Jacob Vance’s Secrets is volume 231 in Brill’s series Studies in Intellectual History. The series is known for novel interdisciplinary approaches, and the author’s focus on the interconnections between theology, philosophy, and secrecy in the writings of Erasmus of Rotterdam, Bishop Guillaume Briçonnet, and Marguerite de Navarre does indeed offer thought-provoking perspectives on a neglected subject. It examines the representation of secrecy in the texts of these Renaissance humanists in relation to the Western mystical tradition, particularly the works of Origen, Saint Augustine, and Pseudo-Dionysius. The author highlights how, in contrast to the academic theological discourses that were predominant from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century, early modern humanists demonstrated a renewed interest in the works of the apostles and Greek and Latin church fathers. Vance argues that Erasmus and French humanists drew on these writings on divine mystery and mysticism and consequently gave secrecy a privileged place in their own works. This allowed them to explore and appropriate certain patristic and medieval beliefs, while it also provided them with a means to pursue their own evangelical reforms.

In the introduction, the author offers a thorough examination of secrecy in medieval and patristic thought. He examines various themes addressed by Origen, particularly the connections between hermeneutics, meditation, and Saint Paul’s threefold division of the human persona. The introduction subsequently explores two models of secrecy in Saint Augustine, namely sin as a form of secrecy and divine secrecy in the sense that God acts from a hidden place. It also touches upon Pseudo-Dionysius’s writings emphasizing his metaphor of the cover, or veil. The first chapter focuses primarily on Erasmus of Rotterdam as it demonstrates how Origen’s spiritual concepts of secrecy and Saint Paul’s tripartite division of the human persona are reflected in Erasmus’s writings. It also offers insights into echoes between Erasmus and the early French humanists and Reformers, namely Jacques Lefèvre d’Étaples and Guillaume Briçonnet. While these humanists publicly disagreed with Erasmus, Vance argues that there were nevertheless important exchanges in their works. More specifically, their theories of the soul exerted substantial influence on the Dutch humanist, his texts, and his calls for reform.

The second chapter explores mysticism and aesthetics in French evangelical humanism through an examination of the well-known epistolary exchange between Guillaume Briçonnet, bishop of Meaux, and Marguerite de Navarre. The author examines their spiritual correspondence, focusing extensively on how their exchange brings together “humanist and evangelical discourses on secrecy” (50). He argues that Briçonnet, his Reformers at Meaux, and Marguerite de Navarre called for spiritual renewal and drew inspiration for their reforms from ancient and medieval mysticism. The writings of Saint Paul, Saint Augustine, and Pseudo-Dionysius, and particularly their ideas on divine essence, transcendence, and immanence, receive extensive analysis. Chapter 3 offers insights into Marguerite’s devotional poetry through close readings of Le Miroir de l’âme pécheresse and Les Prisons. The author offers a detailed examination of these poetic works in connection with mystical philosophy, Saint Augustine’s opposition between sacred and profane pleasures, and how these relate to Marguerite’s humanist evangelical tendencies. The fourth chapter looks more specifically at how religious and humanist aspects of Marguerite’s devotional poetry are also integrated into her celebrated collection of novellas, the Heptaméron. The author explores Marguerite’s tales with emphasis on the compelling tension between secrecy and “the idea and the genre of the nouvelle” (132). His analysis also clarifies the importance of the representation of courtly and spiritual secrecy in the Heptaméron. While many scholars have examined the portrayal of religion in Marguerite’s works, this volume offers original and insightful perspectives.

Although Jacob Vance explores a wide range of disciplines and written works, the volume is meticulously researched. In addition, the author constructs a cohesive and compelling argument about these writers and their intellectual, intertextual, and theological exchanges. Despite its multidisciplinary nature, this work does have a highly specialized focus. While it offers some broader insights into Christian humanism, early modern theology, and literary and religious history, scholars of Erasmus, Briçonnet, and Marguerite de Navarre, with fervent interest in religious matters, will benefit most from this erudite volume.