First separate edition of this important treatise, with a beautiful title border by Hans Holbein the Younger (ca. 1497-1543). The work was first published as a preface to Erasmus' Novum instrumentum omne (1516). Written in the form of a letter, its purpose was to persuade the "pious reader" to undertake a serious study of the New Testament, the primary source of the philosophy of Christ. It stresses the importance of reading the Gospels and the Apostolical Letters, especially those of St. Paul. It also propagates the translation of those texts in the vernacular, so that everyone would be able to read them.
With his translation of the New Testament, Erasmus intended to bring theology back to its source, and rid it of the wrong interpretations and misleading commentaries that had been added to it over the centuries. His Latin translation was therefore not based on the Vulgate, but on seven carefully examined Greek manuscripts. The Greek text was printed side by side with his Latin translation, so readers could check the source text themselves. This approach challenged centuries of ecclesiastical authority and provoked fierce opposition among theologians, who denounced the work as unsanctioned and dangerous. However, Erasmus' work was also met with great enthusiasm, and an estimated 300.000 copies were printed during his lifetime. Thirty-five editions of the Paraclesis as a standalone text appeared between 1519 and 1529, including translations into German. The present first edition, which was printed in both an octavo and quarto format, is rare. We have not been able to find any other copies of the present quarto issue in sales records of the past hundred years.
With contemporary marginal and interlinear annotations in the second half of the work with clarifications or explanations of certain words and passages, the woodcut border and printer's device have been partially coloured in red by a later hand. The fore edge margin has been cut slightly short, with the loss of a few letters of some of the annotations, the first two leaves are slightly foxed and stained, two small holes and a short tear in the title page have been professionally restored, and the head margin has been reinforced, a small wormhole in the outer margin throughout. Otherwise in good condition. Adams E 728; Bezzel 1396; BM STC German p. 283; Erasmus Online 2834; USTC 682527 (9 copies); Vander Haeghen I, 140; VD 16 E 3273; not in De Reuck.