First German edition of Erasmuss Enchiridion militis christiani, one of his most celebrated and influential works, here translated by the Strasbourg humanist Johannes Adelphus (ca. 1480s-ca. 1523). Erasmus began writing the Enchiridion around 1501 in Paris while fleeing from the plague, and completed it some years later in Leuven.
Originally conceived as a personal moral guide for the troubled nobleman, the text promotes a life of inner devotion and ethical integrity, urging Christians to cultivate sincere faith rather than rely on outward ritual. Though modest in origin, the work became a cornerstone of Christian humanist thought and was widely reprinted and translated.
The translator, Joannes Adelphus Mülich (or Müling), was physician of the town of Schaffhausen; he made the translation at the request of Beatus Rhenanus.The present 1520 Basel edition, handsomely produced by Adam Petri with rich woodcut ornamentation, brought the Enchiridion to a broader German-speaking audience at a time of intense religious ferment.
With a small manuscript annotation on the title page. The title page has been strengthened in the gutter margin and with elaborate restorations in the fore- and bottom edges. The tear in the bottom outer corner of leaf 73 has been restored, barely affecting the text. Otherwise in good condition. Bezzel 882; BM STC German p. 281; Erasmus Online 1708; USTC 650319; Vander Haeghen I, 80; VD 16 E 2787; not in Adams.