Very rare Paris edition of Erasmus Enchiridion militis Christiani, including a short text urging readers to study Christian philosophy. Before Erasmus became a household name for his satire The Praise of Folly, or for his Latin translation of the New Testament, he authored a lesser-known yet deeply personal work: Enchiridion militis Christiani (The handbook of the Christian soldier).
Written in 1501, the Enchiridion is a passionate call to return to a pure, Christ-centred faith, one grounded not in ritual or church hierarchy, but in inner devotion and practical piety. With urgency and sincerity, Erasmus wrote not for scholars or clergy, but for ordinary believers striving to live a holy life.
Between its first publication and Erasmuss death in 1536, the Enchiridion was printed in over fifty Latin editions, becoming one of his most widely read works across Europe. This relatively early French edition is rare, with few known copies surviving. We have traced only two other copies in sales records of the past 100 years (one sold in 1920 and the other in 1980).
With occasional (near-) contemporary manuscript annotations in the margins and underlining of some text indicating text improvements and highlighting important passages and in the same hand a short note on the blank verso of the last leaf, most likely a philosophical reflection or content-related note. Most pages contain a simple frame, ruled in red after printing, the edges of the last quarter of leaves are slightly frayed, minor water staining in the fore-edge margin and somewhat browned throughout. Otherwise in good condition. Renouard inventaire chronologique des editions Parisiennes III, 318; Renouard & Moreau II, 1812; USTC 183822 (lost book); Vander Haeghen I, 84; not in Adams; Bezzel; BM STC French; De Reuck; Kossmann; WorldCat; cf. . Bibliotheca Belgica E 1023 (ca. 1522 ed. with different impressum).