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Erasmus Lecture
The 2024 Erasmus Lecture
LocationNew York City
CountryUnited States of America
FounderRichard John Neuhaus
Websitefirstthings.com/erasmus-lectures/

The Erasmus Lecture is an annual public lecture series organized by the journal First Things and its publisher, the Institute on Religion and Public Life. The event is held in New York City and features leading figures in theology, philosophy, and public life who address topics at the intersection of religion, culture, and society.[1]

History

The Erasmus Lecture was established in 1985 by Richard John Neuhaus, the founder of First Things and the Institute on Religion and Public Life. Neuhaus envisioned the lecture as a forum for exploring how religious and moral ideas shape public discourse and civic life.[2]

Since its founding, the Erasmus Lecture has become the magazine's flagship public event and continues to be held annually in New York City. The series has featured prominent speakers from Christian, Jewish, and other intellectual traditions, addressing subjects related to faith, reason, and modern society.

Format

Each year's Erasmus Lecture program typically includes:

  • A poetry reading on the evening before the main lecture
  • The public lecture itself
  • A dinner for members of the First Things Editor's Circle and invited guests
  • A scholarly colloquium or seminar the following day

The event is usually hosted at venues such as the Union League Club of New York.

List of Erasmus Lecturers

A list of Erasmus Lecture speakers and the titles of their talks is provided below.[3]

Year Lecturer Title of Lecture
2025 Bishop Erik Varden In Praise of Translation
2024 Paul Kingsnorth Against Christian Civilization[4]
2023 Carl R. Trueman The Desecration of Man[5]
2022 Anthony Fisher The West: Post- or Pre-Christian?[6]
2021 Wilfred McClay The Claims of Memory[7]
2020 Meir Soloveitchik Lincoln's Almost Chosen People[8]
2019 N. T. Wright Loving to Know[9]
2018 Rémi Brague God as a Gentleman[10]
2017 Robert Barron Evangelizing the Nones[11]
2016 Russell D. Moore Can the Religious Right Be Saved?[12]
2015 Ross Douthat A Crisis of Conservative Catholicism[13]
2014 Charles J. Chaput Strangers in a Strange Land[14]
2013 Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks On Creative Minorities[15]
2012 Jean Bethke Elshtain On Loyalty[16]
2011 Gilbert Meilaender A Complete Life[17]
2010 J. H. H. Weiler The Trial of Jesus[18]
2008 Robert Louis Wilken Christianity Face to Face with Islam[19]
2007 Robert P. George Law and Moral Purpose[20]
2006 Philip Jenkins Believing in the Global South[21]
2005 Timothy George Evangelicals and Others[22]
2004 Timothy Cardinal Dolan The Bishops in Council[23]
2003 Dana Gioia The Catholic Writer Today[24]
2002 Stephen Barr Retelling the Story of Science[25]
2001 David Novak Jews, Christians, and Civil Society[26]
2000 George Weigel Papacy and Power[27]
1999 Charles Colson Modernist Impasse, Christian Opportunity[28]
1998 Oliver O'Donovan Government as Judgement[29]
1997 Clarence Thomas (Title not listed)
1996 Jean-Marie Cardinal Lustiger Liberty, Equality, Fraternity[30]
1995 Midge Decter A Jew in Anti-Christian America[31]
1994 Wolfhart Pannenberg Christianity and the West[32]
1992 Mary Ann Glendon Tradition and Creativity in Culture and Law[33]
1991 Leon Kass Man and Woman: An Old Story[34]
1990 Robertson Davies Literature and Moral Purposes[35]
1988 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger Biblical Interpretation in Crisis[36]
1987 Peter Berger (Title not listed)
1986 John T. Noonan Jr. (Title not listed)
1985 Paul Johnson An Almost Chosen People[37]

Publications based on the Erasmus Lectures

Several of the Erasmus Lectures have been subsequently published in print or collected in essay volumes. While most lectures are released as full texts or recordings through First Things, a number of them have appeared in independent editions, either as part of the First Things Reprint Series or in later collections by their authors. The following table lists Erasmus Lectures that have been published in book or reprint form.[3][38][39]

Year Lecturer Lecture title Publication details
2008 Robert L. Wilken Christianity Face to Face with Islam[40] Published as Christianity Face to Face with Islam: First Things Reprint Series (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2010). Adapted from the 2008 Erasmus Lecture.
2011 Gilbert Meilaender A Complete Life[41] Published as part of the First Things Reprint Series (CreateSpace, 2012). Adapted from the 2011 Erasmus Lecture.
2003 Dana Gioia The Catholic Writer Today[42] Included in The Catholic Writer Today: And Other Essays (Wiseblood Books, 2019). The essay originated as the 2003 Erasmus Lecture published in First Things.

References

  1. ^ "Home". First Things. Retrieved 2025-10-09.
  2. ^ Boyagoda, Randy (2015). Richard John Neuhaus - A life in the Public Square (1st ed.). United States of America: Crown Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-307-95396-4.
  3. ^ a b "Erasmus Lectures".
  4. ^ Kingsnorth, Paul (12 December 2024). "Against Christian Civilization". First Things.
  5. ^ Trueman, Carl R. (January 2024). "The Desecration of Man". First Things.
  6. ^ Fisher, Anthony (February 2023). "The West: Post- or Pre-Christian?". First Things.
  7. ^ McClay, Wilfred (January 2022). "The Claims of Memory". First Things.
  8. ^ Soloveitchik, Meir (February 2021). "Lincoln's Almost Chosen People". First Things.
  9. ^ Wright, Nicholas Thomas (February 2020). "Loving to Know". First Things.
  10. ^ Brague, Rémi (February 2019). "God as a Gentleman". First Things.
  11. ^ Barron, Robert (January 2018). "Evangelizing the Nones". First Things.
  12. ^ Moore, Russel D. (January 2017). "Can the Religious Right be Saved?". First Things.
  13. ^ Douthat, Ross (January 2016). "A Crisis of Conservative Catholicism". First Things.
  14. ^ Chaput, Charles (January 2015). "Strangers in a Strange Land". First Things.
  15. ^ Sacks, Jonathan (January 2014). "On Creative Minorities". First Things.
  16. ^ Elshtain, Jean Bethke (August 2013). "On Loyalty". First Things.
  17. ^ Meilaender, Gilbert (January 2012). "A Complete Life". First Things.
  18. ^ Weiler, Joseph Halevi Horowitz (June 2010). "The Trial of Jesus". First Things.
  19. ^ Wilken, Robert Louis (January 2009). "Christianity Face to Face with Islam". First Things.
  20. ^ George, Robert P. (January 2008). "Law and Moral Purpose". First Things.
  21. ^ Jenkins, Philip (December 2006). "Believing in the Global South". First Things.
  22. ^ George, Timothy (February 2006). "Evangelicals and Others". First Things.
  23. ^ Dolan, Timothy Cardinal (28 April 2005). "The Bishops in Council". First Things.
  24. ^ Gioia, Dana (December 2013). "The Catholic Writer Today". First Things.
  25. ^ Barr, Stephen (March 2003). "Retelling the Story of Science". First Things.
  26. ^ Novak, David (February 2002). "Jews, Christians, and Civil Society". First Things.
  27. ^ Weigel, George (February 2001). "Papacy and Power". First Things.
  28. ^ Colson, Charles (June 2000). "Modernist Impasse, Christian Opportunity". First Things.
  29. ^ O'Donovan, Oliver (April 1999). "Government as Judgment". First Things.
  30. ^ Lustiger, Jean-Marie Cardinal (October 1997). "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity". First Things.
  31. ^ Decter, Midge (October 1995). "A Jew in Anti-Christian America". First Things.
  32. ^ Pannenberg, Wolfhart (December 1994). "Christianity and the West". First Things.
  33. ^ Glendon, Mary Ann (November 1992). "Tradition and Creativity in Culture and Law". First Things.
  34. ^ Kass, Leon (November 1991). "Man and Woman: An Old Story". First Things.
  35. ^ Davies, Robertson (November 1990). "Literature and Moral Purposes". First Things.
  36. ^ Ratzinger, Joseph Cardinal (26 April 2008). "Biblical Interpretation in Crisis". First Things.
  37. ^ Johnson, Paul (June 2006). "An Almost-Chosen People". First Things.
  38. ^ Wilken, Robert Louis (September 22, 2010). Christianity Face to Face with Islam: First Things Reprint Series. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1-4537-8018-3 – via Google Books.
  39. ^ "The Catholic Writer Today". Dana Gioia.
  40. ^ Wilken, Robert (2010). Christianity Face to Face with Islam. First Things Reprint Series / CreateSpace. ISBN 978-1453780183.
  41. ^ Meilander, Gilbert (2012). A Complete Life. First Things Reprint Series / CreateSpace. ISBN 978-1475229905.
  42. ^ Gioia, Dana (2019). The Catholic Writer Today. Wiseblood Books. ISBN 978-1505114409.
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