In Praise of Folly; Julius Exclusus
Date: 1536
Region: Europe
Subject: Religious
Medium: Literature
Artist: Desiderius Erasmus (1466 - 1536)
Confronting Bodies: Catholic officials
Date of Action: 1536
Location: The Netherlands
Description of Artwork: Erasmus challenged Catholic Church practices in his satiric writings. In Praise of Folly challenges the veneration of the Apostles and the worship of icons as equal to praising Jesus. Julius Exclusus condemns Pope Julius II for his military initiatives.
The Incident: Some call his work a Trojan Horse for Luther's reformation. After the reformation the Catholic church became more strict in regard to publishing printed material. Erasmus's works were placed on the Catholic Church's first "Index Librorum Prohibitorum," a collection of banned texts.
Results of Incident: Erasmus's writings were not suppressed until after his death. Some portions of In Praise of Folly and the Colloquies were revised and accepted, but pages were struck out.
Source: Censorship, A World Encyclopedia, ed. D. Jones
