The ''Defence of the Seven Sacraments'' ( la, Assertio Septem Sacramentorum) is a theological

treatise A treatise is a formal and systematic written discourse on some subject, generally longer and treating it in greater depth than an essay, and more concerned with investigating or exposing the principles of the subject and its conclusions." Trea ...

published in 1521, written by King

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagr ...

, allegedly with the assistance of Sir

Thomas More Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478 – 6 July 1535), venerated in the Catholic Church as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, judge, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He also served Henry VIII as Lor ...

. The extent of More's involvement with this project has been a point of contention since its publication. Henry started to write it in 1519 while he was reading

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Protestant Reformation and the namesake of Lutheranis ...

's attack on indulgences. By June of that year, he had shown it to

Thomas Wolsey Thomas Wolsey ( – 29 November 1530) was an English statesman and Catholic bishop. When Henry VIII became King of England in 1509, Wolsey became the king's almoner. Wolsey's affairs prospered and by 1514 he had become the controlling figure ...

, 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''. Author J. J. 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. The treatise was dedicated to

Pope Leo X Pope Leo X ( it, Leone X; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521. Born into the prominent political an ...

, who rewarded Henry with the title ''

Fidei Defensor Defender of the Faith ( la, Fidei Defensor or, specifically feminine, '; french: Défenseur de la Foi) is a phrase that has been used as part of the full style of many English, Scottish, and later British monarchs since the early 16th century. It ...

'' (''Defender of the Faith'') in October 1521 (a title revoked following the king's break with the Catholic Church in the 1530s, but re-awarded to his heir by the English Parliament). Luther's reply to the ''Assertio'' ('' Against Henry, King of the English'') was, in turn, replied to by

, who was one of the leaders of the Catholic

Renaissance humanist Renaissance humanism was a revival in the study of classical antiquity, at first in Italy and then spreading across Western Europe in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries. During the period, the term ''humanist'' ( it, umanista) referred to teache ...

s in England ('' Responsio ad Lutherum'').

The British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

still has King Henry's personal copy of

Marko Marulić Marko Marulić Splićanin (), in Latin Marcus Marulus Spalatensis (18 August 1450 – 5 January 1524), was a Croatian poet, lawyer, judge, and Renaissance humanist who coined the term "psychology". He is the national poet of Croatia. According to ...

's ''Evangelistiarium'', a book that was read in English and much admired by Thomas More. Extensive margin notes in the king's own hand prove that Marulić's book was a major source used by the king in the writing of ''Defence of the Seven Sacraments''.Franz Posset (2021), ''Catholic Advocate of the Evangelical Truth: Marcus Marullus (Marko Marulić) of Split (1450-1524)'',

Wipf and Stock Publishers Wipf and Stock is a publisher in Eugene, Oregon, publishing works in theology, biblical studies, history and philosophy. History Wipf and Stock was established in 1995 following a joint venture between John Wipf of the Archives Bookshop in Pasade ...

. Page 18.

Editions and translations

* O'Donovan, L. O. & Gibbons, J. (1908). 'Assertio Septem Sacramentorum' (''English and Latin''). New York, NY: Benziger Bros. Publishing * O'Donovan, L. O. & Curtin, D. P. (2018). 'Defense of the Seven Sacraments' (''with additional Papal correspondence''). Philadelphia, PA: Barnes & Noble Press

References

{{Reflist

Editions and translations

See also

References

Further reading