Editing Thomas More (section)

=== Religious polemics ===
In 1520 the reformer [[Martin Luther]] published three works in quick succession: ''An Appeal to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation'' (Aug.), ''Concerning the Babylonish Captivity of the Church'' (Oct.), and ''On the Liberty of a Christian Man'' (Nov.).<ref name="Ackroyd" />{{rp|225}} In these books, Luther set out his doctrine of salvation through faith alone, rejected certain Catholic practices, and attacked abuses and excesses within the Catholic Church.<ref name="Ackroyd" />{{rp|225–6}} In 1521, Henry VIII formally responded to Luther's criticisms with the ''Assertio'', written with More's assistance.<ref>{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hDq-DwAAQBAJ |title = The Defence of the Seven Sacraments|isbn = 978-1-5380-9202-6|last1 = O'Donovan|first1 = Louis|date = 5 November 2019| publisher=Dalcassian Publishing Company }}</ref> [[Pope Leo X]] rewarded the English king with the title "''Fidei defensor"'' ("Defender of the Faith") for his work combating Luther's heresies.<ref name="Ackroyd" />{{rp|226–7}}

Martin Luther then attacked Henry VIII in print, calling him a "pig, dolt, and liar".<ref name="Ackroyd" />{{rp|227}} At the King's request, More composed a rebuttal: the ''[[Responsio ad Lutherum]]'' was published at the end of 1523. In the ''Responsio'', More defended papal supremacy, the sacraments, and other Church traditions. More, though considered "a much steadier personality",<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zENJHwQqSy0C |title=The Catholic Church Through the Ages: A History |author=John Vidmar |publisher=Paulist Press |year=2005 |isbn=0-8091-4234-1 |page=184|author-link=John Vidmar }}</ref> described Luther as an "ape", a "drunkard", and a "lousy little friar" amongst other epithets.<ref name="Ackroyd" />{{rp|230}} Writing under the pseudonym of Gulielmus Rosseus,<ref name=rebhorn /> More tells Luther that:

<blockquote>
for as long as your reverend paternity will be determined to tell these shameless lies, others will be permitted, on behalf of his English majesty, to throw back into your paternity's shitty mouth, truly the shit-pool of all shit, all the muck and shit which your damnable rottenness has vomited up, and to empty out all the sewers and privies onto your crown divested of the dignity of the priestly crown, against which no less than the kingly crown you have determined to play the buffoon.<ref name=rex102>Rex (2011) p.102</ref>
</blockquote>

His saying is followed with a kind of apology to his readers, while Luther possibly never apologized for his sayings.<ref name=rex102/> [[Stephen Greenblatt]] argues, "More speaks for his ruler and in his opponent's idiom; Luther speaks for himself, and his scatological imagery far exceeds in quantity, intensity, and inventiveness anything that More could muster. If for More scatology normally expresses a communal disapproval, for Luther, it expresses a deep personal rage."<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=11msvVh_3nMC |title=Learning to Curse: Essays in Early Modern Culture |author=Stephen Greenblatt |publisher=Routledge |year=2012 |isbn=978-1-136-77420-1 |page=95|author-link=Stephen Greenblatt }}</ref>

Confronting Luther confirmed More's theological conservatism. He thereafter avoided any hint of criticism of Church authority.<ref name="Ackroyd" />{{rp|230}} In 1528, More published another religious polemic, ''A Dialogue Concerning Heresies'', that asserted the Catholic Church was the one true church, established by Christ and the Apostles, and affirmed the validity of its authority, traditions and practices.<ref name="Ackroyd" />{{rp|279–81}} In 1529, the circulation of [[Simon Fish]]'s ''Supplication for the Beggars'' prompted More to respond with the ''Supplycatyon of Soulys''.

In 1531, a year after More's father died, [[William Tyndale]] published ''An Answer unto Sir Thomas More's Dialogue'' in response to More's ''Dialogue Concerning Heresies.'' More responded with a half million words: the ''Confutation of Tyndale's Answer''. The ''Confutation'' is an imaginary dialogue between More and Tyndale, with More addressing each of Tyndale's criticisms of Catholic rites and doctrines.<ref name="Ackroyd" />{{rp|307–9}} More, who valued structure, tradition and order in society as safeguards against tyranny and error, vehemently believed that Lutheranism and the Protestant Reformation in general were dangerous, not only to the Catholic faith but to the stability of society as a whole.<ref name="Ackroyd" />{{rp|307–9}}