A rare early 16th-century convolute from the press of Simon Corver, the pioneering Lutheran printer of Zwolle. Corver, a former monk exiled from Amsterdam for his Lutheran sympathies, established the Officina Corveriana in Zwolle around 1519 under the patronage of Gerardus Listrius, rector of the local Latin school and a notable supporter of the Reformation. Corver published numerous works promoting Reformed theology during his brief period of activity in Zwolle (ca. 1519-1522), before fleeing the city due to mounting pressure.
Ad 1: Wessel Gansfort (ca. 1419-1489) treatise De Sacramento Eucharistiae et audienda Missa. Gansfort, a Groningen-born theologian and alumnus of Zwolles Latin school, had studied and lectured extensively across Europe, including Cologne, Heidelberg, and Paris. His writings, regarded as emblematic of biblical humanism, were admired by prominent figures in the Reformation such as Luther, and his treatises were particularly sought after by early Lutheran printers like Corver. De Sacramento Eucharistiae et audienda Missa presents Gansforts theological reflections on the Eucharist and the celebration of Mass, emphasising the real presence of Christ and the profound spiritual efficacy of devout faith.
Ad 2: Controversial theological letters of Gansfort. The ornate title page announces a series of polemical epistles exchanged between Gansfort and several prominent theologians of his day, including Engelbert of Leiden, Jacobus Hoeck, and Joannes of Amsterdam. The Impugnatorium M. Antonis de Castro ... contra Weselum is bound at the end of the present collective volume. This is a polemical treatise written shortly after Wessels death at the request of Hoeck, addressing Wessels letter on indulgences. Printed in the margins are critical annotations defending Wessels positions, making the text a vivid example of early 16th-century theological debate. The work highlights disputes over indulgences, the "treasures of merits," and the authority of the papacy, showing both Wessels reformist-leaning views and the Dominican defence of traditional church teaching.
Ad 3: Gansforts treatise on Christian prayer, comprising two principal parts, De Oratione & Modo Orandi, a theoretical and practical guide to the nature and proper performance of prayer, with instruction on the inner dispositions appropriate to devotion; and Dominicæ Orationis Explanatione, a detailed commentary on the Pater Noster, explicating the significance of each clause and deriving spiritual lessons therefrom.
Ad 4: The most important of Gansforts theological works, gathering six treatises on central doctrinal themes: De benignissima Dei providentia, De causis, mysteriis, & effectibus Dominicae incarnationis & passionis, De dignitate & potestate ecclesiastica, De sacramento penitentiae, Quae sit vera communio sanctorum, and De purgatorio, concluding with four letters. It includes Gansforts reflections on confession, purgatory, ecclesiastical authority, and the sacraments, showing his nuanced position: while some ideas anticipate aspects of Protestant thought, Gansfort remained a devout Catholic, affirming free will, the efficacy of the sacraments, and the primacy of the pope.
Ad 5: Posthumous second edition of the works of Johann Pupper (ca. 1410-1475), also known as Johannes van Goch, a Dutch Augustinian and early church reformer. Closely associated with the Modern Devotion and the Brethren of the Common Life, Pupper opposed Pelagianism and emphasised the Bible as the sole source of religious truth.
Ad 6: Rare treatise on the authority, office, and powers of ecclesiastical pastors. Occasionally attributed to Gansfort it examines the scope and limits of clerical authority, the responsibilities of church leaders, and their relationship to the laity. The title page includes a verse critical of princes and high-ranking church officials who pursue personal gain at the expense of their flock. The final leaf contains an added appendix, Conclusiones aliquot doctiss. M. Philippi Melanctonis, by the noted reformer Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1560).
With a manuscript list of the works in this sammelband written on a separate sheet of paper and pasted onto the front pastedown. Occasional underlining and marginal annotations, referring to or commenting on the text. The binding is rubbed, the spine slightly damaged, and one clasp is missing. Some minor browning and staining throughout. Otherwise in good condition. Ad 1: Akkerman, Huisman and Vanderjagt, Wessel Gansfort (1419-1489) and Northern Humanism, Brill's Studies in Intellectual History; BM STC Dutch p. 210; Hermans, Zwolse boeken voor een markt zonder grenzen 1477-1523; Nijhoff-Kronenberg 2204; Post, The Modern Devotion (1968), Confrontation with Reformation and Humanism; STCN 104048107 (3 copies); USTC 421027; WorldCat 250689811 (3 copies); cf. Adams W 63 (printed in Cologne); Ad 2: Adams W 64; BM STC Dutch p. 210; Coebergh van den Braak, The works of Engelbertus Schut Leydensis (ca 1420-1503); Doedes, De Breuk & Smits, Merkwaardigheden uit den oude-boeken-schat: VIII. Eene zeer weinig bekende, om de voorrede hoogstbelangrijke, Venetiaansche uitgaaf van Hugo Grotius, de veritate religionis Christianae (1768); Nijhoff-Kronenberg 2201; STCN 104047755 (4 copies); USTC 420874; WorldCat 1154789355; Ad 3: Adams W 66; BM STC Dutch p. 210; Historia Bibliothecae Fabricianae Fabricius, Johann Albert Wolffenbuttelii, anno 1717-24; Nijhoff-Kronenberg 2203; STCN 104047992 (3 copies); USTC 421030; Ad 4: BM STC Dutch p. 210; Nijhoff-Kronenberg 2202; Post, The Modern Devotion (1968), Confrontation with Reformation and Humanism; STCN 104047917 (3 copies); USTC 420875; not in Adams; Ad 5: Adams P 2266 (i.v. Pupper); BM STC Dutch p. 86 (i.v. Gocchius); Nijhoff-Kronenberg 1012; STCN 104046856 (1 copy); USTC 421018; WorldCat 854843924, 863732755 (2 copies); Ad 6: BM STC Dutch p. 15 (i.v. Auctoritas); Nijhoff & Kronenberg 157 (Autoritate, De); STCN 104048611 (2 copies); USTC 421008 (8 copies); not in Adams.