A simple, and religious consultation, of us Herman by the grace of God Archebishop of Colone, and prince Electour. &c. by what meanes a Christian reformation, and founded in Gods worde, Of doctrine, administration of the devine Sacramentes, of Ceremonies, and the hole cure of soules, and other ecclesiastical ministeries may be begon among men committed to our pastorall charge, until the Lorde graunt a better to be appoynted either by a free, and Christian cou[n]sayle, general, or national, or elles by the States of the empire of the natio[n] of Germanie, gathered together in the holye Gost.

BUCER, Martin, & Philipp Melanchthon, eds, as Hermann von Wied.

Edité par London: by John Daye, 30 October 1547

A propos de cet article

First edition in English of a key work of the Reformation, by "the greatest foreign divine to come to England since Erasmus" (ODNB). The book had a significant influence in England, most notably in shaping the Book of Common Prayer. Though published under the name of Hermann von Wied, archbishop of Cologne, its principal author was the Strassburg theologian Martin Bucer. In late 1542, he was invited by the archbishop to help in the reform of the diocese of Cologne, a commission with potential to shift the balance of power among electors within the empire in favour of the protestant movement. With the Lutheran reformer Philip Melanchthon's help he produced this work, first published in 1543 as the Einfaltiges Bedencken. Bucer was entirely responsible for the latter half of the work, which dealt with ecclesiastical practices and the liturgy. Some of the principles Bucer proposed include justification by faith, the acceptance of baptism and the Lord's Supper as the only valid sacraments, the offering of the cup to the laity, vernacular services, and clerical marriages. When the reform of Cologne was abruptly halted by the intervention of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Bucer went into exile and chose England under the protection of Thomas Cranmer, with whom he had been corresponding, exerting significant influence upon Cranmer's eucharistic thinking. Bucer arrived in England in April 1549 and was appointed regius professor of divinity at Cambridge. Cranmer had been following the progress of the proposed reform of Cologne carefully and owned a copy of this work in the Latin translation, Simplex ac pia deliberatio (1545). The book is generally regarded "as a significant source for the composition of the 1549 Book of Common Prayer. This was particularly the case with respect to the order for the communion service, where a number of the texts, as well as the exhortation and the prayers of confession, humble access, and the absolution were drawn from Bucer's work. as one commentator has observed, 'in view of all that subsequently transpired in Strasbourg, it could be argued that it was in England that the echo of Bucer's voice resounded longest' (Collinson, 25)" (ibid.) The first edition is rare in commerce: the only copy at auction in the past half century was the Goyder copy (late 19th-cent calf gilt, washed, some side-notes trimmed) at Sotheby's London, Sotheby's, 19 July 1993. A second edition was published in 1548. ESTC S103980; STC 13213. Small octavo (139 x 91 mm). Woodcut of St John the Evangelist at sig. a8r (some copies have the Last Supper). Late 17th-century English sprinkled calf sewn on four cords, spine gilt with centre tools and cornerpieces, third compartment additionally gilt-stamped 2.W.3 (a shelf mark), red morocco label, sides ruled with a double gilt fillet, flower-head tools at inside corners, red sprinkled edges. Housed in a rounded spine cloth box with chemise. Bookplate removed from blank verso of title, leaving faint waterstains. Spine chipped at head exposing headband, light dampstaining at foot of some signatures else contents clean and fresh, well-margined with side-notes untrimmed: an excellent copy.

N° de réf. du vendeur 165713

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: A simple, and religious consultation, of us Herman by the grace of God Archebishop of Colone, and prince Electour. &c. by what meanes a Christian reformation, and founded in Gods worde, Of doctrine, administration of the devine Sacramentes, of Ceremonies, and the hole cure of soules, and other ecclesiastical ministeries may be begon among men committed to our pastorall charge, until the Lorde graunt a better to be appoynted either by a free, and Christian cou[n]sayle, general, or national, or ...
• Éditeur: London: by John Daye, 30 October 1547
• Édition: Edition originale