Erasmus’s “Paraphrases,” in English

Desiderius Erasmus was a Dutch priest, philosopher, and scholar who helped lay the groundwork for the modern field of biblical studies. In 1517, shortly after completing his revolutionary Greek New Testament, he began writing a “paraphrase” of the canonical Epistles, eventually turning to the Gospels and the book of Acts as well. He intended the work to serve, in part, as a commentary that could help ministers better teach lay audiences about the Bible. The influence of Erasmus’s Paraphrases, which he completed in 1524, extended to England. In 1547, Edward VI ordered an English translation to be displayed in all parish churches. This is a copy of volume one of the English translation. It was published in 1548 and contains the Gospels and the book of Acts.