Paraclesis

Erasmus' widely read preface to his ground-breaking Novum Testamentum (Greek New Testament) first published in February 1516.

Rather than the normal preface found in most books, Paraclesis was a passionate call to the Church to re-engage the Bible in its life and beliefs. Erasmus lamented the fact that the Church was more attentive to pagan philosophers like Aristotle and Plato, or to the writings and rules of St. Augustine, St. Benedict, or St Francis, as well as to relics than to Scriptures.

If anyone shows us the footprint of Christ, in what manner, as Christians, do we prostrate ourselves, how we adore them!. But why do we not venerate instead the living and breathing likeness of him in these books [i.e., the New Testament]. If anyone displays the tunic of Christ, to what corner of the earth shall we not hasten so that we may kiss it? Yet were you to bring forth his entire wardrobe, it would not manifest Christ more clearly and truly than the Gospel writings.

Erasmus calls, in this preface, for readers to cultivate what he calls the philosophia Christi, i.e., a concern for inner piety and moral lifestyle instead of outward religious conformity to duty and dogma; "even if he should be a common labourer or weaver . . . all can be devout, and—I shall boldly add—all can be theologians." Above all, Paraclesis calls for the Bible to be widely available:

I would that even the lowliest women read the Gospel and the Pauline Epistles. And I would that they were translated into all languages so that they could be read and understood not only by Scots and Irish but also by Turks and Saracens. . . . Would that, as a result, the farmer sing some portion of them at his plough, the weaver should hum some parts of them at the movement of his shuttle, the traveller lighten the weariness of the journey with stories of this kind! Let all the conversation of every Christian be drawn from this source.