Customer Reviews

Erasmus and the Jews

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Markish presents the thesis that erasmus was asemitic, rather than antisemite OR friend to the jews. While on the face of things this may seem a rather bland arguement for a book, it is nonetheless a very important one in the field of Reformation historiography. Although the afterword of the book solidly disputes the monograph (the reader tends to wonder why it was included) Markish's work is hard to argue with and makes for an enlightening read. A must have for any Reformation scholar.

The author certainly knows his stuff, citing some truly obscure passages from one of the most prolific writers in the Western canon. His overall conclusion is that Erasmus was not at all anti-Semitic in the modern meaning of the word. Erasmus was certainly unsympathetic to Jewish religion, and often used it as an example of egregious formalism that should be avoided in Christianity. One of his favorite phrases was "a more than Jewish ceremonialism". One converted Jew, a vitriolic critic and unrelenting persecutor one of Erasmus' associates, so angered Erasmus that, in one letter, he lashed out against the fellow in terms that would embarass us. Yet this is counterbalanced by a great many statements spread over many years insisting that the Jews should be treated fairly and as humans, that the only Christian course of action was to tolerate and preach to them. The book is badly marred by an afterward contributed by Arthur A Cohen, who disregards the mass of data that Markish presents and flatly declares that "Erasmus is no street anti-Semite...but he is surely within a great tradition of contempt... that leads straight to the death camps." Given the massive and carefully documented evidence that Markish presents, Cohen's undocumented diatribe adds only an ugly chunk of posturing political correctness to an otherwise scholarly book. And yes, Markish is Jewish.