Rhetoric and Theology

Departing from the traditional focus on Erasmus as philologist and moralist, Rhetoric and Theology shows how Erasmus attempted to interpret Scripture by way of a rhetorical theology that focuses on the figurative, metaphorical quality of language, with a view to moral and theological reform. Manfred Hoffmann concentrates on the theological scources of Erasmus' hermeneutic from 1518 to 1535, especially the Ratio verae theologiae, the Ecclesiastes, and the exegesis of Old and New Testament texts.