Erasmus Studies

Written more than half a century before Sir Philip Sidney’s well-known Apology for Poetry, Erasmus’ Ratio or ‘System’ is an almost lost masterpiece of Renaissance literary theory and interpretive practice, now available for the first time in English in a convenient student edition.

Through well-chosen excerpts from Erasmus’ writings, this book provides a clear picture of his extensive work on the New Testament.

An engaging look at Erasmus' theological, philosophical and socio-political influence, Encounters with a Radical Erasmus will prove useful to scholars of humanism, theology, the Reformation and Renaissance.

Holy Scripture Speaks reveals the rich complexity of the literary, theological, and cultural dimensions of Erasmus’ Paraphrases on the New Testament and indicates future directions that research in this area should take.

Erasmus and His Books, an essential reference for Erasmus scholars and bibliophiles around the world, details the formation, growth, scope, and disposal of Erasmus’ library, and includes a lengthy annotated catalogue of all items.

Kirk Essary examines assumptions about the very nature of theology in the sixteenth century, how it was understood by leading humanist reformers, and how ideas about philosophy and rhetoric were received, appropriated, and shared in a complex intellectual and religious context.

This original and provocative engagement with Erasmus’ work argues that the Dutch humanist discovered in classical Stoicism several principles which he developed into a paradigm-shifting application of Stoicism to Christianity.

Combining a biography of Erasmus with the larger theological debates and the intellectual history of his time, Christine Christ-von Wedel reveals many of previously unexplored influences on Erasmus, as well as his influences on his contemporaries.

Exploiting Erasmus examines the legacy of Erasmus in England from the mid-sixteenth century to the overthrow of James II in 1688 and studies the various ways in which his works were received, manipulated, and used in religious controversies that threatened both church and state.

Erasmus: His Life, Works, and Influence is a comprehensive introduction to Erasmus's life, works, and thoughts.

Patronage and Humanist Literature in the Age of the Jagiellons is an insightful historic account that is accessible to anyone interested in patronage at the time of the European Renaissance.

A close reading of Erasmus' (d. 1536) work on prayer and spirituality that analyses how he understood prayer and demonstrates how his publications on prayer form part of the larger pastoral program that was implemented by the printing press.

In the twentieth century, Mansfield concludes, more modern ways of studying Erasmus have emerged, notably through seeing him more precisely in his own historical context.

Greta Grace Kroeker examines Erasmus' Annotations, Paraphrases, and the texts of his Erasmus in the Footsteps of Paul is the first book to investigate Erasmus' negotiations of Romans in the Reformation world.

Bruce Mansfield shows how shifting interpretations and changing critical regard for Erasmus and his work reflect cultural shifts of the last century.