Ecclesiastes of Erasmus

Ecclesiastes of Erasmus

"Ecclesiastes: On the Art of Preaching" (Latin: "Ecclesiastes: sive de ratione concionandi")

One of the last major works that Desiderius Erasmus produced, "Ecclesiastes" focuses on the subject of effective preaching. Previously, Erasmus had written treatises on the Christian layperson, Christian prince, and Christian educator. Friends and admirers, including Bishop John Fisher suggested that Erasmus write on the office of the Christian priesthood. He began writing the text in 1523, finally completing and printing "Ecclesiastes" in 1535. "Ecclesiastes" is divided into four sections, but Erasmus himself declares that those sections cover three themes. Section one is a discussion of the value of the office of priest, and the qualities that an effective preacher exemplifies and cultivates. Sections two and three are a review of rhetorical devices that a good preacher should have in their repertoire. Erasmus believed that a priest should have a solid background in homiletics and hermeneutics in order to properly interpret scripture, and construct effective sermons on that interpretation. The fourth section is a resource bank of topics worthy of sermons, and scriptural references to draw from. This section is filled with practical examples and illustrations.

In the "Ecclesiastes", Erasmus combines things that many contemporary religious figures vehemently wanted to separate. He advocated that priests combine historical and metaphorical interpretations of the Bible. For Erasmus, the metaphorical interpretation was built upon the historical biblical tradition, not opposed to it. He also was a proponent of priests using the classical rhetorical tradition to supplement their ability to deliver sermons and serve their laity.

According to the "Ecclesiastes", the role of the preacher is to bring peace to the individual souls of the congregation. Priests bring that peace primarily through the teachings of Christ, and by encouraging their congregation to live their daily lives by those principles. The purpose of the sermon than is to effect a tangible change in their audience; to improve human conduct. The priest learns a heavenly doctrine, transfers that knowledge into a better earthly life through the congregation, thereby affecting a right and peaceful relationship with God.

At the time when he wrote "Ecclesiastes", Erasmus was nearing the end of his life, and his health was failing him. This did not prevent him from producing a cogent and influential treatise on preaching, nor did it prevent him from sprinkling in some of his trademark humor. He writes: "If elephants can be trained to dance, lions to play and leopards to hunt, surely priests can be taught to preach."

It is difficult to gauge exactly how influential the Ecclesiastes was in the reform of preaching. It was certainly a popular text, going through four editions in the year between its first publishing and the death of Erasmus in 1536. Erasmus proposed in the "Ecclesiastes" that the Church institute a competence training program. Bishops would train priests in the arts of rhetoric, weeding out the poor speakers and instilling the proper tools and traits needed to speak effectively. Erasmus was not the only figure at the time to voice similar concerns, but the Council of Trent did refer to the "Ecclesiastes" while implementing reforms. The "Ecclesiastes" was never finished.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Ecclesiastes (disambiguation) — Ecclesiastes is a book of the Hebrew Bible. It may also refer to: * Ecclesiastes of Erasmus, or Ecclesiastes: On the Art of Preaching , by Desiderius Erasmus, published 1535 *Ecclesiastes Rabbah, an haggadic commentary on Ecclesiastes, included… …   Wikipedia

  • Erasmus Oswald Schreckenfuchs — (1511–1579) was an Austrian humanist, astronomer and Hebraist. Erasmus Oswald Schreckenfuchs. Life He was born in Merckenstein, near Bad Vöslau in Lower Austria, and studied in Vienna, Ingolstadt and Tübingen. He became a stud …   Wikipedia

  • Erasmus [2] — Erasmus, Desiderius, genannt E. von Rotterdam, Humanist, geb. 28. Okt. 1466 in Rotterdam, gest. 12. Juli 1536 in Basel, stammte aus einer ungesetzlichen Verbindung der Tochter eines Arztes mit Gerhard de Praet aus Gouda in Holland, erhielt daher… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Erasmus — Erasmus, Desiderius, von seinem Geburtsorte Rotterdam E. Roterodamus, von seinem Vater Gerhard auch Gerhard Gerhardssohn genannt, war der 1467 geb. natürliche und 14jähr. verwaiste Sohn unglücklicher Eltern und wurde in der Reformationszeit der… …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • Erasmus, Desiderius — born Oct. 27, 1469, Rotterdam, Holland died July 12, 1536, Basel, Switz. Dutch priest and humanist, considered the greatest European scholar of the 16th century. The illegitimate son of a priest and a physician s daughter, he entered a monastery… …   Universalium

  • Desiderius Erasmus — Erasmus redirects here. For other uses, see Erasmus (disambiguation). Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus Desiderius Erasmus in 1523 as depicted by Hans Holbein the Younger Full name Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus Born October 28, 1466 …   Wikipedia

  • Desiderius Erasmus —     Desiderius Erasmus     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► Desiderius Erasmus     The most brilliant and most important leader of German humanism, b. at Rotterdam, Holland, 28 October, probably in 1466; d. at Basle, Switzerland, 12 July, 1536. He was… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • biblical literature — Introduction       four bodies of written works: the Old Testament writings according to the Hebrew canon; intertestamental works, including the Old Testament Apocrypha; the New Testament writings; and the New Testament Apocrypha.       The Old… …   Universalium

  • BIBLE — THE CANON, TEXT, AND EDITIONS canon general titles the canon the significance of the canon the process of canonization contents and titles of the books the tripartite canon …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Ne quid nimis — Lateinische Phrasen   A B C D E F G H I L M N O P …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”