Biblical Criticism in Early Modern Europe


Book Description

This book explores the explosive social and political implications of Erasmus' philological work on the Greek New Testament. When Erasmus (1516) failed to find Greek manuscript evidence for the 'Johannine comma', long considered the clearest biblical evidence for the Trinity, he unwittingly opened a vicious debate over the nature of the bible, its relationship with doctrine, and the role of the state in regulating private belief.