Erasmi Opera Omnia

This twenty-eighth volume in Erasmus' Opera omnia (ASD) is the fifth within 'ordo' VI, that is the corda' of the New Testament and the Annotations. The division into 'ordines' - each 'ordo' being devoted to a specific literary or thematic category - was laid down by Erasmus himself for the posthumous publication of his works (see General introduction, ASD I, pp. x, xvii-xviii, and C. Reedijk, Tcmdem bona causa triumphat. Zur Geschichte des Gesamtwerkes des Erasmus von Rotterdam. Vortrage der Aeneas-Silvius-Stiftung an der Universitiit Basel, XVI, Basel/Stuttgart, 1980, p. 12 sqq., 21-22). The present volume (tom. VI, 5, edited by P. F. Hovingh, Rotterdam) contains the first part of the Annotationes in Nouum Testamentum, to wit the Annotations on Matthew, Mark and Luke. The Annotations on the other books of the New Testament will be published in ASD VI, 6-9. ASD VI, 1-4 will comprise Erasmus' edition of the New Testament (Greek and Latin). The order of publication depends on when the respective volumes are finished. With regard to the edition of 'ordo' VI the Editorial Board is much indebted to Professor H. J. de Jonge (Leiden) for his expert advice. The Editorial Board and the editor of the present volume are grateful to all libraries that kindly put books, photostats, microfilms, and bibliographical material at their disposal. The Conseil international pour l'edition des oeuvres completes d'Erasme and the Editorial Board mourn the sad loss of the founding father of the Erasmus edition, Dr. Cornelis Reedijk, who died on 7 May 2000 at the age of 79. Born in Rotterdam, he attended the Gymnasium Erasmianum of that city. After reading classics at Leiden and Amsterdam, he started working at the Gemeentebibliotheek Rotterdam in 1945, where he became Keeper in 1953, and Director in 1958. In the meantime he published his pioneering edition of The Poems ofDesiderius Erasmus (Leiden, Brill, 1956). It served as his Leiden Ph.D. thesis, which was supervised by Professor J.H. Waszink. In 1962 Reedijk was appointed Head Librarian of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek at The Hague, from which he retired in 1986. He also distinguished himself in many international activities, in particular in the context of the International Federation of Library Associations. The story ofhow the Conseil international and the Erasmus edition came into being is told in the General Introduction (see ASD I, I, pp. xv-xvii). There is no need to repeat it here, but it may be appropriate to quote the opening passage: «The initiative for this edition was taken in Rotterdam, Erasmus' native city. In1960 the historical society 'Roterodamum' addressed a letter to the municipality containing a number of suggestions for the commemoration of the fifth centenary of Erasmus' birth in 1969. One of these suggestions was that the municipality encourage an investigation of the question whether there was a need for a new critical edition of the works of Erasmus and, if so, by what means such an edition might be accomplished». The man behind this initiative was Reedijk, who understated his role, being the actual author of the General introduction which was signed by the members of the then Editorial Board, J.H. Waszink, Leon-E. Halkin, C. Reedijk, C.M. Bruehl. With Reedijk's death, they have all left us now. Dr. Reedijk became the Secretary of the Conseil international in 1963 and in 1969 its Secretary General, combining this post from 1992 with that of Treasurer. For reasons of health he decided to resign these positions in 1998, remaining, however, a member of the Conseil international and the Editorial Board. Both the Conseil and the Board will remember Cornelis Reedijk with gratitude and affection, and they will hold his memory in high esteem.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction, Philosophy. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.