''Ciceronianus'' ("The Ciceronian") is a

treatise A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject and its conclusions."Treat ...

written by

Desiderius Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (; ; English: Erasmus of Rotterdam or Erasmus;''Erasmus'' was his baptismal name, given after St. Erasmus of Formiae. ''Desiderius'' was an adopted additional name, which he used from 1496. The ''Roterodamus'' wa ...

and published in 1528.Kate Robinson
Fame with Tongue (Lingua verius quam calamo celebrem), or, The Gift of the Gab
/ref> It attacks the style of scholarly

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

written during the early 16th century, which style attempted to ape

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the estab ...

's Latin.

Content

As Cicero lived before

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

, Erasmus saw Cicero's Latin as

pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...

, and therefore unsuited to translating

holy text Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...

s. Because Cicero had no words for Christian theological concepts, he suggested that modern Ciceronian purists would have to use pagan language, for example calling the

Christian God God in Christianity is believed to be the eternal, supreme being who created and preserves all things. Christians believe in a monotheistic conception of God, which is both transcendent (wholly independent of, and removed from, the material u ...

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...

Maximus Maximus (Hellenised as Maximos) is the Latin term for "greatest" or "largest". In this connection it may refer to: * Circus Maximus (disambiguation) * Pontifex maximus, the highest priest of the College of Pontiffs in ancient Rome People Roman h ...

" and Jesus himself "

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

". Erasmus argues that if Cicero himself had become a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

he would have adapted his language to incorporate

Biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

names and concepts. Erasmus also sought to defend medieval Latinists whose allegedly barbarous style the Ciceronians had ridiculed. He argued that excessively strict adherence to Cicero led to a form of literary idolatry. It also turned Latin into a "dead" language rather than a living and evolving means of international intellectual communication. The treatise takes the form of a dialogue between the Ciceronian "Nosoponus" and his opponent "Bulephorus" (representing Erasmus). Bulephorus's views are supported by "Hypologus". Erasmus's persona approaches his argument in an intentionally entertaining and satirical style, imagining the Ciceronian purists having to write their ultra-sterilised prose in soundproof rooms to avoid any violation by real life, especially the distressingly vulgar speech of children and women.

Replies

In 1531

Julius Caesar Scaliger Julius Caesar Scaliger (; April 23, 1484 – October 21, 1558), or Giulio Cesare della Scala, was an Italian scholar and physician, who spent a major part of his career in France. He employed the techniques and discoveries of Renaissance humanism ...

printed his first oration against Erasmus, in defence of Cicero and the Ciceronians, dismissing Erasmus as a literary parasite, a mere corrector of texts. In 1535,

Étienne Dolet Étienne Dolet (; 3 August 15093 August 1546) was a French scholar, translator and printer. Dolet was a controversial figure throughout his lifetime. His early attacks upon the Inquisition, the city council and other authorities in Toulouse, tog ...

also published a riposte, ''Erasmianus'', defending Ciceronian Latin. The Italian scholar

Giulio Camillo Giulio "Delminio" Camillo (ca. 1480–1544) was an Italian philosopher. He is best known for his ''Theatre of Memory'', described in his posthumously published work ''L’Idea del Theatro''. Biography Camillo was born around 1480 in Friuli, now ...

's response, ''Trattato dell’ Imitatione'', written in Paris, was published in the year of Camillo's death, 1544.Camillo Delminio, Giulio, ''Due Trattati ... l'uno delle Materie, che possono uenir sotto lo stile dell'eloquente: l'altro della Imitatione'', (Venice: Nella stamperia de Farri, 1544). See Testo di Dell'imitazione, trattato di Giulio Camillo detto Delminio). For an English translation, see Robinson, ‘A Search for the Source of the Whirlpool of Artifice’ (University of Glasgow PhD thesis, 2002), pp. 182-205.

References

External links

English translation at Internet ArchiveFacsimile of a Latin edition
{{Desiderius Erasmus 1528 books 16th-century Christian texts Books about paganism Books about writing Books by Desiderius Erasmus Cicero 16th-century Latin books