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Julius: hoe paus Julius II bij de hemelpoort aanklopt, maar door Petrus niet wordt binnengelaten
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This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
95 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1517
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Erasmus
1,406 books451 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
November 6, 2024
The Julius Exclusus (in English, Julius Excluded from Heaven) first appeared anonymously a year after the death of Pope Julius II. An imagined dialogue between Saint Peter, Heaven’s gatekeeper, and the deceased Pope, vainly attempting to gain admittance, it is biting satire of the contemporary corruption and materialism of the Catholic Church. Though Erasmus never officially acknowledged authorship of this satire, scholars widely concur that it is his work. Its irreverent humorous touches are nearly signature enough, as in this exchange where Julius tries to bully his way into Heaven by asserting his pomp and titles, and unlike Genius (his guardian angel), fails to even register the hit Peter lands at his expense:
Julius: ”Enough of these jokes, and watch yourself, for I, if you don’t know, am Julius of Liguria, and I don’t doubt you recognize these two letters P.M., unless you’ve forgotten how to read.”
Peter: ”I expect they stand for Pestiferous Maximus.”
Genius: ”Ha ha ha! This porter is as good as a wizard; he’s got the needle’s touch.”
Julius: ”What it means is Pontifex Maximus.”
Erasmus was a giant of the Northern Renaissance, and a major figure in the attempt to reform the corruption of the Church through Christian Humanism. But where Luther’s protest against the Church was aggressively pugnacious, ripping apart the Church, and launching a century of religious warfare in Europe, Erasmus’s more urbane middle ground of Christian Humanism reform failed and faded, becoming one of history’s great “What Ifs?” This satire is an easily accessible introduction to Erasmus’s work, his style, and a more gentle historical path not taken.
Julius Excluded from Heaven is available free online here: http://www.ldysinger.com/@texts2/1525...
Julius: ”Enough of these jokes, and watch yourself, for I, if you don’t know, am Julius of Liguria, and I don’t doubt you recognize these two letters P.M., unless you’ve forgotten how to read.”
Peter: ”I expect they stand for Pestiferous Maximus.”
Genius: ”Ha ha ha! This porter is as good as a wizard; he’s got the needle’s touch.”
Julius: ”What it means is Pontifex Maximus.”
Erasmus was a giant of the Northern Renaissance, and a major figure in the attempt to reform the corruption of the Church through Christian Humanism. But where Luther’s protest against the Church was aggressively pugnacious, ripping apart the Church, and launching a century of religious warfare in Europe, Erasmus’s more urbane middle ground of Christian Humanism reform failed and faded, becoming one of history’s great “What Ifs?” This satire is an easily accessible introduction to Erasmus’s work, his style, and a more gentle historical path not taken.
Julius Excluded from Heaven is available free online here: http://www.ldysinger.com/@texts2/1525...
August 17, 2016
Is the Pope Christian?
9 August 2016 - Antwerp/Anvers
This rather short dialogue is written in the style of the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes (though it is nowhere near as rude and crude as his plays) and is a simple interaction between Pope Julius and St Peter (with Julius' guardian spirit providing some snide comments as the dialogue progresses) after Julius arrives at the pearly gates and discovers that the keys to the kingdom of heaven that were given to St Peter are not the keys that Julius happens to have in his pocket. Basically it is a criticism of what the church has become in Julius' time and how Pope Julius, the supreme authority in Western Christendom was simply another power player in the political world of the time, and as such while he may go around with the title of 'Most Holy Father', it is just that – a title given to him by the world and nothing more.
Once again, as I was reading this dialogue I could not help but see how similar the church of Erasmus' age and the church of today happens to be. Sure, the church is supposed to be a moral compass, but in our day and age this moral compass seems to require a lot of recalibrating. For instance we have the church running around condemning people for 'sexual sin' and abortion, yet are doing nothing to actually provide support and assistance for those in real need, nor are they condemning unrestrained greed, corruption on politics, or environmental destruction. Also, like the church of Erasmus' age, it has become little more than a boys club, and while positions in the church may not be purchased directly, we still see such positions being handed out to the 'most worthy' individuals in the congregations, usually though who are quite well off. In fact I was told of one particular church that would hand out to elderships to those who had happened to have succeeded in life (which usually meant that they were giving a substantial amount of money to the church).
Pope Julius
Then there is the question of indulgences, namely where the church would sell admissions to heaven in the after life, and it didn't just rest with the living, you could also buy indulgences for the dead. The funny thing is that we see things like that going on today – did you know you can buy real-estate on Mars? To me it sounds a lot like an indulgence, namely something that somebody purchases that actually has no value whatsoever. Okay, you can apparently 'name' a star, but my research revealed that the name of the star does go on record, and it is a fundraising activity by an astronomical organisation (though I still haven't gone ahead and named a star after Schrodiger's Cat). As for the church, they may not sell indulgences directly, but there is a doctrine that goes around that basically says the more that you give to the church the more that God will bless you now and in the life here-after – what they are suggesting is that it is like the stock market – we buy into the Church and God will pay us dividends now, and also guarantee an entrance into heaven.
Another interesting thing that is raised is how the Pope can't actually do anything wrong, even if he does things that are wrong. It sounds remarkably similar today were the wealthy are able to get away from crimes much easier than those of the lower classes. As a friend of mine suggested most serial killers are white because they are less likely to be searched, or questioned, by authorities than are people of colour, which means that if somebody of colour happens to have the tenancies that give rise to being a serial killer they are usually caught, and taken out of society much sooner than a white person. Mind you Julius' position went much further in that being the Pope he could simply wipe away any consequence of any sin that he may have committed. In a way it is also similar with the concept of war crimes – I do not know of any post World War II Western leader that has been brought to The Hague for committing war crimes, but then again war crimes are only ever committed by the loser in a war.
As for the political nature of the church, well it seems that this is also the case today – one of the reasons that the church has become so powerful in the United States is that it has taken control of the Republican party, but even here in Australia, elements of the church have put their claws into the political system, and whatever their moral position is, it is their economic agenda that has me concerned because it is an agenda of small government, light taxation, and limited regulation – they may wish to make homosexuality a crime and punish people having an abortion by charging them with murder, but they will do little for the child once it is born and condemn them to a life of poverty and destitution. They also hate welfare because they believe it leads to laziness, and that those who are poor are poor because they are there by choice, not because of some other circumstance in life.
Another example of how the church interferes politically is with a program the Australian government developed to attempt to deal with bullying with schools, however the Christian right were so incensed that 'it promoted homosexuality' that they canned it, despite the fact that bullying in schools has a tremendous psychological effect upon the victims and the families involved. Sure, they might jump up and demand that we stop playing the victim, but as soon as society turns against the church all of the sudden they start screaming persecution.
In fact they also love crying out how they are being persecuted – you cannot criticises the church, or what it does, without being told that you are persecuting the church. However they claim unfair when the left calls them bigots for their stance against the LGBT community. I have been to churches where criticism is shut down through a variety of ways – you are denying Christ, you have unworked out sin in your life, you obviously don't understand the Bible, we cannot change our position because once we do it is a slippery slope into liberalism. No wonder people are deserting the church in droves.
9 August 2016 - Antwerp/Anvers
This rather short dialogue is written in the style of the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes (though it is nowhere near as rude and crude as his plays) and is a simple interaction between Pope Julius and St Peter (with Julius' guardian spirit providing some snide comments as the dialogue progresses) after Julius arrives at the pearly gates and discovers that the keys to the kingdom of heaven that were given to St Peter are not the keys that Julius happens to have in his pocket. Basically it is a criticism of what the church has become in Julius' time and how Pope Julius, the supreme authority in Western Christendom was simply another power player in the political world of the time, and as such while he may go around with the title of 'Most Holy Father', it is just that – a title given to him by the world and nothing more.
Once again, as I was reading this dialogue I could not help but see how similar the church of Erasmus' age and the church of today happens to be. Sure, the church is supposed to be a moral compass, but in our day and age this moral compass seems to require a lot of recalibrating. For instance we have the church running around condemning people for 'sexual sin' and abortion, yet are doing nothing to actually provide support and assistance for those in real need, nor are they condemning unrestrained greed, corruption on politics, or environmental destruction. Also, like the church of Erasmus' age, it has become little more than a boys club, and while positions in the church may not be purchased directly, we still see such positions being handed out to the 'most worthy' individuals in the congregations, usually though who are quite well off. In fact I was told of one particular church that would hand out to elderships to those who had happened to have succeeded in life (which usually meant that they were giving a substantial amount of money to the church).
Pope Julius
Then there is the question of indulgences, namely where the church would sell admissions to heaven in the after life, and it didn't just rest with the living, you could also buy indulgences for the dead. The funny thing is that we see things like that going on today – did you know you can buy real-estate on Mars? To me it sounds a lot like an indulgence, namely something that somebody purchases that actually has no value whatsoever. Okay, you can apparently 'name' a star, but my research revealed that the name of the star does go on record, and it is a fundraising activity by an astronomical organisation (though I still haven't gone ahead and named a star after Schrodiger's Cat). As for the church, they may not sell indulgences directly, but there is a doctrine that goes around that basically says the more that you give to the church the more that God will bless you now and in the life here-after – what they are suggesting is that it is like the stock market – we buy into the Church and God will pay us dividends now, and also guarantee an entrance into heaven.
Another interesting thing that is raised is how the Pope can't actually do anything wrong, even if he does things that are wrong. It sounds remarkably similar today were the wealthy are able to get away from crimes much easier than those of the lower classes. As a friend of mine suggested most serial killers are white because they are less likely to be searched, or questioned, by authorities than are people of colour, which means that if somebody of colour happens to have the tenancies that give rise to being a serial killer they are usually caught, and taken out of society much sooner than a white person. Mind you Julius' position went much further in that being the Pope he could simply wipe away any consequence of any sin that he may have committed. In a way it is also similar with the concept of war crimes – I do not know of any post World War II Western leader that has been brought to The Hague for committing war crimes, but then again war crimes are only ever committed by the loser in a war.
As for the political nature of the church, well it seems that this is also the case today – one of the reasons that the church has become so powerful in the United States is that it has taken control of the Republican party, but even here in Australia, elements of the church have put their claws into the political system, and whatever their moral position is, it is their economic agenda that has me concerned because it is an agenda of small government, light taxation, and limited regulation – they may wish to make homosexuality a crime and punish people having an abortion by charging them with murder, but they will do little for the child once it is born and condemn them to a life of poverty and destitution. They also hate welfare because they believe it leads to laziness, and that those who are poor are poor because they are there by choice, not because of some other circumstance in life.
Another example of how the church interferes politically is with a program the Australian government developed to attempt to deal with bullying with schools, however the Christian right were so incensed that 'it promoted homosexuality' that they canned it, despite the fact that bullying in schools has a tremendous psychological effect upon the victims and the families involved. Sure, they might jump up and demand that we stop playing the victim, but as soon as society turns against the church all of the sudden they start screaming persecution.
In fact they also love crying out how they are being persecuted – you cannot criticises the church, or what it does, without being told that you are persecuting the church. However they claim unfair when the left calls them bigots for their stance against the LGBT community. I have been to churches where criticism is shut down through a variety of ways – you are denying Christ, you have unworked out sin in your life, you obviously don't understand the Bible, we cannot change our position because once we do it is a slippery slope into liberalism. No wonder people are deserting the church in droves.
February 1, 2015
Julius II, the so-called Warrior Pope, dies and goes to St. Peter's gate. However, St. Peter won't let him into heaven! From there we get a (hilarious) debate between Julius and Peter, Julius trying to convince Peter to let him in by listing his (corrupt) achievements, and Peter refusing to grant him passage, horrified to learn the state of the papacy.
Anyways, with this satire Erasmus does a good job of criticizing the papacy by contrasting its corruptions (simony, nepotism, totalitarian rule) against Peter and his philosophy. Erasmus's Julius is obviously a caricature, but he is an effective symbol of everything wrong with the 15th-16th century papacy.
Besides, the argument between Julius and Peter can get pretty funny, especially when you consider the great degrees of respect and reverence attached to both. I read mine here, and despite the slightly dubious quality of translation, it has a modern tone which enhances the humor.
Here's an excerpt:
JULIUS: What the devil is this? The doors don't open? Somebody must have changed the lock or broken it.
GENIUS: It seems more likely that you didn't bring the proper key; for this door doesn't open to the same key as a secret money-chest. Why didn't you bring both the keys you have? This is the key of power, not of wisdom.
JULIUS: I didn't have any other key but this; I don't see why we need a different one when we've got this.
Fun stuff, if you like satires and the Reformation.
January 10, 2019
Translated this title is, "Julius Excluded from Heaven," and it is a tongue-in-cheek satire of what Erasmus imagined to have happened to Pope Julius when he died and tried to get into heaven. The corruption and pride outlined here are astounding, and unfortunately typical of that period in the Catholic church. I read this one because my grandpa gave it to me as a recommendation for an introduction to the writings of Erasmus. It was pretty short and interesting, not exactly a fun read, but not bad for a philosophical book from that far back. It was kind of a downer though to think about all that corruption. Very bad times!
December 5, 2020
A delight to read. St. Peter and Pope Julius II (Pope at the time of Luther's visit to Rome) match wits at heaven's gate, as the latter seeks to persuade the former of his right to entry, and the former remains dubious. Worth the laugh, and the insight into the times, and the caution to Christians today to regard with care the character of those who profess to be the champions of Christ's Church.
While we (my wife and I) read very few notations and none of the introduction to this volume, they are a great advantage to this present edition.
The translation is in good modern English. It rollicks and cuts like you would expect Erasmus intended.
While we (my wife and I) read very few notations and none of the introduction to this volume, they are a great advantage to this present edition.
The translation is in good modern English. It rollicks and cuts like you would expect Erasmus intended.
March 22, 2023
This visionary imaginary dialogue by Erasmus, written after the Pope Julius II passed away, is still relevant in 2023 politics, especially for those who use religions for their worldly ambitions.
I read this online as a supplementary for my current read The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam by the Pulitzer-winning historian and journalist Barbara W. Tuchman in which the controversies of Renaissance Papacy is among the subjects.
I read this online as a supplementary for my current read The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam by the Pulitzer-winning historian and journalist Barbara W. Tuchman in which the controversies of Renaissance Papacy is among the subjects.
February 25, 2024
Genuinely funny! Which, to be honest, I didn't expect from a 16th century work. Still, it helps being a 16th century geek myself, and getting some of the references.
Pope Julius is dead and gets to St. Peter's gate, and finds to his dismay that his keys (he having pope and all) don't fit. They must have changed the locks! Then St. Peter appears and they have a talk.
Julius is slightly contemptuous of Peter, who had "hardly been a pope at all". Also, Peter was just referred to as "holy", while Julius was always called "most holy"! So, Julius explains his actions as pope. It's not really a spoiler to say that Julius in the end is not let in. So, he decides to form an army of all the dead soldiers he has caused to die in all the wars he started, and storm the heavenly kingdom.
Well worth the read - and short!
Pope Julius is dead and gets to St. Peter's gate, and finds to his dismay that his keys (he having pope and all) don't fit. They must have changed the locks! Then St. Peter appears and they have a talk.
Julius is slightly contemptuous of Peter, who had "hardly been a pope at all". Also, Peter was just referred to as "holy", while Julius was always called "most holy"! So, Julius explains his actions as pope. It's not really a spoiler to say that Julius in the end is not let in. So, he decides to form an army of all the dead soldiers he has caused to die in all the wars he started, and storm the heavenly kingdom.
Well worth the read - and short!
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May 16, 2023Attempts to explain the War of the League of Cambrai, the most baffling conflict in early modern Europe, thus earning this short dialogue the coveted Star of the League of Cambrai.
August 30, 2023
Nice to hear that one of my countryman fought against the corruption of the Catholic Church, things have changed since then, maybe because of the opposition against the corruption etc.
August 21, 2024
Fantastic. The translation bothered me in a few places - it felt flip and modern and out of keeping with the time, but that doesn’t take away from the text itself.
February 7, 2017
Erasmus saw that the Roman Catholic Church of his time needed reform, however, he was not willing to go as far or did not see the need to go as far as Martin Luther. So he writes this satire the year after Pope Julius II dies. Pope Julius is trying to get into heaven, but St. Peter does not recognize him, nor value his "contributions" and titles. PM (Pontifex Maximus), does it stand for Pestiferous Maximus? Julius, on the other hand, claims to be holier than Peter. Peter was a holy father, but Julius is most holy and Lord Most Holy!
Julius repeatedly ask to have the doors to heaven opened, but mostly in a threatening way. He will barge in through force. He will use papal bulls...
With the 500th anniversary of the reformation, this is worth reading as it show how other thinking men saw the need for reform. It helps give a better understanding of the times. Besides, it is easy and fun reading. Enjoy!
Julius repeatedly ask to have the doors to heaven opened, but mostly in a threatening way. He will barge in through force. He will use papal bulls...
With the 500th anniversary of the reformation, this is worth reading as it show how other thinking men saw the need for reform. It helps give a better understanding of the times. Besides, it is easy and fun reading. Enjoy!
November 14, 2015
A fun, yet biting piece of satire in the tradition of Seneca's Apocolocyntosis. Pope Julius has died and tries to gain admittance to heaven, but is interviewed by the apostle Peter, who doesn't recognize the "Warrior Pope".
July 29, 2016
I read a pdf, not this edition, for Dr. Whitford's class on Luther at Baylor (Spring 2014).
April 13, 2015
This excellent book is a satire about the Pope Julius II, contrasting his 'Christianity' with that expressed in the Gospels. Erasmus is brilliant in this, which I think is his most original work.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews