VERHAAL VAN DE OUDE KERKGEBRUIKEN, of eene naaukeurige geschiedsbeschyving, bevattende hunne geboorte en aanwas, hoe zy ter Kerke ingeslopen, en langs welke trappen zy tot de bygeloovigheit zyn overgegaan. Door en geacht voorstander der rechtzinnige Leere en Kerk. Rotterdam, Gedrukt by Arnold Willis, 1725. 8vo. (LVI),170 p. Half calf 16 cm Anti-papist History of the Church (Details: Back ruled gilt, and with 4 raised bands. Woodcut ornament on the title. Edges dyed red. In Gothic script) (Condition: Binding scuffed, especially at the extremes. Head of the spine chafed, corners bumped) (Note: This anonymous anti-papist history of the church was first published in The Hague in 1629 as 'Traitté des cérémonies anciennes, ou Histoire contenant leurs naissance, & accroissement, leurs entrée en l'église, & par quels degrez elles ont passé iusques à la superstitition'. In it the author tries to find the origin of all abuse in the church in Medieval superstition invented by the enemies of the true faith. It was repeated in Amsterdam in 1646. In the dedication to a revised and augmented edition, which was called a second edition (seconde édition) of 1662, the author at last reveals himself as Jonas Porrée. He dedicates that edition to Charles II, since 1660 protestant king of England, as 'défenseur de la foi', a defender who ironically on his deathbed in 1685 was received into the Catholic Church. In the dedication Porrée expresses also his admiration for the Anglian Church and its episcopal administration. This subversive anti-papist history was a tremendous success. It appeared reissued and revised in French in 1661, 1662, 1672, 1673, 1677, 1678, 1717 and 1772. It was also translated into English as 'Vitis degeneris, or, The degenerate plant, being a treatise of antient ceremonies: containing an historical account of their rise and growth, their first entrance into the Church, and their gradual advancement to superstition therein', London 1668. It was reissued in 1669. A German translation was published in 1691 as 'Christianismi Degeneris Historia, oder Historische Beschreibung der in der Alten Christlichen Kirchen geübten Ceremonien und Gottes-diensts: Wie weit dieselbigen vom heutigen Papstum unterscheiden gewesen'. A second edition appeared in 1692. The first Dutch translation dates from 1723, and seems extremely rare. In the Netherlands only the University Library of Leiden and of the Free University of Amsterdam hold a copy. In KVK (Karlsruher Virtueller Katalog) we found further only one copy in the University Library of Jena. This second edition of 1725 seems even more rare. We found only one copy available in the Library of the Free University, and not one in KVK. This edition of 1725 was dedicated by the publisher Arnold Willis to his friend, the reverend 'Theodorus vander Vis, predikant te Niervaart, gezegt De Klundert '. In the preface (p. *2 recto) Willis tells that the first edition of two years earlier was sold out quickly, and that he therefore now brings on the market a second edition of the translation. It is even more attractive, he says, because it is corrected, and augmented considerably. (See for the French editions of 1646 and 1662, and the author Jonas Porrée: 'Bulletin - Société de l'histoire du protestantisme français', 7e année, Paris, 1858, p. 213-215) (Collation: pi1, *-3*8, 4*4 (minus leaf 4*4); A-K8, L4, M2 (minus leaf M2) (Photographs on request)
Book number: 120008 Euro 225.00

Keywords: (Oude Druk), (Rare Books), Kirchengeschichte, Middle Ages, Mittelalter, church history