Epistolae Obscurdrum Virorum (Epistles of obscure lihn), a celebrated collection of letters by anonymous authors, in which the opponents of Human- ism, and the Church of Rome in general, were casti- gated with pungent satire. The special occasion for the publication of these epistles was a bitter contro- versy between the learned Eeucldin (q. v.) on the one hand, and a converted Jew named Pfeflerkorn, and the Dominicans of Cologne (headed by Hochstraten [q. v.], the inquisitor, and by Prior Ortuinus Gratius) on the other. The latter advocated the expulsion of all Jews from Germany, the burning of their books, and the forcible education of their children in the Christian r3'.;;':;ion. Keuchlin, being asked for his opinion, advised that only the writings of tlie Jews against Christianity should be burned. Tlie bishop of Spires declared in favor of Kcuciilin. Pope Leo X, who personally cared more about the friendship of the Humanists tlian about the Church, but who, as pope, dared not to offend the monks, delayed his decision. The Humanists now organized themselves everywhere into a league, and flooded Germany with books against the fanatical monks. Among these books, the Episto- lce Obsciirorum Virorum arc the most celebrated. Thej' successfully imitate the barbaric Latin of the monks. The types, which were of very poor qmflity, and abounding in abbrcviations^were a studjous imitation
ticular, as a defence of the monks, are so ineffective that some Eoman Catholic writers, though without good reason, ascribe the authorship to tlie Humanists themselves. The epistles consist of three parts. The first was printed in 1515 at Hagenau hy the learned printer Wolfgang Angst, a friend of Eeuchlin, under the title Epistolce Obscurorum Virorum ad venerabilem virum Mag. Ortuinum Gratium, Daventi'iensem ("a na- tive of Deventer") Colonice Agrippince bonas litttras docentem, variis et locis et iemporilus missce ac derinim in volumen couctcc. The second part was printed at Basel in 1517 by Froben ; the third, which is much inferior to the two former, appeared much later. Sir "William Hamilton (Edinburgh Eerieio, liii, 193) remarks that "the Epistolce are at once the most cruel and the most natural of satires, and, as such, they were the most eficctive. They converted the tragedy of Eeuchlin's persecution into a farce ; annihilated, in public con- sideration, the enemies of intellectual improvement ; and even the friends of Luther, in Luther's lifetime, acknowledged that no other writing had contributed so powerfully to the downfall of the papal domination." As to the authorship of the Epistolce, there has been much dispute. It appears certain that neither Eras- mus nor Eeuchlin had any part in the comjiilation. The recent German critics generally incline to tliink that the first part was chiefly compiled by Wolfgang Angst and Crotus Eubianus, and the second by Crotus Eubianus, Hutten, and Pirkheimer; but Hamilton, in the article above cited, shows almost decisively that Hutten, Crotus, and Buschius were the joint authors. A late writer, Chaufloui'-Kestner (Ulrich rc.n Hutten, translated by A.Young), attributes the work exclu- siveh- to Hutten (see British and For. Evcing. Reiieu\ Oct. 1807, p. 775). The Ejnstlte have freqnenily been printed ; among the earlier editions, those of Frank- fort (l(!l;>), London (1710), and another London edition (without date), with nine pictures, are the best. There are modern editions by Dr. Mllnch (Lpz. 1827), by Eo- termund (Hanov. 1827), and by Boecking (Lpz. 1858). The London edition of 1710 is the most elegant in form. It was edited by tlie learned IMaittaire, who really believed it to be the genuine work of the monks, as did Steele, to whom Mattaire's edition was dedica- ted, and who noticed it, as if genuine, in The Toiler. This edition was reproduced b}' Clements, London, 17-12. The literary history of the Epistolce is very fully given in Sir W. Ilamilti n"s article above referred to,
of those used by Quentil of Cologne, the publisher of , which criticizes Munch's edition with some severity. Pfefferkorn and the Dominicans. The uanie of Al- J ^'cry full information on the Epistolce is given in the
EPISTOL^ PRvEST. VmORUM 275
EPOCH
three last-named editions. See, besides the authors already cited, Herzog, Real-Enajklop. iv, 111 ; Wetzer u. Welte, Kirchen-Lvx. iii, 633.
Epistolse Picestantium Virorum, a valuable collection of letters illustrating the history of the Ar- ininians and Remonstrants. Its full title is Frcestan- iium ac Emditorum virorum E^nstolce EcdesiasticcB et Theological varil ai-ffumenti, inter quas eminent ece, qua; a Jac. Arminio, Conr. Vorstio, Sim. Episcopio, Hug. Grotio, Casp. Barlajo, conscrijjtce sunt. (Amst. 1660, 8vo ; 2d ed. Amst. 1G84, fol.).
Epistolare (plur. -arli), a term used in Biblical criticism (q. v. ) to distinguish those MS. Lectionaries (q. V.) or selections from the Greek Test, anciently employed in Church service that contained selections from the epistles only. See Manuscripts of the
BiDLE.
Epistolarium. The office of the Holy Commu- nion was in the early ages of the Churcli contained in four volumes, viz. the Antiphoner, the Lectionary, the Books of the Gospels, and the Sacramentary. The second of these, the Lectionarij , was the book of the epistles read at mass (Du Cange, Glossarium, s. v. Lec- tionarius), generally called tiie Epistolarium, also Co- mes and v1/jos^o/m^-.— Procter, On the Book of Common Prayer, p. 9.
Epitaphia (tinTafta), funeral orations. It was usual in the early Church to make funeral orations (Xoyot f7rnc/)t"cio() in praise of those who had been distinguished during life by tlieir virtues and merits. Several of these are extant, as that of Eusebius at the funeral of Constantine ; those of Ambrose on the deaths of Theodosius and Valentinian, and of his own brother SatjTus ; those of Gregorj' of Nazianzus upon his fa- ther, his brother Cajsarius, and his sister Gorgonia; and that of Gregorj' of Nyssa upon the death of Melitus, bishop of Antioch. — Riddle, Christ. Antiq. bk. vii, ch. iii.