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The Colloquies of Erasmus; Volume 1
This seminal work of Renaissance literature is a collection of dialogues written by Desiderius Erasmus and translated into English by Nathan Bailey. The dialogues cover a wide range of topics, from religion and morality to politics and philosophy, and provide a glimpse into the intellectual life of the Renaissance. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
494 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1900
About the author
Erasmus
1,433 books467 followersDesiderius Erasmus Roterodamus, known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, social critic, teacher, and theologian.
Erasmus was a classical scholar and wrote in a pure Latin style. Among humanists he enjoyed the sobriquet "Prince of the Humanists", and has been called "the crowning glory of the Christian humanists". Using humanist techniques for working on texts, he prepared important new Latin and Greek editions of the New Testament, which raised questions that would be influential in the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation. He also wrote On Free Will, The Praise of Folly, Handbook of a Christian Knight, On Civility in Children, Copia: Foundations of the Abundant Style, Julius Exclusus, and many other works.
Erasmus lived against the backdrop of the growing European religious Reformation, but while he was critical of the abuses within the Catholic Church and called for reform, he kept his distance from Luther and Melanchthon and continued to recognise the authority of the pope, emphasizing a middle way with a deep respect for traditional faith, piety and grace, rejecting Luther's emphasis on faith alone. Erasmus remained a member of the Roman Catholic Church all his life, remaining committed to reforming the Church and its clerics' abuses from within. He also held to the Catholic doctrine of free will, which some Reformers rejected in favor of the doctrine of predestination. His middle road approach disappointed and even angered scholars in both camps.
Erasmus died suddenly in Basel in 1536 while preparing to return to Brabant, and was buried in the Basel Minster, the former cathedral of the city. A bronze statue of him was erected in his city of birth in 1622, replacing an earlier work in stone.
Erasmus was a classical scholar and wrote in a pure Latin style. Among humanists he enjoyed the sobriquet "Prince of the Humanists", and has been called "the crowning glory of the Christian humanists". Using humanist techniques for working on texts, he prepared important new Latin and Greek editions of the New Testament, which raised questions that would be influential in the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation. He also wrote On Free Will, The Praise of Folly, Handbook of a Christian Knight, On Civility in Children, Copia: Foundations of the Abundant Style, Julius Exclusus, and many other works.
Erasmus lived against the backdrop of the growing European religious Reformation, but while he was critical of the abuses within the Catholic Church and called for reform, he kept his distance from Luther and Melanchthon and continued to recognise the authority of the pope, emphasizing a middle way with a deep respect for traditional faith, piety and grace, rejecting Luther's emphasis on faith alone. Erasmus remained a member of the Roman Catholic Church all his life, remaining committed to reforming the Church and its clerics' abuses from within. He also held to the Catholic doctrine of free will, which some Reformers rejected in favor of the doctrine of predestination. His middle road approach disappointed and even angered scholars in both camps.
Erasmus died suddenly in Basel in 1536 while preparing to return to Brabant, and was buried in the Basel Minster, the former cathedral of the city. A bronze statue of him was erected in his city of birth in 1622, replacing an earlier work in stone.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 3, 2017
Ah, the Colloquies of that unsheathed sword of wit, Desiderius Erasmus...
O short-lived Springtime of the early Northern European Renaissance, happily peopled with goddesses, nymphs and satyrs to please new readers (the Greek myths could now be spread far and wide, thanks to the Gutenberg Revolution)...
A Springtime that was all too soon to be shoved aside into the wings by the murderous and vain Wars of the Reformation - in the bloodiest modern century before the Age of Hitler, Mussolini, and the Bomb...
Erasmus - valiantly trying to promote learning in a primitive land of hatred and superstition, the blighted souls of whose citizens matched their ungainly table manners!
Erasmus.
This gentle voice of reason in a time of extreme violence extended the olive branch of educated good humour to his deaf 16th century audience, and was mercilessly shouted down in the rising rage of princes, prelates and either side of the pro- or anti-papist populace.
His Colloquies seem to us today to be the product of a happily settled and bucolic age.
Yet nothing could be further from the truth!
However, it remains a distinct pleasure to read them now - these ambling portraits of unlettered bumpkins and their sly friends which taught the still-illiterate ordinary Europeans some of the rudiments of reading, and tried to teach them decency and good common sense.
You know, to read these unhurried and mildly capricious vignettes today, in our here-and-gone world, is a relaxing experience.
Sure, life could be - as Thomas Hobbes said - “nasty, short and brutish” back in those troubled times...
But at least it was SIMPLE.
And if you ever have a mind to take a slow break from reality in their warm, human, old-time atmosphere, you have a number of cheap Kindle reissues to choose from.
A pleasant, unstressful way to spend a carefree evening or two!
O short-lived Springtime of the early Northern European Renaissance, happily peopled with goddesses, nymphs and satyrs to please new readers (the Greek myths could now be spread far and wide, thanks to the Gutenberg Revolution)...
A Springtime that was all too soon to be shoved aside into the wings by the murderous and vain Wars of the Reformation - in the bloodiest modern century before the Age of Hitler, Mussolini, and the Bomb...
Erasmus - valiantly trying to promote learning in a primitive land of hatred and superstition, the blighted souls of whose citizens matched their ungainly table manners!
Erasmus.
This gentle voice of reason in a time of extreme violence extended the olive branch of educated good humour to his deaf 16th century audience, and was mercilessly shouted down in the rising rage of princes, prelates and either side of the pro- or anti-papist populace.
His Colloquies seem to us today to be the product of a happily settled and bucolic age.
Yet nothing could be further from the truth!
However, it remains a distinct pleasure to read them now - these ambling portraits of unlettered bumpkins and their sly friends which taught the still-illiterate ordinary Europeans some of the rudiments of reading, and tried to teach them decency and good common sense.
You know, to read these unhurried and mildly capricious vignettes today, in our here-and-gone world, is a relaxing experience.
Sure, life could be - as Thomas Hobbes said - “nasty, short and brutish” back in those troubled times...
But at least it was SIMPLE.
And if you ever have a mind to take a slow break from reality in their warm, human, old-time atmosphere, you have a number of cheap Kindle reissues to choose from.
A pleasant, unstressful way to spend a carefree evening or two!
Want to Read
March 8, 2019I'm often on the lookout for writers/books that are rarely read in this day and age, and my new friend, Fergus, led me to a curious one: Eramus.
If anyone is, by any chance, interested, the e-book is free on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Colloquies-Era...
March 3, 2013
Short and long conversations with a pedagogical purpose: to exercise the Latin of his pupils (in all possible situations), but also to teach worldly wisdoms and give criticism on social situations. Usually very entertaining, some pieces are harsh and far too serious. In fact, these dialogues are in line with the criticism of "In praise of folly", but much easier to understand and more pleasant to read.
Read
January 23, 2014This is not the Kindle edition I am talking about but rather a used book going for fifteen bucks at the used bookstore from some London publisher I've never heard of.
July 22, 2013
Enkel hieruit : The Young Man and Harlot
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews