A Book of Wonders

David Joris, T’wonderboeck. Vianen: [Dirk Mullem, 1584]. Fol.

Main work of the spiritualist David Joris (1501-1556). Joris presents himself as a third prophet after Moses and Christ. He stressed the importance of the spiritual rebirth of man through a mysticism of the cross, and he urged the supremacy of the Spirit over the external church. He and his followers were regarded as heretics and they were severely persecuted. His attitude towards the ’visible church’ was highly pragmatic: he allowed his followers to observe the sacraments, since these were not considered to be in any way essential, and it was a way for them to remain unnoticed.

The (hand-coloured) engravings in this second edition by Hieronymus Wierix were based on the woodcuts of the first edition (1544), which had been designed by Joris himself.