Erasmus & Luther in Frisia

The so-called Luther Bible is a jewel in the crown of the University of Groningen Library. It is a copy of Erasmus's Latin translation of the New Testament published in 1527. This book once belonged to Martin Luther himself. In the margins, Luther wrote down his personal reactions to Erasmus's translation and justifications. Unsurprisingly, he did so full of passion and conviction. Half a millennium after its publication, the book remains valuable for the knowledge and ideas it contains. It is also a testament to the unchanging nature of humanity. At times, when he's addressing Erasmus directly ("you're a scoundrel"), it's as if Luther is replying to a post by Erasmus on Twitter or Facebook.

This book made quite a journey. At some stage, it was in the possession of the scholar Regnerus Praedinius (1510-1559), head of the Latin School in Groningen. He, too, wrote his views in the margins. He engaged with Luther's comments elaborately, mostly siding with Erasmus.

All in all, the book travelled many miles before ending up in the University of Groningen Library on August 10, 1724. This map documents its journey—locating many places of interest, such as Wittenberg Castle Church, Lütetsburg Castle, and Nienoord Mansion—and tells you how the indicated locations are relevant to our Luther Bible.

Part of this exhibition was an interactive map showing all locations where this book left its traces. This map is no longer available.

The exhibition was produced in 2021 for Atelier Living Heritage in the context of the University Library's project Frisia. The project produced the website Stories of Frisia, which links locations in the northern Netherlands and northwest Germany to books from the Special Collections in the University of Groningen Library, thus mapping the cultural-intellectual history of Frisia in which the foundation of the Academy in Groningen in 1614 was a highlight. The story Erasmus & Luther in Frisia is about this Luther Bible.

Also part of the exhibition was an interview conducted by its authors—Iris Loois (ReMa student Classical, Medieval and Early Modern Studies) and Myrthe Westra (MA student History and Heritage Consultancy)—with prof. Arnoud Visser (Utrecht University) on the relevance of Erasmus and Luther for present-day society. This podcast (in Dutch) is still available on Spotify.