VOLUME 3

AN ANSWERE VNTO SIR THOMAS MORES DIALOGE

LOCATION
KEY Commentary Side Textual Bibliographic Scriptural

And seinge that the oyle is not of necessyte / let M. More tell me what moare vertue is in the oyle of confyrmacion / in as moch as the bysshope sacrithe the one as well as the other: ye and let hym tell the reason why there shulde be more vertue in the oyle where wyth the bysshope annoynteth hys prestes. Let him tell you from whence the oyle cometh / how it is made / and why he selleth it to the curates wher with they anoynte the syke / or whether thys be of lesse vertue then the other.

And finally whi vsed not the appostles this greke worde hiereus or the interpreter thys laten worde sacerdos / but all waye thys worde presbiteros and senior / by which was at that tyme nothynge sygnyfyed then an elder? And it was no doute taken of the custome of the hebrues / where the offycers were ever elderly men as nature requireth. As yt appereth in the olde testament and also in the newe. The scrybes / pharises and the elders of the people sayth the texte / which were the officers and rulars / so called by the reason of theyr age.

¶Why he vseth loue rather then cheryte

He rebuketh also that I translate thys greke word agape in to loue / and not rather in to charite so holy and so knowen a terme. Verely charite is no knowen Englesh in that sens whych agape requireth. For when we saye / geue youre almes in the worshepe of God and swete saint charite / and when the father teacheth his sonne to saye blissinge father for saint charite / what meane they? In good faith they wot not. Morouer when we saye / God helpe you / I haue done my charite for this daye / doo we not take it for almes? And the man is euer chidinge and out of charyte /