Many means to an end: the composition and nature of Catholic orthodoxy in England, c. 1520-1535

Thesis

Despite observations that the conservative reaction to early Reformation ideas deserves more attention, little has been done towards this end. This gap in the literature has resulted in misunderstandings about English thought early in the Reformation and mistaken ideas about what “orthodoxy” entailed in the early sixteenth century.

This thesis therefore examines conservative English theology from 1520 to 1535. It explains that, in this period, “orthodoxy” should be understood in the late medieval sense of an overarching consensus involving contrasting perspectives and formed through centuries of debate rather than as a synonym for “right doctrinal opinion.” It argues that the theologies of the foremost defenders of the established English Church in the Reformation’s early years, Henry VIII, Thomas More, John Fisher, and Edward Powell, existed within and embodied this late medieval conception of “orthodoxy.” These men were products of and participants in orthodoxy, and therefore agents in its development.

Chronologically, this thesis analyses English conservative defences of the corporeal eucharistic presence, the administration of communion under one kind, the sacrament of penance and faith in relation to justification, and free will, with attention focussed on points of theological variation between authors. It situates these variations within medieval intellectual currents, while also considering how authors’ individual socio-cultural and intellectual circumstances influenced both the composition and nature of their writings. Eclecticism defined the English defence of established Church teachings early in the Reformation and was characteristic of late medieval orthodoxy. In addition to illuminating hitherto unacknowledged nuances in English thought, this thesis shows that defenders of the established Church in early Reformation England were orthodox when the word is taken in its proper context, and historians should not shy away from using the term in assessments of this period of the Reformation.

Authors: Zufelt, B

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-ve4vz6amy
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: theology and religion; ecclesiastical history; reformation; intellectual history; late medieval
• Subjects: History; Theology