Desiderius Erasmus and Martin Luther, though they never met in person, were articulate in their assessments of each other…Each, in opposing the other, clarified his own point of view. In the process, the two great reformist movements of their day—the Renaissance, embodied in Erasmus, and the Reformation, embodied in Luther—were torn asunder. Michael Massing's riveting Fatal Discord is devoted to this fateful parting of ways…It's an inspired approach, and Massing…has produced a sprawling narrative around the rift between the two men, laying out the sociological, political and economic factors that shaped both them and Europe's responses to them, and tracing their theological disputes back to the earliest days of Christianity. Though a massive amount of material is marshaled, Massing's journalistic skills keep the story line crisply coherent.

★ 12/11/2017
Massing (Now They Tell Us), a former executive editor for the Columbia Journalism Review, superbly accomplishes the mammoth task of writing a dual biography of Desiderus Erasmus (1466–1536) and Martin Luther (1483–1546) that places the pair within their historical context. Massing argues that the schools of thought represented by Erasmus and Luther—a pluralistic humanism and an evangelical religion, respectively—still shape Western religious and political thought today. Erasmus, a Catholic priest, lived in the Netherlands; his translation of the New Testament sparked a large debate around authorship and intent. Luther, a German monk, famously launched the Protestant Reformation. Massing writes an entertaining, briskly paced narrative that whisks readers among the Low Countries, Paris, Germany, and England to ground the story within the complex theological history that helped to shape the work and lives of Luther and Erasmus. Apart from a few small stumbles—Massing seems not to understand the significance of the “golden rose” sent to England’s King Henry VIII by the pope, for example, although he later correctly explains the same symbol sent to Elector Frederick—this is a masterly work. Massing manages to juggle the complicated biographies and life work of both Erasmus and Luther while giving the reader a well-written, comprehensive background of pre-Reformation theology. (Feb.)Correction: An earlier version of this review incorrectly stated the author's role at the Columbia Journalism Review.

[2017] saw a profusion of books about Martin Luther to mark the 500th anniversary of his posting the 95 Theses. Massing widens the lens wondrously, bringing in Erasmus, the great humanist foe of Luther, and showing how their rivalry set the course for much of Western civilization. Reviewing the book, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein applauds this ‘inspired approach’: ‘Massing, a journalist, has produced a sprawling narrative around the rift between the two men, laying out the sociological, political and economic factors that shaped both them and Europe’s responses to them, and tracing their theological disputes back to the earliest days of Christianity,’ she writes. ‘Though a massive amount of material is marshaled, Massing’s journalistic skills keep the story line crisply coherent.’” — New York Times Book Review

“Fatal Discord is a striking departure for Mr. Massing, a distinguished journalist whose work has appeared in outlets like the New York Review of Books and the Columbia Journalism Review. . . . Mr. Massing has read widely and intelligently, and he writes superbly. Fatal Discord is surely the only book on either Erasmus or Luther that general readers will ever require. It reads like a lively lecture series in that most beleaguered of university subjects, Western civilization.” — Wall Street Journal

“Massing superbly accomplishes the mammoth task of writing a dual biography of Desiderus Erasmus (1466–1536) and Martin Luther (1483–1546) that places the pair within their historical context...this is a masterly work. Massing manages to juggle the complicated biographies and life work of both Erasmus and Luther while giving the reader a well-written, comprehensive background of pre-Reformation theology.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“In this riveting narrative, Massing recounts how the incendiary friar [Martin Luther] eventually quarrels with and finally repudiates his erstwhile leader, so sundering the church that Erasmus hopes to reform from within, and opening up an epoch-defining gap between Protestant evangelism and cosmopolitan humanism.” — Booklist (starred review)

“In this dual biography, Massing deftly treats the lives of both [Erasmus and Luther], setting them in the context of the times… this engaging tale of the contentious relationship between two precursors of the modern world… provides much-needed historical background and reflection on a major period in church and world history.” — Library Journal (starred review)

“A riveting dual biography [that] reveals the social, political, and religious tensions roiling 16th-century Europe. Massing focuses on the well-known rivalry between the Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus and the German reformer Martin Luther to create a majestic, deeply informed portrait of their tempestuous times… [Fatal Discord is] an impressive, powerful intellectual history.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Michael Massing, a former executive editor of the Columbia Journalism Review, thinks these theological differences fatefully divided Christianity in ways that reverberate now in American evangelicalism. In his new book Fatal Discord, he brilliantly chronicles how the rift between both men deepened.” — Financial Times

In this riveting narrative, Massing recounts how the incendiary friar [Martin Luther] eventually quarrels with and finally repudiates his erstwhile leader, so sundering the church that Erasmus hopes to reform from within, and opening up an epoch-defining gap between Protestant evangelism and cosmopolitan humanism.

Michael Massing, a former executive editor of the Columbia Journalism Review, thinks these theological differences fatefully divided Christianity in ways that reverberate now in American evangelicalism. In his new book Fatal Discord, he brilliantly chronicles how the rift between both men deepened.

Fatal Discord is a striking departure for Mr. Massing, a distinguished journalist whose work has appeared in outlets like the New York Review of Books and the Columbia Journalism Review. . . . Mr. Massing has read widely and intelligently, and he writes superbly. Fatal Discord is surely the only book on either Erasmus or Luther that general readers will ever require. It reads like a lively lecture series in that most beleaguered of university subjects, Western civilization.

[2017] saw a profusion of books about Martin Luther to mark the 500th anniversary of his posting the 95 Theses. Massing widens the lens wondrously, bringing in Erasmus, the great humanist foe of Luther, and showing how their rivalry set the course for much of Western civilization. Reviewing the book, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein applauds this ‘inspired approach’: ‘Massing, a journalist, has produced a sprawling narrative around the rift between the two men, laying out the sociological, political and economic factors that shaped both them and Europe’s responses to them, and tracing their theological disputes back to the earliest days of Christianity,’ she writes. ‘Though a massive amount of material is marshaled, Massing’s journalistic skills keep the story line crisply coherent.’

Michael Massing, a former executive editor of the Columbia Journalism Review, thinks these theological differences fatefully divided Christianity in ways that reverberate now in American evangelicalism. In his new book Fatal Discord, he brilliantly chronicles how the rift between both men deepened.

Fatal Discord is a striking departure for Mr. Massing, a distinguished journalist whose work has appeared in outlets like the New York Review of Books and the Columbia Journalism Review. . . . Mr. Massing has read widely and intelligently, and he writes superbly. Fatal Discord is surely the only book on either Erasmus or Luther that general readers will ever require. It reads like a lively lecture series in that most beleaguered of university subjects, Western civilization.

Brilliantly tracing the crisscrossing paths of the two most important thinkers of the sixteenth century, Michael Massing shows that where Martin Luther and Erasmus of Rotterdam parted ways—on the adequacy of human reason, the legibility of Scripture, and the nature of God—is where the grievous fracturing of the modern world begins. The stakes of their increasingly bitter conflict were high and enduring and we today are the heirs of it. The hero of Fatal Discord is the irenic, cosmopolitan Erasmus, who insisted until the end of his days, amid deepening religious violence between Protestants and Catholics across Europe, that men and women were capable of choosing to live generous and peaceful lives and that this is what a loving God wanted for them. A stunning work of historical detection, deeply learned and elegantly written, Fatal Discord adds depth and dimension to the most urgent questions of our times. 

Brilliantly tracing the crisscrossing paths of the two most important thinkers of the sixteenth century, Michael Massing shows that where Martin Luther and Erasmus of Rotterdam parted ways—on the adequacy of human reason, the legibility of Scripture, and the nature of God—is where the grievous fracturing of the modern world begins. The stakes of their increasingly bitter conflict were high and enduring and we today are the heirs of it. The hero of Fatal Discord is the irenic, cosmopolitan Erasmus, who insisted until the end of his days, amid deepening religious violence between Protestants and Catholics across Europe, that men and women were capable of choosing to live generous and peaceful lives and that this is what a loving God wanted for them. A stunning work of historical detection, deeply learned and elegantly written, Fatal Discord adds depth and dimension to the most urgent questions of our times. 

Brilliantly tracing the crisscrossing paths of the two most important thinkers of the sixteenth century, Michael Massing shows that where Martin Luther and Erasmus of Rotterdam parted ways—on the adequacy of human reason, the legibility of Scripture, and the nature of God—is where the grievous fracturing of the modern world begins. The stakes of their increasingly bitter conflict were high and enduring and we today are the heirs of it. The hero of Fatal Discord is the irenic, cosmopolitan Erasmus, who insisted until the end of his days, amid deepening religious violence between Protestants and Catholics across Europe, that men and women were capable of choosing to live generous and peaceful lives and that this is what a loving God wanted for them. A stunning work of historical detection, deeply learned and elegantly written, Fatal Discord adds depth and dimension to the most urgent questions of our times. 

Last year saw a profusion of books about Martin Luther to mark the 500th anniversary of his posting the 95 Theses. Massing widens the lens wondrously, bringing in Erasmus, the great humanist foe of Luther, and showing how their rivalry set the course for much of Western civilization. Reviewing the book, Rebecca Newberger Goldstein applauds this “inspired approach”: “Massing, a journalist, has produced a sprawling narrative around the rift between the two men, laying out the sociological, political and economic factors that shaped both them and Europe’s responses to them, and tracing their theological disputes back to the earliest days of Christianity,” she writes. “Though a massive amount of material is marshaled, Massing’s journalistic skills keep the story line crisply coherent.

★ 02/01/2018
Martin Luther (1483–1546) and Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536) were two towering figures at the beginning of the modern era. They influenced each other, but also at times despised each other. In this dual biography, Massing (contributing editor, Columbia Journalism Review; Now They Tell Us) deftly treats the lives of both, setting them in the context of the times. The invention of movable type allowed the ideas of both men to spread widely and quickly, and religious controversies were at the center of their works. Both wanted to see biblical texts critically reexamined from a scholarly perspective, available in vernacular languages. Their teachings were also catalysts for some of the events that shaped the modern world: the development of nationalism, the peasant revolt, major changes in the practices of the Catholic Church. VERDICT As we commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, this engaging tale of the contentious relationship between two precursors of the modern world—one who remained a Catholic, the other whose teaching spawned the various Protestant denominations—provides much-needed historical background and reflection on a major period in church and world history.—Augustine J. Curley, Newark Abbey, NJ

★ 2017-11-20
A riveting dual biography reveals the social, political, and religious tensions roiling 16th-century Europe.Massing (Now They Tell Us: The American Press and Iraq, 2004, etc.), a former executive editor of the Columbia Journalism Review and recipient of a MacArthur fellowship, focuses on the well-known rivalry between the Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus (c. 1467-1536) and the German reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546) to create a majestic, deeply informed portrait of their tempestuous times. Both men were revolutionaries, rebelling against the ethical and theological assumptions of the medieval world and the hierarchical, dissolute Catholic Church; each sought an authentic spiritual path to enlightenment and salvation. For Erasmus, performing "works of an ethical nature" was central to being "a pious Christian." For Luther, good works were "not just useless but dangerous—a self-seeking expression that imparted a false sense of security." Although both became monks, Erasmus was cosmopolitan and gregarious; Luther, provincial, harsh, and viciously anti-Semitic. Erasmus appealed "to reason, free will, and moral virtue"; Luther thundered that faith alone led to redemption. In their prolific writings, which gained wide readership from the burgeoning printing industry, they railed against rampant "papal, curial, and ecclesiastical excesses." Both offered their own translations of the Bible, accessible to common readers, an affront to clerical authority that incited the church's wrath. Luther went farther than Erasmus by condemning the church for collecting fees for performing rites, insisting on celibacy among the clergy, and selling indulgences. Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences, made public in 1517 as the 95 theses, catapulted Luther to sudden fame—and also led to virulent attacks that dogged his life: his books were burned, and he was summoned to recant before judges at Worms. His "unflinching stand," Thomas Carlyle later wrote, "was the greatest moment in the Modern History of Men," setting the stage for English Puritanism, parliamentary government, the French Revolution, and modernity. Massing argues persuasively that the discordant views represented by the two men continue to shape Western culture.An impressive, powerful intellectual history.