VOLUME 3

AN ANSWERE VNTO SIR THOMAS MORES DIALOGE

LOCATION
KEY Commentary Side Textual Bibliographic Scriptural

And Matt. xviij. if thi brother heare the not tell the church or congregacion and so forth. In which places and thorowout al the scripture / the church is taken for the hole multitude of them that beleue in christ in that place in that parish towne / citie / prouince / londe or thorowout all the worlde / and not for the spiritualitie only.

Notwithstondinge yet it is some times taken generally for all that embrace the name of Christe though their faythes be nought or though they haue no fayth at all. And some times it is taken specially for the electe only in whose hertes God hath written his lawe with his holy spirite and geuen them a felinge faith of the mercy that is in christe Iesu oure lorde.

¶Why Tindale vsed this worde congregacion rather then church in the translacion of the new testament

Wherfore in as moch as the clergye (as the nature of those hard & indurat adamandstones is / to draw all to them) had appropriat vn to them selues the terme that of right is comen vnto all the hole congregacion of them that beleue in christe and with their false and sotle wyles had begyled and mocked the people and brought them in to the ignoraunce of the worde / makynge them vnderstonde by this word church / nothinge but the shauenflocke / of them that shore the hole world: therfore in the translacion of the new testament where I found this word ecclesia / I enterpretated it / bi this worde congregacion. Even therfore did I it / and not of any mischevouse minde or purpose to stablishe heresie / as master More vntrulye reporteth of me in his dialoge where he rayleth on the translacion of the new testament.