First edition of a polemical work by Erasmus, written at a pivotal moment in the escalation of tensions during the Reformation. Composed in Freiburg and dated 4 November 1529, this extensive letter to Gerardus Geldenhauer (1482-1542) is Erasmuss direct and indignant response to the unauthorised use of his Apologia ad monachos Hispanos in Geldenhauers own Epistolae aliquot de re evangelica et haereticorum poenis (Strasbourg, September 1529). By selectively quoting Erasmus, Geldenhauer sought to align him with the Lutheran cause, a move that Erasmus strongly rejected.
Erasmus' Epistola is a vivid example of his determination to preserve his intellectual independence amid growing pressure from both sides of the Reformation divide. He denounces those who falsely claim the name evangelical, asserting that true reform cannot be reduced to party slogans or doctrinal extremism. While Erasmus had long called for renewal within the Church through learning and moderation, this work reveals a sharper tone, as he distances himself from reformers who, in his view, distorted both scripture and his own writings.
The tract was quickly circulated and remains a key document for understanding Erasmuss late theology, his views on religious identity, and his discomfort with the polarisation of the age.
With a black oval stamp ("Stadtbibliothek zu Homburg V.D.H") on the title page, one small ("Veräusserte doublette") and one larger blue/purple rectangular stamp ("Stadt-Bibliothek Homburg ...") on the verso of the title page, and a repeat of the oval and smaller rectangular stamps on the blank recto of the last leaf; all from the city library in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe in Germany. The binding is very slightly damaged along the fore-edge of the front board, some occasional minor staining. Otherwise in very good condition. Bezzel 953; Bomelius p. 20; Erasmus Online 2045; Prinsen p. 92; USTC 651263; Vander Haeghen I, 97; not in Adams; BM STC German; De Reuck.