Georgius Cassander s 'De officio pii viri' (1561)

The printing history of perhaps the most influential tract in the history of irenicism (church reunification), Georgius Cassander's De officio pii viri, in 1561 presented at the Colloquy at Poissy, together with an overview of its afterlife and the numerous reactions it provoked, both by Protestants and Roman Catholics, will contribute to our understanding of the history of erasmian humanist irenicism.

Two contemporary translations, one in German by Georg von Cell and one in French by Jean Hotman, show us how De officio pii viri was adapted to the ongoing struggle for church peace in different parts of Europe, a struggle that was led by jurists and theologians, outstanding members of the Republic of Letters, who were able to spread their ideas by their large epistolary networks.

The life story of De officio pii viri highlights the birth, expansion and failure of ideas; how they profit from the support of the mighty and how they fail when opposed by the uncompromising: those who think they speak in the name of God.

Autorentext

Rob van de Schoor, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands and G.H.M. Posthumus Meyjes (+).

Zusammenfassung

"In sum, the whole book is a wellproduced and valuable source for advanced students and researchers working on the Reformations; it includes detailed footnotes and a bibliography."
Elizabeth Tingle in: Journal of Ecclesiastical History 69 (2018), 173-174

"Ein Grundlagenwerk für alle, die über die Konflikt- und die Friedenspotentiale religiöser Wahrheitsbehauptungen in der Geschichte reflektieren und sich für Zwischentöne jenseits der konfessionellen ,Mainstreams' in der europäischen Frühneuzeit interessieren."
Peter Arnold Heuser in: Rheinische Vierteljahrsblätter 81 (2017), S. 331