ALBER (Alberus), Erasmus. - German theologian and poet, b. at Bruchenbrücken (Wetterau) around 1500, d. at Neubramburg on 5 May 1553. A disciple of Luther at Wittenberg, he regarded the master's thought as the criterion of truth.
He composed popular hymns, some of which are still in use today. In his works (about twenty published, others in manuscript) the satirical spirit predominates. Famous is the atrocious libel, honored with a preface by Luther himself, against the Franciscans: Der Barfüser Münche Eulenspiegel und Alcoran (Wittenberg 1542), a parody of the Liber conformitatum vitae b. Francisci cum vita Iesu Christi by Bartolomeo de' Rinonico da Pisa, as if the Franciscans regarded that book as the Muslims do their Koran. Translated into Latin, the libel was published the following year under the title: Alcoranus Francisconorum, ideat blasphemiarum et «ugarum terna de stigmatisato idolo, quod Franciscum vocant, ex » Libro conformitatum»; it was also called Alcoranus Nudipedum, and, in Badius's French version (Geneva 1560), Alcoran des Cordeliers.
He handles the Aesopic fable skillfully, and with it, together with Waldis, creates a classical form of fable poetry in the service of Protestantism. Famous for this is his collection of 41 fables, entitled "Book of Virtue and Wisdom" (Buch von der Tugend und Weisheit, Frankfurt 1550). The ass, for example, which clothes itself in the lion's skin, becomes for him the image of the Pope, who has deceived the world for centuries with his illegitimate lordship, until Doctor Luther pulls out his ass's ears and tears off his proud skin.
A faithful "servant of Luther," he lets no occasion slip - as professor of theology, preacher, writer and inspector general of the Lutheran Church - to mock monasticism, the cult of the Saints, relics and indulgences.
His "Spiritual Songs" (Geistliche Lieder) were reprinted by H. W. Stromberger in 1857, and his fables by W. Braune in 1892.
Bibliography5 worksF. Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Erasmus Alberus, Dresden 1893; Th. Kolde, s. v. in Realencycl. für protest. Theologie und Kirche, I, pp. 278-80;
BIBL.: F. Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Erasmus Alberus, Dresden 1893; Th. Kolde, s. v. in Realencycl. für protest. Theologie und Kirche, I, pp. 278-80; L. Boiteaux, s. v. in DHG, I, coll. 1595-1600 (with list of works); F. Vogt and M. Koch, Storia della Letteratura tedesca, Italian trans. by G. Balsamo-Crivelli, I, Turin 1912, pp. 339-40 and passim; A. Gemelli, Il Francescanesimo, 6th ed., Milan 1947, pp. 105-107, and 147.
Cecchetti, Igino. “Alber (Alberus), erasmus.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. I, coll. 656–657. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1948. https://azioneromana.com/article/alber-alberus-erasmus.
MLA
Cecchetti, Igino. “Alber (Alberus), erasmus.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. I, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1948, coll. 656–657. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/alber-alberus-erasmus.
BibTeX
@incollection{ec1_alber_alberus_erasmus,
author = {Cecchetti, Igino},
title = {Alber (Alberus), erasmus},
booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
volume = {I},
pages = {656--657},
note = {Cited by column},
publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
address = {Città del Vaticano},
year = {1948},
url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/alber-alberus-erasmus}
}
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