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A manual for a Christian soldier written by Erasmus; and translated into English.
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A manual for a Christian soldier written by Erasmus; and translated into English.
Enchiridion militis Christiani.
Erasmus, Desiderius, d. 1536.
Errata: p. 212.
Advertisement: p. [1]-[2] at end.
Translation of the author's Enchiridion militis Christiani.
[48], 212, [2] p.
London: Printed for William Rogers ..., 1687.
Wing / E3205A
English
Reproduction of the original in the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign Campus)
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272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1501
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About the author
Erasmus
1,406 books452 followersDesiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (28 October 1466 – 12 July 1536), known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, social critic, teacher, and theologian.
Erasmus was a classical scholar and wrote in a pure Latin style. Among humanists he enjoyed the sobriquet "Prince of the Humanists", and has been called "the crowning glory of the Christian humanists". Using humanist techniques for working on texts, he prepared important new Latin and Greek editions of the New Testament, which raised questions that would be influential in the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation. He also wrote On Free Will, The Praise of Folly, Handbook of a Christian Knight, On Civility in Children, Copia: Foundations of the Abundant Style, Julius Exclusus, and many other works.
Erasmus lived against the backdrop of the growing European religious Reformation, but while he was critical of the abuses within the Catholic Church and called for reform, he kept his distance from Luther and Melanchthon and continued to recognise the authority of the pope, emphasizing a middle way with a deep respect for traditional faith, piety and grace, rejecting Luther's emphasis on faith alone. Erasmus remained a member of the Roman Catholic Church all his life, remaining committed to reforming the Church and its clerics' abuses from within. He also held to the Catholic doctrine of free will, which some Reformers rejected in favor of the doctrine of predestination. His middle road approach disappointed and even angered scholars in both camps.
Erasmus died suddenly in Basel in 1536 while preparing to return to Brabant, and was buried in the Basel Minster, the former cathedral of the city. A bronze statue of him was erected in his city of birth in 1622, replacing an earlier work in stone.
Erasmus was a classical scholar and wrote in a pure Latin style. Among humanists he enjoyed the sobriquet "Prince of the Humanists", and has been called "the crowning glory of the Christian humanists". Using humanist techniques for working on texts, he prepared important new Latin and Greek editions of the New Testament, which raised questions that would be influential in the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation. He also wrote On Free Will, The Praise of Folly, Handbook of a Christian Knight, On Civility in Children, Copia: Foundations of the Abundant Style, Julius Exclusus, and many other works.
Erasmus lived against the backdrop of the growing European religious Reformation, but while he was critical of the abuses within the Catholic Church and called for reform, he kept his distance from Luther and Melanchthon and continued to recognise the authority of the pope, emphasizing a middle way with a deep respect for traditional faith, piety and grace, rejecting Luther's emphasis on faith alone. Erasmus remained a member of the Roman Catholic Church all his life, remaining committed to reforming the Church and its clerics' abuses from within. He also held to the Catholic doctrine of free will, which some Reformers rejected in favor of the doctrine of predestination. His middle road approach disappointed and even angered scholars in both camps.
Erasmus died suddenly in Basel in 1536 while preparing to return to Brabant, and was buried in the Basel Minster, the former cathedral of the city. A bronze statue of him was erected in his city of birth in 1622, replacing an earlier work in stone.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 1, 2017
Erasmus (Desiderius Erasmus Roterdamus) was a Dutch Renaissance humanist who is famous for publishing an edition of the Greek New Testament and for his work Praise of Folly. An enigmatic figure of the Reformation period, he was considered a hero by some and an enemy by others. He was faithful to the Roman Catholic Church (he was a priest and a friend of the martyr St. Thomas More) and yet he believed that some of her ideas and practices had strayed from the purity of New Testament Christianity. It was famously said of him that he “laid the egg which Luther hatched.”
Erasmus composed the Enchiridion militis Christiani or Handbook of the Militant Christian at the request of a pious woman who was unhappy with the behaviour of her husband, a likeable but boorish soldier who in her opinion needed to mend his ways. In 1501, Erasmus interrupted the work he was doing and obliged her; the work was published two years later.
"Enchiridion" is a late Latin word of Greek origin which means “handbook” or “manual” (literally “that which is held in the hand”). Accordingly, the work is a guidebook to living a good Christian life. As it was directed first of all at a soldier, the idea of the Christian life as a constant battle against the forces of evil permeates the book. Erasmus puts forward certain thought patterns and practices which are to be employed as armour or defensive weapons, always kept very close, in this spiritual warfare. Appropriately, “enchiridion” can also mean “a handy sword or dagger.”
Foremost among these weapons are prayer and knowledge. Knowledge includes both a diligent reading of the Scriptures and a “sensible” reading of pagan (i.e. Greco-Roman) authors. It also includes knowledge of self and the ability to discern between true and false wisdom.
Erasmus offers a set of twenty-one rules for living the Christian life. These focus on Christ, the Cross and the Scriptures, dealing with temptation, resisting sin, considering the rewards and consequences of choosing sides in the spiritual battle, and being prepared for all circumstances. He also proposes remedies for certain important vices.
In his analysis of the different parts and passions of the human being, the primacy of reason over appetite, and the invisible over the visible, Erasmus displays the influence of Neoplatonism, most likely absorbed through the reading of Augustine and other early Church Fathers.
There is also a certain medieval flavour to this, particularly in such things as his advice to be prepared for death which could come at any moment.
However he is keenly aware of the issues of his time. While he is careful to show his adherence to Catholicism, he criticizes certain schools of thought such as Scholasticism. Monasticism he distrusts, not because it is bad in itself, but because he believes that many of its adherents rely on this way of life as a guarantee of salvation and look down on those “in the world” as being inferior. Veneration of saints is permissible if it is done in the right spirit in a Christ-centred way, but it can be wrong if it is done for selfish reasons.
The long introductory essay provides some good context and points out that Erasmus is an unsung hero of the Renaissance. Although he gained a great number of influential admirers, strangely, they had limited success in spreading his ideas. He was misunderstood by his contemporaries and by later thinkers (Catholic and Protestant alike) up until the twentieth century. His writing, though stamped by the time in which it was written, is modern in its emphasis on spiritual warfare and an intense, personal relationship with Christ.
Erasmus composed the Enchiridion militis Christiani or Handbook of the Militant Christian at the request of a pious woman who was unhappy with the behaviour of her husband, a likeable but boorish soldier who in her opinion needed to mend his ways. In 1501, Erasmus interrupted the work he was doing and obliged her; the work was published two years later.
"Enchiridion" is a late Latin word of Greek origin which means “handbook” or “manual” (literally “that which is held in the hand”). Accordingly, the work is a guidebook to living a good Christian life. As it was directed first of all at a soldier, the idea of the Christian life as a constant battle against the forces of evil permeates the book. Erasmus puts forward certain thought patterns and practices which are to be employed as armour or defensive weapons, always kept very close, in this spiritual warfare. Appropriately, “enchiridion” can also mean “a handy sword or dagger.”
Foremost among these weapons are prayer and knowledge. Knowledge includes both a diligent reading of the Scriptures and a “sensible” reading of pagan (i.e. Greco-Roman) authors. It also includes knowledge of self and the ability to discern between true and false wisdom.
Erasmus offers a set of twenty-one rules for living the Christian life. These focus on Christ, the Cross and the Scriptures, dealing with temptation, resisting sin, considering the rewards and consequences of choosing sides in the spiritual battle, and being prepared for all circumstances. He also proposes remedies for certain important vices.
In his analysis of the different parts and passions of the human being, the primacy of reason over appetite, and the invisible over the visible, Erasmus displays the influence of Neoplatonism, most likely absorbed through the reading of Augustine and other early Church Fathers.
There is also a certain medieval flavour to this, particularly in such things as his advice to be prepared for death which could come at any moment.
However he is keenly aware of the issues of his time. While he is careful to show his adherence to Catholicism, he criticizes certain schools of thought such as Scholasticism. Monasticism he distrusts, not because it is bad in itself, but because he believes that many of its adherents rely on this way of life as a guarantee of salvation and look down on those “in the world” as being inferior. Veneration of saints is permissible if it is done in the right spirit in a Christ-centred way, but it can be wrong if it is done for selfish reasons.
The long introductory essay provides some good context and points out that Erasmus is an unsung hero of the Renaissance. Although he gained a great number of influential admirers, strangely, they had limited success in spreading his ideas. He was misunderstood by his contemporaries and by later thinkers (Catholic and Protestant alike) up until the twentieth century. His writing, though stamped by the time in which it was written, is modern in its emphasis on spiritual warfare and an intense, personal relationship with Christ.
May 27, 2012
I recommend this book because: those who really belive in God will certainly get stronger in faith and those who are young in faith will grow up to Jesus Christs cross.
Far away the most influential book in my life.
Far away the most influential book in my life.
Read
August 8, 2015I read this book as part of my research for a graduate course on allegory and iconography.....
June 9, 2025
The new age brings forth the new ideals of Christian living - away form the body and more geared toward the mind. Think your way out of sin was a reoccurring theme. hence, Biblical literacy is very important to him. Also, he made Classical Greek pronunciation up, good for him.
April 2, 2023
I'm just not that much of a fanatical medievalist that I really thought it worth the grind. Too wordy.
read-in-part
September 13, 2023I really enjoyed the extended section of this for my class on the Reformation. If I have time, I'll read the whole thing someday.
July 9, 2020
Read it on the "Open Library" online. Fantastic spiritual reading. Really practical. I will definitely need to go back over this. Though it was for the Christian in Protestant Revolt times, it makes a great modern read too, for like Qoheleth saith, "What was will be again; what has been done will be done again; and there is nothing new under the sun" (Eccl. 1:9). His emphasis on the cross, on imitating Christ, on imitating the faith of the saints, on avoiding pride and lust, his 20 some odd rules, we would do well to follow. I enjoyed this as much as I did a Kempis' "Imitation of Christ," because I think they were after the same goal. And we know, living in a time of turmoil, Erasmus did not follow Luther, but strove to stay faithful to the Church, as a monk, though he admitted the monk life was not for all, but a great means to follow Christ as he traveled all over the place to study, pray and write.
March 19, 2016
This 65 page essay is the best Christian work I have ever read. Find it and study it.
October 7, 2022
I feel a bit weird in rating a 500 year old book. I mean, does this book even need a rating? Is it better or worse than something that just came out five seconds ago?
I'm not a Christian and I liked it. It's a tough read and I'm not going from start to finish in one gulp. It does have a wonderful conversational style (for its time).
I'm not a Christian and I liked it. It's a tough read and I'm not going from start to finish in one gulp. It does have a wonderful conversational style (for its time).
May 14, 2021
A spiritual classic and a must read for every Christian.
Convicting yet powerfully inspiring! Erasmus is a hidden gem - I’ll definitely read more of his work.
Convicting yet powerfully inspiring! Erasmus is a hidden gem - I’ll definitely read more of his work.
January 23, 2025
Excellently laid out. Lays out ground rules for the average person to achieve an honorable faith life.
January 5, 2021
Das Büchlein mit dem Titel Enchiridion militis christiani hat Erasmus von Rotterdam für einen Ritter geschrieben, dessen Frau ihn darum gebeten hatte. Um den Inhalt dem Mann angemessen erscheinen zu lassen, nannte er sein Werk ein enchiridion, was nicht nur Handbüchlein, sondern auch Dolch ('Handschwertchen') bedeutet. Damit ist eigentlich bereits alles über den Inhalt gesagt.
Waffenkammer
Es werden einem christlichen Weltenmenschen die Waffen vorgestellt, die er im Kampf gegen Fleisch, Welt und Teufel brauchen kann. Daß dieser Streit um das Seelenheil nicht nur etwas für schwache Gemüter, Frauen und Ungelehrte ist, macht der große Humanist durch die Darlegung der Gefahren im geistlichen Leben und Beispiele aus der griechisch-römischen Mythologie deutlich. Neben der Heiligen Schrift bilden die Überlegungen der antiken Philosophen die Grundlagen für seine Darstellung einer gebildeten Frömmigkeit.
Aurea mediocritas
Die Weisungen des Erasmus sind nicht die zu einem Leben, das sich nur aus der Bibel nährt (wie die spätere "evangelische" Lebenspraxis nach dem Prinzip sola scriptura), und führen ebenso wenig zu einem christlich gefärbten Aberglauben mit übertriebenem Reliquienkult und gebrammelten Verschen, sondern wollen zu einer von der persönlichen Gottesbeziehung geprägten Frömmigkeit führen, die Schrift und Sakrament zu schätzen weiß.
Genre
Die Ratschläge des ehemaligen Augustiner-Chorherren lesen sich wie eine Adaption von De imitatione Christi des Thomas von Kempen für den humanistisch gebildeten Laien. Seine Schrift öffnet die Schätze der devotio moderna einem anspruchsvollen und auch skeptischen Publikum außerhalb von Klostermauern, welches nicht so leicht Zugang zu frommen Werken wie den Certamen spirituale von Lorenzo Scupoli oder der Philothea des Franz von Sales finden würde.
Die Erklärung der Grundlagen für ein christlichen Leben geben zusammen mit den praktischen Zusammenfassungen von Erkenntnissen in Regeln der Darstellung des Gelehrten einen doppelten Charakter, der in dieser Form im Genre der asketischen Literatur ziemlich einzigartig ist.
Zur Ausgabe:
Die Übersetzung von Hubert Schiel (1898 - 1983) aus dem Jahr 1952 ist ein sprachliches Meisterwerk. Es liest sich nicht wie eine Übertragung, sondern wie ein eigenenständige literarische Schrift und bleibt zugleich ganz beim Original. So liegt der humanistische Lebensratgeber auch in einer für den heutigen Intellektuellen ansprechenden Form in deutscher Sprache vor. Bislang habe ich nicht die überarbeitete Neuauflage des Vier-Türme-Verlages von 2015 gelesen, aber eine Verbesserung befürchte ich nicht.
Waffenkammer
Es werden einem christlichen Weltenmenschen die Waffen vorgestellt, die er im Kampf gegen Fleisch, Welt und Teufel brauchen kann. Daß dieser Streit um das Seelenheil nicht nur etwas für schwache Gemüter, Frauen und Ungelehrte ist, macht der große Humanist durch die Darlegung der Gefahren im geistlichen Leben und Beispiele aus der griechisch-römischen Mythologie deutlich. Neben der Heiligen Schrift bilden die Überlegungen der antiken Philosophen die Grundlagen für seine Darstellung einer gebildeten Frömmigkeit.
Aurea mediocritas
Die Weisungen des Erasmus sind nicht die zu einem Leben, das sich nur aus der Bibel nährt (wie die spätere "evangelische" Lebenspraxis nach dem Prinzip sola scriptura), und führen ebenso wenig zu einem christlich gefärbten Aberglauben mit übertriebenem Reliquienkult und gebrammelten Verschen, sondern wollen zu einer von der persönlichen Gottesbeziehung geprägten Frömmigkeit führen, die Schrift und Sakrament zu schätzen weiß.
Genre
Die Ratschläge des ehemaligen Augustiner-Chorherren lesen sich wie eine Adaption von De imitatione Christi des Thomas von Kempen für den humanistisch gebildeten Laien. Seine Schrift öffnet die Schätze der devotio moderna einem anspruchsvollen und auch skeptischen Publikum außerhalb von Klostermauern, welches nicht so leicht Zugang zu frommen Werken wie den Certamen spirituale von Lorenzo Scupoli oder der Philothea des Franz von Sales finden würde.
Die Erklärung der Grundlagen für ein christlichen Leben geben zusammen mit den praktischen Zusammenfassungen von Erkenntnissen in Regeln der Darstellung des Gelehrten einen doppelten Charakter, der in dieser Form im Genre der asketischen Literatur ziemlich einzigartig ist.
Zur Ausgabe:
Die Übersetzung von Hubert Schiel (1898 - 1983) aus dem Jahr 1952 ist ein sprachliches Meisterwerk. Es liest sich nicht wie eine Übertragung, sondern wie ein eigenenständige literarische Schrift und bleibt zugleich ganz beim Original. So liegt der humanistische Lebensratgeber auch in einer für den heutigen Intellektuellen ansprechenden Form in deutscher Sprache vor. Bislang habe ich nicht die überarbeitete Neuauflage des Vier-Türme-Verlages von 2015 gelesen, aber eine Verbesserung befürchte ich nicht.
August 10, 2016
Read this for Dr. Whitford's class on Luther at Baylor (Spring 2014). Didn't read this edition.
July 5, 2014
Little substance, proscriptions for behavior without any real concrete examples. Not my cup of tea, to be honest.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews