Expositions of the Psalms: Enarratio in primum psalmum, 'Beatus vir' / Commentarius in psalmum 2, 'Quare fremuerunt gentes' / Paraphrasis in tertium ... Collected Works of Erasmus 63

Collected Work of Erasmus #63

by Erasmus

Between 1515 and 1533, Erasmus Wrote Commentaries On Eleven Psalms. His principal aim was, as in his Paraphrases, to contribute through the exposition of the Bible to the renewal of preaching and devotional literature. Sacred scripture was at the heart of Erasmus' spirituality because in it he discovered the workings of divine grace, the guiding hand of providence that brings meaning to the scattered events of history and even to the fumbled efforts of the individual life.His Expositions of the Psalms make up three volumes of the CWE, 63-65. This first volume contains commentaries on four psalms: An Exposition of the First Psalm, 'Blessed the Man, ' Principally on the Tropological Level; A Commentary on the Second Psalm, 'Why Did the Nations Rage?; A Paraphrase on the Third Psalm, 'O Lord, How Have My Tormentors Multiplied?'; and A Sermon on the Fourth Psalm. Professor Baker-Smith's introduction is not only an indispensable guide and companion to Volumes 63-65 but also a ground-breaking contribution to the understanding and appreciation of this neglected area of Erasmus studies.

480 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1536

About the author

Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (28 October 1466 – 12 July 1536), 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.