Thomas More

[don_christensen]

Recorded history states that Thomas More burnt six Lutherans at the stake. Additionally, in his writings, he called repeatedly for the death of the Priest/Scholar William Tynsdale. Tynsdale had translated the Bible from its original Hebrew and Greek to English. More opposed the common man reading the Bible and burnt the English Bible.

In modern times (1935) Pius XI declared More a Saint. Why?

P.S. Pius XI brave stand against the Nazis deserves the highest praise!

Will I be answered by email or must I logon to your site to see the answer?

 

[puzzleannie]

Thomas More burned no one at the stake, even as Lord Chancellor of England he had not the authority. Tyndale lived many years before More so I don’t see how he could have executed him retroactively. Any standard reliable work on English history should clear up your confusion.

 

[SyCarl]

Thomas More burned no one at the stake, even as Lord Chancellor of England he had not the authority. Tyndale lived many years before More so I don’t see how he could have executed him retroactively. Any standard reliable work on English history should clear up your confusion.

Tyndale lived from 1494 to 1536 while More lived from 1478 to 1535, so they were contemporaries.

 

[Ambrose]

Recorded history states that Thomas More burnt six Lutherans at the stake. Additionally, in his writings, he called repeatedly for the death of the Priest/Scholar William Tynsdale. Tynsdale had translated the Bible from its original Hebrew and Greek to English. More opposed the common man reading the Bible and burnt the English Bible.

In modern times (1935) Pius XI declared More a Saint. Why?

P.S. Pius XI brave stand against the Nazis deserves the highest praise!

Will I be answered by email or must I logon to your site to see the answer?

I would judge More by the standards of his time, not of ours. In his day someone that pedaled hersey was like having a crack dealer move into your neighborhood. There’s alot that happened (boths sides) that we now realize was wrong in light of the these modern times.

You wouldn’t want to be judged on dumb things you did as a teen ager, I wouldn’t either.

 

[Stephen_C]

St. Thomas More
newadvent.org/cathen/14689c.htm

 

[jburgherr]

The reason that Sir Saint Thomas More is that he was martyred.

King Henry, after being refused by the Pope to annul his marriage with Catherine of Aragon (so he could marry Ann Bolin), started to embrace Protestantism and named himself Supreme Head of the Church of England. As Chancellor of England, Saint Thomas More could not accept this supremacy over the authority of the Pope, and this led to his eventual beheading.

Sir Saint Thomas More died standing up for Jesus Christs teaching in the Gospels and that of the Catholic Church. Thus became a martyr for God and His Church and rightly being named a saint.

 

[puzzleannie]

Tyndale lived from 1494 to 1536 while More lived from 1478 to 1535, so they were contemporaries.

you are correct, and looking it up it was Henry VIII who advocated burning as heretics those who promoted unauthorized translations of the Bible, long before More became his Lord Chancellor

 

[Teflon93]

St. Thomas More
newadvent.org/cathen/14689c.htm

Here’s the money quote in my opinion:

As chancellor it was his duty to enforce the laws against heretics and, by doing so, he provoked the attacks of Protestant writers both in his own time and since. The subject need not be discussed here, but More’s attitude is patent. He agreed with the principle of the anti-heresy laws and had no hesitation in enforcing them. As he himself wrote in his “Apologia” (cap. 49) it was the vices of heretics that he hated, not their persons; and he never proceeded to extremities until he had made every effort to get those brought before him to recant. How successful he was in this is clear from the fact that only four persons suffered the supreme penalty for heresy during his whole term of office. More’s first public appearance as chancellor was at the opening of the new Parliament in November, 1529. The accounts of his speech on this occasion vary considerably, but it is quite certain that he had no knowledge of the long series of encroachments on the Church which this very Parliament was to accomplish. A few months later came the royal proclamation ordering the clergy to acknowledge Henry as “Supreme Head” of the Church “as far as the law of God will permit”, and we have Chapuy’s testimony that More at once proferred his resignation of the chancellorship, which however was not accepted. His firm opposition to Henry’s designs in regard to the divorce, the papal supremacy, and the laws against heretics, speedily lost him the royal favour, and in May, 1532, he resigned his post of Lord Chancellor after holding it less than three years. This meant the loss of all his income except about 100 pounds a year, the rent of some property he had purchased; and, with cheerful indifference, he at once reduced his style of living to match his strained means. The epitaph he wrote at this time for the tomb in Chelsea church states that he intended to devote his last years to preparing himself for the life to come.