''Julius Excluded from Heaven'' ( la, Iulius exclusus e coelis (''IE'') is a dialogue that was written in 1514, commonly attributed to the Dutch humanist and theologian Desiderius Erasmus. It involves

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II ( la, Iulius II; it, Giulio II; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope or th ...

, who had recently died, trying to persuade

Saint Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupat ...

to allow him to enter Heaven by using the same tactics he applied when alive. The dialogue is also supplemented by a "Genius" (his

guardian angel A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played a major role in A ...

) who makes wry comments about the pope and his deeds.

Plot

The dialogue begins with a drunken Pope Julius II trying to open the gate of heaven with the key to his secret money-chest. He is accompanied by his Genius, his

. Behind him are the soldiers who died in his military campaigns, whom he promised would go to heaven regardless of their deeds. Peter denies him passage, even when Julius threatens him with his army and papal bulls of

excommunication Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

, and questions him about his deeds on Earth. Julius then goes into a lengthy explanation of his deeds and justifies his sins, ranging from simony to

pederasty Pederasty or paederasty ( or ) is a sexual relationship between an adult man and a pubescent or adolescent boy. The term ''pederasty'' is primarily used to refer to historical practices of certain cultures, particularly ancient Greece and an ...

, with the fact that the pope has the authority to excuse any sin. Peter is disgusted by his description and turns him away. The dialogue ends with Julius planning to muster an army to create his own paradise and capture Heaven.

Authorship

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'' w ...

is usually credited as the author of the dialogue. It is assumed that a first draft of the ''IE'' was provided to Thomas Lupset by Erasmus in summer 1514.Seidel Menchi, S., ed. (2019),p.58 Lupset then left for Rome with the ''IE'', where Ulrich von Hutten got hold of the ''IE'' and copied it. In a letter of 1519, Erasmus admitted to Cardinal

Lorenzo Campeggio Lorenzo Campeggio (7 November 1474 – 19 July 1539) was an Italian cardinal and politician. He was the last cardinal protector of England. Life Campeggio was born in Milan, the eldest of five sons. In 1500, he took his doctorate in can ...

that he was in possession of the ''IE'' five years ago, which would mean at the time of the earliest knowledge of it.Seidel Menchi, S., ed. (2019),p.35 He sometimes implied that he did not write it, but modern scholarship generally overrides this with internal evidence, lack of a credible alternative author when the copies of

Bonifacius Amerbach Bonifacius Amerbach (1495, Basel – April 1562, Basel) was a jurist, scholar, an influential humanist and the rector of the University of Basel for several terms. Early life and education Born on the 11 October 1495, he was the youngest son ...

of 1516 and one of von Hutten are examined against each other.

Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lord ...

writes in a letter on 15 December 1516 that he has gotten hold of a copy of the dialogue in Erasmus' handwriting, and asks Erasmus what to do with it. R. W. Chambers (1935), ''Thomas More'', 1938 reprint, London: Jonathan Cape, The Bedford Historical Series, Ch. 2, "An Under-Sheriff Seeks Utopia", §4, "The Fortunate Isles Hear the Julian Trumpet", p. 115; Erasmus, ''Opus Epistolarum Des. Erasmi Roterodami'', edd., P. S. and H. M. Allen, Vol. 2, Letter 502. It is thought that Erasmus made evasive comments to avoid losing allies and to avoid retribution from his enemies and the

Inquisition The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy, conducting trials of suspected heretics. Studies of the records have found that the overwhelming majority of sentences consisted of penances, ...

. A more logical conclusion, however, is that he denied authorship because it would be equated to a slap in the face to his patron

Pope Leo X Pope Leo X ( it, Leone X; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521. Born into the prominent political an ...

, who legitimized Erasmus's birth by means of papal dispensation in 1517. Still, the dialogue was very popular and was reprinted many times in pamphlets. It was praised by

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutherani ...

to be "so learned, and so ingenious, that is, so entirely Erasmian, that it makes the reader laugh at the vices of the church, over which every true Christian ought rather to groan" (Theosophy San Diego, online paper, p. 6). It is very apparent, however, that Erasmus highly disliked Julius II because he felt he did not embody the characteristics of a vicar of Christ. He was shocked by Julius II's personal leadership of armies in full armour and what he felt was the work of a worldly, unscrupulous and ambitious man. These thoughts were clearly implied in his more famous satirical work, ''

The Praise of Folly ''In Praise of Folly'', also translated as ''The Praise of Folly'' ( la, Stultitiae Laus or ), is an essay written in Latin in 1509 by Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam and first printed in June 1511. Inspired by previous works of the Italian hum ...

''. A fierce spat over its authorship arose when

Ulrich von Hutten Ulrich von Hutten (21 April 1488 – 29 August 1523) was a German knight, scholar, poet and satirist, who later became a follower of Martin Luther and a Protestant reformer. By 1519, he was an outspoken critic of the Roman Catholic Church. Hu ...

, one of the promoters of Erasmus authorship, visited Basel in winter 1523 and Erasmus, refused to receive him for six weeks.Seidel Menchi, S., ed. (2019),pp.51–52 He appealed to the conscience of his former friend, but to no avail.

Editions

Ulrich von Hutten is described as one of the main promoters of Erasmus authorship and also to be responsible for the print of its first edition in 1517. According to Helmut Claus, Peter Schöffer the Youngers printshop was the location of its print, but Schöffer omitted both his name and the printshops location.

References

External links

Northern Renaissance and the background of the Reformation - ErasmusGoogle Books - ''Perspectives on Western Art'' by Linnea Holmer Wren, Janine M. Carter, David J. Wren''Julius excluded from heaven'' (1514)
{{authoritycontrol 1514 books 16th-century Christian texts Angels in popular culture Books by Desiderius Erasmus Dialogues Dutch literature Heaven in popular culture Saint Peter Pope Julius II Satirical works Works about religious leaders 16th-century Latin books