Eck, Johannes

Ein Sentbrieue an ein frum Eidgnoszschafft betreffendt die ketzerische disputation Frantz Kolben des aussgeloffen m[ue]nchs vnnd B. Hallers des verlognen predicanten z! Bern. Ein annderer brieue an Vlrich Zwingli. Der drit brieue an Cunrat Rotenacke

      [Ingolstadt:: Georg and Peter Apian,, 1528].. Removed from a nonce volume. Spine with a reinforcing strip of 19th-century German scrap paper. Title lightly dust-soiled and evidence of old erased pencilling. A clean, good copy.. Small 4to (20 cm; 7.75"). [4] ff. . First edition of three public letters by Johann Eck, attacking the Swiss Reformation movement. Eck in particular sought to convince Zwingli to join him in a public disputation, comparable to the one he had had with Karlstadt a decade earlier in Leipzig, an attempt which remained unanswered by Zwingli" (Emory University cataloger's annotation).#11; Schrodt and Vogelstein offer a different summary: "The letters refer to an invitation sent to Eck by Zwingli, Haller and Kolbe, all of them evangelical preachers, to participate in a religious disputation scheduled to take place in Bern. The first letter, addressed to the confederation, explains courteously enough that he, Eck, does not intend to follow the call of the three proven heretics individually, a call not issued by the civic authorities. Not that he is afraid of their arguments; but he insists on an authoritative invitation and presence.#11; The other letters are framed in very aggressive and personally offensive language but carry the same message. Eck challenges the evangelical disputants to appear with him before any of the Catholic potentates, spiritual or secular, or any of the great (Catholic) universities, and he would shatter their heretical arguments." #11; = This pamphlet is type-signed, "Johan. Eck. inquisitor."#11; WorldCat locates = only one copy in North America and one in Great Britain; COPAC locates an additional one in Britain.