Holy Scripture Speaks

Erasmus' Paraphrases on the New Testamentprovide 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 Erasmusin 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 Speaksrepresents the most concerted collective study of Erasmus' Paraphrases on the New Testamentsince 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.

HILMAR M. PABEL is Associate Professor of History at Simon Fraser University. Mark Vessey is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of British Columbia. He holds a Canada Research Chair in Literature/Christianity and Culture.