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Girolamo Savonarola · 1496–1497 · Sermon
These sermons on the prophet Ezekiel represent Girolamo Savonarola's final sustained biblical commentary, delivered to packed congregations at San Marco in Florence during the tumultuous months of 1496 and 1497. As the…
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Girolamo Savonarola · 1497 · Book
Written during Girolamo Savonarola's final imprisonment in Florence, The Triumph of the Cross stands as the Dominican friar's most systematic theological work and his ultimate defense of Christian faith. Composed in 1497…
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Girolamo Savonarola · 1498 · Sermon
These sermons on the Book of Exodus emerged from Girolamo Savonarola's pulpit ministry at San Marco in Florence during the tumultuous years of the 1490s. As the Dominican friar faced mounting opposition…
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Girolamo Savonarola · 1498 · Treatise
Savonarola's treatise on the government of Florence emerged from his direct involvement in the city's political transformation following the expulsion of the Medici in 1494. Writing as both Dominican friar and civic…
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Desiderius Erasmus · 1500–1536 · Other
Erasmus's Adagia began as a modest collection of classical proverbs published in 1500, containing about 800 entries drawn from ancient Greek and Latin authors. What started as a practical handbook for students…
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Desiderius Erasmus · 1503 · Book
Erasmus composed this spiritual manual in 1503 as a practical guide for Christian living in an age when many found traditional forms of devotion inadequate to the challenges of daily life. Writing…
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Desiderius Erasmus · 1509 · Essay
Erasmus composed this satirical masterpiece in 1509 while recovering from illness at the home of his friend Thomas More in England. Writing in elegant Latin, he created a mock encomium — a…
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Thomas More · 1513–1518 · Book
Thomas More's unfinished biography of Richard III emerged from the political turbulence of early Tudor England, where the legitimacy of Henry VII's dynasty depended partly on vilifying the Yorkist king he had…
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Desiderius Erasmus · 1514 · Treatise
Julius exclusus is a satirical dialogue written by Erasmus around 1514, presenting the recently deceased Pope Julius II attempting to gain entry to heaven only to be turned away by Saint Peter.…
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Desiderius Erasmus · 1516 · Commentary
Erasmus's Novum Instrumentum omne stands as the first published edition of the Greek New Testament, appearing in Basel in 1516 at a moment when humanist scholarship was reshaping Christian learning. Working from…
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Novum Instrumentum Erasmus — Novum Instrumentum / Novum Testamentum
Desiderius Erasmus · 1516 · Scripture
First published under the title Novum Instrumentum and in later editions as Novum Testamentum, this pivotal Greek-Latin New Testament directly enabled Reformation-era vernacular translation. Its scope is the New Testament, translated from…
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Desiderius Erasmus · 1516 · Treatise
Erasmus wrote this treatise on Christian governance in 1516 as an educational manual for the young Charles V, who would soon become Holy Roman Emperor. The work emerged during a pivotal moment…
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Thomas More · 1516 · Book
Thomas More's Utopia emerged from the intellectual ferment of early sixteenth-century humanism, written during More's diplomatic mission to Flanders in 1515. The work responds to the social upheavals of his time—enclosure of…
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Desiderius Erasmus · 1517 · Treatise
The Complaint of Peace stands as Erasmus's most sustained meditation on war and Christian governance, written in 1517 as Europe teetered on the brink of renewed conflict. With the major powers of…
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Colloquies The Colloquies of Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus · 1518–1533 · Other
The Colloquies began as simple Latin conversation exercises for Erasmus's pupils but evolved over fifteen years into a sophisticated collection of satirical dialogues that held up a mirror to sixteenth-century European society.…
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Desiderius Erasmus · 1518 · Other
The Familiar Colloquies began as a modest collection of Latin phrases and dialogues designed to help students at the University of Paris improve their conversational Latin. Erasmus initially compiled these exercises around…
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Desiderius Erasmus · 1521 · Treatise
Erasmus composed this treatise on contempt for the world during his time as a young Augustinian canon at Steyn monastery in the Netherlands, completing it around 1490 though it was not published…
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Ignatius of Loyola · 1522–1548 · Treatise
The Spiritual Exercises emerged from Ignatius of Loyola's own profound conversion experience following a leg wound suffered during the 1521 siege of Pamplona. During his lengthy convalescence, this former soldier underwent a…
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Thomas More · 1523 · Treatise
Thomas More's Responsio ad Lutherum stands as one of the most sustained and personal Catholic responses to Martin Luther's early reformist writings. Published in 1523 under the pseudonym "Gulielmus Rosseus," this Latin…
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Ignatius of Loyola · 1524–1556 · Letter
The letters of Ignatius of Loyola represent three decades of correspondence from the founder of the Society of Jesus as he guided a rapidly expanding religious order and countless individuals in spiritual…
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On Free Will De libero arbitrio diatribe
Desiderius Erasmus · 1524 · Treatise
Erasmus composed this careful theological treatise in 1524 as a measured response to Martin Luther's increasingly radical positions on human agency and divine grace. Writing as a Catholic humanist committed to scholarly…
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Desiderius Erasmus · 1526–1527 · Treatise
Hyperaspistes is Erasmus's comprehensive defense of his theological positions against Martin Luther's fierce attack in De Servo Arbitrio. Written in two parts between 1526 and 1527, this treatise emerged from the bitter…
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Francisco de Osuna · 1527 · Treatise
Francisco de Osuna's Third Spiritual Alphabet stands as one of the most influential guides to contemplative prayer in sixteenth-century Spain. Written in 1527 for those seeking to advance beyond vocal prayer and…
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Francisco de Osuna · 1528 · Treatise
Francisco de Osuna's Primer Abecedario Espiritual is a systematic guide to contemplative prayer written for the emerging spiritual needs of sixteenth-century Spain. Published in 1528, it appeared during a period of intense…
