This volume presents Erasmus’ final arguments in a decade-long controversy with the theologians of the University of Paris – especially with their elected syndic, or director, Noël Béda. At the heart of the controversy were two principal issues: the textual integrity of the Latin Vulgate Bible and the validity and utility of the traditional method of the schools for the study, interpretation, and teaching of Christian doctrine. In essence it was a question of which approach was of more value to the church. Should theologians adopt the humanistic approach advocated by Erasmus, which employed philological textual criticism of the Bible...

Since, toward the end of June in the year 1526, we were asked by many eminent persons what should be thought about some propositions excerpted from Desiderius Erasmus’Paraphrases on the New Testament, and likewise about some others excerpted from his little book defending the said propositions, which is calledElenchus, and also about some others found in other books by him, and since we wished to render an account of the faith which is in us,² after looking into the matter at length and at the proper time and discussing it among ourselves, at last we not only thought...