185/33 not worshepe . . . crosse. Cf. CWM 6/1.360/4.

Why the pope is not to be beleued wythout scripture & whi he is not the true church [1531]

186/3 festes of the crosse. Cf. CWM 6/1.360/8–9. Roman Catholics celebrated "The Finding of the Cross" on 3 May (dropped from the liturgical calendar in 1969) and "The Exaltation of the Cross" on 14 September.

186/3–4 corpus Christi. Inspired in part by the formulation of transubstantiation by Lateran IV in 1215, the Eucharist is especially honored on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. This commemoration was extended to the Western'Church in 1264 by Urban IV (pope, 1261–64), who requested Aquinas to compose a Mass and Office. Celebrated in late spring, the feast is characterized by an outdoor Eucharistic procession and mystery plays. In England, complete cycles survive from York, Chester, Wakefield, and Ntown , with the Chester cycle incorporating Aquinas' hymn Lauda Sion. For an comprehensive study of the theological and devotional texts, see Rubin passim.

186/7 no man . . . vowe. Cf. CWM 6/1.360/10–11, 8/1.42/24–25. On vows, Tyndale concisely states at 196/8–9 what is set forth more diffusely at 161/17–162/24 and 189/18–190/7. (JW)

186/10 Marten . . . nexte generall counsell. Cf. WA 2.36;WA 7.76. In Prelates (D2), Tyndale discusses in general terms power struggles between pope and emperor over calling a council. During his brief pontificate, Adrian VI (pope, 1522–23) was requested by the Diet of Nuremberg to call a council in a German city within a year. In 1524, 1526, 1530, and 1532 Charles V formally requested Clement VII (pope, 1523–34) to convene a general council. In 1526 Charles even threatened to ask the cardinals to convoke it. But Clement feared conciliarism and the power of the Empire as demonstrated in the Sack of Rome (6–15 May 1527) by mutinous troops. Cf. Olivier de la Brosse et al., Latran V et Trente, Histoire des Conciles Oecuméniques 10 (Paris: Editions de l'Orante, 1975) 165–84.

186/12–13 the pope ... a counsell. On 2 June 1536, Paul III (pope, 1534–49) summoned a council to be held at Mantua. Circumstances prevented this from taking place, but a second bull of convocation specified Trent as the venue in 1542. Finally, the bull of 30 November 1544 was effective, and the Council of Trent opened 13 December 1545, two months before Luther died on 18 February 1546. (JW)

ROMANS: 8.9: 29/27–28, 137/15–16

186/15 inconstauncie of Marten. Cf. CWM 6/1.362/14–16.

186/16 his later boke . . . his firste. Cf. CWM 6/1.362/2–6. As a respectful subject whose theological views differed from his sovereign 's, Tyndale avoids naming Henry VIII's Assertio (1521), which attacked Luther's Babylonian Captivity (1520) and evoked his Contra Henricum Regem Angliae (1522) (WA 10/2.180–222; not in LW).

1 CORINTHIANS: 2.14: 5/20–24, 110/27–28, 137/17–19

JOHN: 5.44: 137/20,175/19–20

186/20 lerned not all trouth in one daye. Tyndale has no further information to offer concerning Luther's development in the years from 1517 to 1522, and so he parries More's charges with ironical observations on the delay in convening a council (186/11–14), on "disputations" staged by inquisitors with their prisoners (186/ 28–187/3), and on the corrupt judges appointed to the Luther case (187/4–10). Luther advanced gradually, much like Jesus' apostles , to his grasp of biblical truth and ecclesiastical falsehood, but then he showed biblical grounds and had the backing of Christians everywhere (186/19–24,187/10–12). (JW)

JOHN: 7.17: 137/21–23

186/21 the hethen. For the conversion of the Roman centurion Cornelius, cf. Acts 11.1–18.