Erasmus on Literature: His Ratio or ‘System’ of 1518/1519

"Fans of Praise of Folly and the Colloquies ought to open Erasmus on Literature to see what and how Erasmus wanted them to read. Scholars of theology will scrutinize the edition carefully, as Erasmus’s contemporaries did. Seminaries in need of a book that teaches exegesis more thoroughly than Augustine now have one, ready for immediate use."

Willis Goth Regier, University of Illinois, Renaissance and Reformation

“The need for an accessible version of this work has now been filled by this lucid translation which…These parerga make this volume useful to students and advanced researchers alike.” Ralph Keen, University of Illinois, Erasmus Studies

"This book provides compelling insights into Erasmus' views on interpreting the Bible and reading more generally. It will be helpful to students of Renaissance literature and literary theory." Peter Mack, Department of English and Comparative Literature, University of Warwick

"Vessey presents one of Erasmus' key texts on biblical scholarship in a fresh way by giving Sider's lucid, well-structured and annotated translation, preceded by five excellent, informative essays by recognized specialists. It is well done and a pleasure to read it, as is Grafton's insightful foreword. I learned a lot from this book that shows us a humanist theologian and Christian at work." Jan Bloemendal, Huygens Institute for the History of the Netherlands, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences

“In the Ratio Erasmus carefully sets out his ideas on how literature can be read, interpreted, and appropriated in the best, most adequate, most responsible and most enriching way. These ideas have influenced hermeneutics from the sixteenth century to the present day. It was a brilliant idea to make this classic readily accessible in English to modern readers. Sider’s translation is lucid and reliable, the accompanying notes immensely informative, and the introductory essays, written by leading experts on Erasmus, extremely illuminating. This new edition is a sine qua non for understanding Erasmus and a beacon for anyone engaged in the interpretation of texts.” Henk Jan de Jonge, Professor Emeritus of New Testament and Early Christian Literature, Leiden University

"It is hard to overestimate the significance of Erasmus' insights into how literature is produced and interpreted. Here at last as a stand-alone text is a fine English translation of the Ratio verae theologiae, an introduction to reading the New Testament and the work that most directly distilled Erasmus' view of how we understand literature. Specialists and students alike will be delighted, inspired, and enabled by this powerful, extremely substantial, and richly adorned edition."

Nigel Smith, William and Annie S. Paton Foundation Professor of Ancient and Modern Literature, Princeton University

"Erasmus’ Ratio of 1519, designed as a novice’s guide to interpreting the New Testament, serves here as a powerful entry into the life, leading ideas, and historical context of Europe’s most famous humanist. The splendid accompanying essays offer a rich complement to the translation and annotations of the text, explaining the principles of literary analysis which informed his theology."

Ann Blair, Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor, Harvard University