These two pieces display Erasmus the humanist in the thick of academic turmoil, deploying all the rhetorical weapons at his command.
The volume is an entertaining and informative look into Erasmus as a scholar and as a man. Volume 72 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series.
The volume is an entertaining and informative look into Erasmus as a scholar and as a man. Volume 72 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series.
Book 73
Volumes 71-84 of the Collected Works of Erasmus contain Erasmus' arguments with his numerous critics - English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian, both Catholic and Protestant, - on a range of theological, educational, literary, classical, social, and philological topics. Volume 83 includes four treatises: Apology against Jacques Lef vre d'Etaples; An Appendix on the Writings of Josse Clichtove; Refutation of the Accusations of Josse Clichtove against the Suasoria of Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam in Praise of Marriage; and The Reply of Erasmus to the Disputation of a Certain Phimostomus on Divorce. In these essays Erasmus discusses popular concerns such as the relations between the sexes, celibacy, marriage, divorce, and how to live a good life. Modern readers will be surprised to discover how close the problems that preoccupied Erasmus are to our own concerns today. Professor Bedouelle's introduction provides an indispensable guide to the major points of controversy between Erasmus and Lef vre, Clichtove, and Dietenberger. Volume 83 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series.
Book 84
37 & 38
Assembled for the young Prince William of Cleves, Erasmus' Apophthegmata consists of thousands of sayings and anecdotes collected from Greek and Latin literature for the moral education of the future ruler. Betty I. Knott and Elaine Fantham's two-volume annotated translation of the aphorisms and Erasmus' commentary on them makes this once popular literary and educational text accessible to modern audiences. The introduction discusses the origins of the Apophthegmata, the contents of the collection, and Erasmus' sources. Volumes 37 and 38 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series - Two-volume set.
The final two volumes in the CWE contain an edition and translation of Erasmus's poetry. For Erasmus scholars this work affords the first opportunity to evaluate and analyse Erasmus' poems in English. And for those interested in Renaissance and Reformation poetry in general, these offer an intriguing look at the work of one of the towering figures of the period writing in a genre that was, for him, unusual. The annotations include a path-breaking commentary piece by Harry Vredeveld on Erasmus' most famous poem, 'Poem on the Trouble of Old Age.' Another important feature is the appearance of the original Latin of each poem alongside the English translation. Volumes 85 and 86 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series - Two-volume set.
No. 23-24
These volumes are the first in a series containing works by Erasmus 'that concern literature and education': interests which to him were scarcely separable. The aim of Erasmian education was a civilized life, expressed in Christian piety and the fulfilment of public and private duties and embellished by learning and literature. Towards these ends the soundest training for youth was what Erasmus often called bonne litterae, 'good letters,' a literary and rhetorical training based on Greek and Latin authors. For centuries the classical curriculum was the core of liberal education, and Erasmus was long regarded as its exemplar. Though never a university teacher except briefly at Cambridge (1311-14), he was a 'teacher of teachers' through his treatises on pedagogy and rhetoric and his many works of scholarship. The four works presented here in annotated translations are characteristic expressions of his dedication to learning and his confidence in the values of classical literature for the modern world of his time.
Antibarbari (1520), translated and annotated by Margaret Mann Phillips, is a defence of the humanities against ignorant and misguided critics who question both their supposed worth and the appropriateness of pagan writings for Christian pupils. The reply of Erasmus becomes a manifesto on behalf of reason, scholarship, and literature. As for paganism, he insists that if secular knowledge is used properly it cannot harm but must help Christians. 'None of the liberal disciplines is Christian' because they all antedated Christianity, yet they 'all concern Christ' because they can be put to Christian uses. Parabolae (1514), translated and annotated by R.A.B. Mynors, a work that 'contributes eminently to style,' is a collection of similitudes drawn from observations of men, customs, and nature. Many are culled from Plutarch and Seneca, but for those from Seneca, and from Aristotle, the moral applications are added by Erasmus. As an exercise in the rhetoric of moral philosophy - 'many jewels in one small box,' Erasmus terms it-this book quickly became popular and long remained so. De copia (1512), translated and annotated by Betty I.
Knott, is not a plan for the entire curriculum but a treatise on the 'abundant' or rich style in writing and speaking Latin, a guide to attaining fluency and variety in discourse. As a manual for students De copia broke new ground. It was a remarkably successful work, used in schools in many lands for generations. From 1312 to 1600, more than 130 printings are recorded. De ratione studii (1312), translated and annotated by Brian McGregor, furnishes a concise but clear exposition of the curriculum, text, and methods of Erasmus' programme for liberal studies in grammar schools. Here as in all of his writings on education, language is the heart of the matter. The main goals are accurate, effective expression and communication in Latin, though Erasmus expects much besides literature to be learned from the study of literature. He emphasizes the necessity for competent and sympathetic teachers. Each translation is introduced by the translator, and a general introduction by the editor discusses the significance of each of the works, its relation to the others, and its subsequent fortunes. Wallace K. Ferguson provides an introductory essay, 'The Works of Erasmus.'
Antibarbari (1520), translated and annotated by Margaret Mann Phillips, is a defence of the humanities against ignorant and misguided critics who question both their supposed worth and the appropriateness of pagan writings for Christian pupils. The reply of Erasmus becomes a manifesto on behalf of reason, scholarship, and literature. As for paganism, he insists that if secular knowledge is used properly it cannot harm but must help Christians. 'None of the liberal disciplines is Christian' because they all antedated Christianity, yet they 'all concern Christ' because they can be put to Christian uses. Parabolae (1514), translated and annotated by R.A.B. Mynors, a work that 'contributes eminently to style,' is a collection of similitudes drawn from observations of men, customs, and nature. Many are culled from Plutarch and Seneca, but for those from Seneca, and from Aristotle, the moral applications are added by Erasmus. As an exercise in the rhetoric of moral philosophy - 'many jewels in one small box,' Erasmus terms it-this book quickly became popular and long remained so. De copia (1512), translated and annotated by Betty I.
Knott, is not a plan for the entire curriculum but a treatise on the 'abundant' or rich style in writing and speaking Latin, a guide to attaining fluency and variety in discourse. As a manual for students De copia broke new ground. It was a remarkably successful work, used in schools in many lands for generations. From 1312 to 1600, more than 130 printings are recorded. De ratione studii (1312), translated and annotated by Brian McGregor, furnishes a concise but clear exposition of the curriculum, text, and methods of Erasmus' programme for liberal studies in grammar schools. Here as in all of his writings on education, language is the heart of the matter. The main goals are accurate, effective expression and communication in Latin, though Erasmus expects much besides literature to be learned from the study of literature. He emphasizes the necessity for competent and sympathetic teachers. Each translation is introduced by the translator, and a general introduction by the editor discusses the significance of each of the works, its relation to the others, and its subsequent fortunes. Wallace K. Ferguson provides an introductory essay, 'The Works of Erasmus.'