Why did Erasmus reject the Vulgate?
• That Erasmus rejected the Vulgate is a historical fact. There are several reasons why he rejected it. He detected the 4th century corruption of the Alexandrian manuscripts on which the Vulgate was based, including the Vaticanus. He also opposed the obvious Roman bias in the translation of various passages. (1) • To oppose the Vulgate was a very un-Romanist thing to do in this day. “To question the fidelity of the Vulgate was a crime of the greatest magnitude in the eyes of the Roman Catholic Church.” (2) A good Catholic of the Reformation era would not have dared to question or tinker with the Vulgate, but Erasmus, the “bad Catholic” did and was condemned for it. • Footnotes • How many editions did Erasmus’ Greek text go through? • Five editions: • First Edition 1516 • Done hurriedly • Erasmus not satisfied with it. (1) • Not used by any translator nor is any translation based on it. • This edition sold out in 3 years. (2) • Second Edition 1519 • A revision of the first edition in bo
