Erasmus yearned to make the Bible an effective instrument in the reform of society, church, and the life of individuals in the turbulent world of the sixteenth century. He therefore composed paraphrases in which the words of Holy Scripture provided the core of a text vastly expanded to embrace the reforming ?philosophy of Christ.? The Paraphrases were successful beyond expectation and were quickly translated into French, German, English and other languages.Volume 49 of the Collected Works of Erasmus series.