Erasmus' Paraphrases on the New Testament provide a startling example of the adaptation of the Bible to the religious and rhetorical ideals of Renaissance humanism. Yet very little is known about the production and reception of the Paraphrases, which comprise nine volumes of the Collected Works of Erasmus in English. In this collection of twelve contributed essays, Hilmar Pabel and Mark Vessey aim to address this gap in Erasmus studies. The papers reflect recent critical scholarship in three main areas: Erasmus' promotion of the ideals of Renaissance humanism; his work as an editor, translator, and interpreter of the New Testament; and the impact of his published writings on the culture of early modern Europe.
Holy Scripture Speaks represents the most concerted collective study of Erasmus' Paraphrases on the New Testament since the completion of the first English translation by scholars during the reign of Edward VI (1548/9). It reveals the rich complexity of the literary, theological, and cultural dimensions of the Paraphrases, and indicates future directions that research in this area should take.
Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments
Sequence and Dates of the Original Publication of the Paraphrases
Order of the Paraphrases in the Collected Works of Erasmus (CWE)
Abbreviations
Introduction
Mark Vessey
PART ONE / 'A KIND OF EXPOSITION': THE PRODUCTION OF THE PARAPHRASES
1
The Tongue and the Book: Erasmus' Paraphrases on the New Testament and the Arts of Scripture
Mark Vessey
2
Exegetical Fictions? Biblical Paraphrases of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries
Bernard Roussel
3
Historical Imagination and the Representation of Paul in Erasmus' Paraphrases on the Pauline Epistles
Robert D. Sider
4
Triumphs, Trophies, and Spoils: Roman History in Some Paraphrases on Paul by Erasmus
Mechtilde O'Mara
5
Sub evangelistae persona: The Speaking Voice in Erasmus' Paraphrase on Luke
Jane E. Phillips
6
Jesus and His Family in Erasmus' Paraphrases on Luke and John
Irena Backus
7
Exegesis and Marriage in Erasmus' Paraphrases on the New Testament
Hilmar M. Pabel
PART TWO / 'A FULL LIBRARY OF DIVINITY BOOKS': THE RECEPTION OF THE PARAPHRASES
8
The Textual Travail of the Tomus secundus of the Paraphrases
John J. Bateman
9
Why Noel Beda Did Not Like Erasmus' Paraphrases
Erika Rummel
10
The Paraphrases of Erasmus in French
Guy Bedouelle
11
John Bale's Image of Both Churches and the English Paraphrase on Revelation
Gretchen E. Minton
12
Forming a Protestant Consciousness? Erasmus' Paraphrases in English Parishes, 1547-1666
John Craig
Bibliography
Contributors
Index of Scriptural Passages
General Index
About the Author :
Hilmar M. Pabel is Associate Professor of History at Simon Fraser University, and editor of Erasmus' Vision of the Church.
Mark Vessey is Principal of Green College and Professor of English Literature at the University of British Columbia.
