Defence of the Seven Sacraments

Defence of the Seven Sacraments

The Defence of the Seven Sacraments (in Latin, Assertio Septem Sacramentorum) is a theological treatise written by King Henry VIII of England in 1521.

Henry started to write it in 1519 while he was reading Martin Luther's attack on indulgences. By June of that year, he had shown it to Thomas Wolsey, but it remained private until three years later, when the earlier manuscript became the first two chapters of the Assertio, the rest consisting of new material relating to Luther's De Captivitate Babylonica. It is believed that Thomas More was involved in the composition of the piece.

Scarisbrick describes the work as "one of the most successful pieces of Catholic polemics produced by the first generation of anti-Protestant writers." It went through some twenty editions in the sixteenth century and, as early as 1522, had appeared in two different German translations.

It was dedicated to Pope Leo X, who rewarded Henry with the title Fidei Defensor (Defender of the Faith) in October 1521 (a title revoked following the king's break with the Catholic Church, but re-awarded to his heir by the English Parliament).

Luther's reply to the Assertio was, in turn, replied to by Thomas More, who was then Henry's Lord Chancellor and one of the leaders of the Catholic humanist party in England.

References

  • Assertio septem sacramentorum adversus Martinum Lutherum, Henry VIII, King of England; Pierre Fraenkel, Münster, Aschendorff, 1992, Corpus Catholicorum, vol. 43. ISBN 3402034573 ISBN 9783402034576
  • Scarisbrick, Henry VIII, 1968, pp. 110–113.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • The Church —     The Church     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Church     The term church (Anglo Saxon, cirice, circe; Modern German, Kirche; Sw., Kyrka) is the name employed in the Teutonic languages to render the Greek ekklesia (ecclesia), the term by which… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Anglican sacraments — In keeping with its prevailing self identity as a via media or middle path of Western Christianity, Anglican sacramental theology expresses elements in keeping with its status as a church in the Catholic tradition and a church of the Reformation …   Wikipedia

  • Christianity in the 16th century — Main articles: Protestant Reformation and Counter Reformation See also: Christianity in the 15th century and Christianity in the 17th century Contents 1 Age of Discovery (1492–1769) 2 Protestant Reformation (1521–1579) …   Wikipedia

  • The Irish (in Countries Other Than Ireland) —     The Irish (in countries other than Ireland)     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Irish (in countries other than Ireland)     I. IN THE UNITED STATES     Who were the first Irish to land on the American continent and the time of their arrival are …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Monarchy of the United Kingdom — This article is about the monarchy of the United Kingdom. For information on the other countries which share the same person as monarch, see Commonwealth realm. For the current Queen of the United Kingdom, see Elizabeth II. British sovereign… …   Wikipedia

  • The Incarnation —     The Incarnation     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Incarnation     I. The Fact of the Incarnation     (1) The Divine Person of Jesus Christ     A. Old Testament Proofs     B. New Testament Proofs     C. Witness of Tradition     (2) The Human… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Relations between the Catholic Church and the state — The relations between the Catholic Church and the state have been constantly evolving with various forms of government, some of them controversial in retrospect. In its history it has had to deal with various concepts and systems of governance,… …   Wikipedia

  • History of the Roman Catholic Church — The History of the Catholic Church from apostolic times covers a period of nearly 2,000 years, [August Franzen, Kleine Kirchengeschichte Neubearbeitung, Herder,Freiburg,1988, p.11] making it the world s oldest and largest institution. It dates… …   Wikipedia

  • Mariology of the saints — This article is about the contributions of Roman Catholic saints to Mariology. For Anglican views, please see Anglican Marian theology Madonna and Child with saints by Duccio, 14th century Roman Catholic Mariology is the area of theology… …   Wikipedia

  • Christianity in the 11th century — Medallion of Christ from Constantinople, circa. 1100. Main article: History of medieval Christianity See also: Christianity in the 10th century and Christianity in the 12th century In 1054, following the death of the Patriarch of Rome Leo IX …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”