Silvana Seidel Menchi (ed.), Erasmo da Rotterdam, Prefazioni ai Vangeli. 1516–1522,

Abstract

‘The sky of Basel’. These are the first words of this book. It concerns Erasmus’s stay in Basel, his meeting with the famous printer Froben, and the Erasmian edition of the New Testament. This is why Seidel Menchi published the Introductions to the Erasmian editions of the Gospels, with an interesting Italian translation. Arriving in Basel, Erasmus brought with him a large number of manuscripts to be printed by Froben. Within a matter of days, Froben published some works by Plutarch and a new edition of Erasmus’s Adagia. Most importantly, Froben and Erasmus agreed on an edition of the New Testament. On 2 September 1516 they agreed to print the Greek text and the traditional Latin translation, the Vulgata. They then changed their mind: Erasmus announced a new translation of his own. This was the wish of Froben. Two men helped Erasmus: Ecolampadius (an expert in the Greek...