Controversies

Spanning the period of 1523 to 1534, the compositions in Volume 78 of the Collected Works of Erasmus detail Erasmus' theological disagreements with the Swiss and Upper German 'evangelicals' and the German Lutherans, including Luther himself. While volumes 76 and 77 of the series focus on the controversy with Luther over the "freedom of the will," the wider lens of this volume also captures the conflicts between Erasmus and contemporaries such as Hutten, Eppendorf, Oecolampadius, Capito, and Bucer.

These writings reveal the dialogue between Erasmus and those evangelicals who had appropriated and adapted his views on the Eucharist and set forth his defense of the toleration of heretics and a point-by-point rebuttal of Luther's ultimate accusations, which had rejected Erasmus as a Christian. Throughout, the original words of Erasmus are presented in contemporary English translation by eminent scholars of sixteenth-century studies, who also discuss the historical and theological contexts of the controversies.

Volume 78 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series.