VOLUME 3

AN ANSWERE VNTO SIR THOMAS MORES DIALOGE

LOCATION
KEY Commentary Side Textual Bibliographic Scriptural

bloud of Christ they wrote / and it is expressed what is signified by them. And also all the ceremonies and sacramentes that were from Adam to Christ had significacions / and all that are made mencion of in the new testament. Wherfore in as moch as the sacramentes of the olde testament haue significacions / and in as moch as the sacramentes of the new testament (of which mencion is made that they were deliuered vn to vs by the verye appostles at Christes commaundement) haue also significacions / and in as moch as the office of an appostle is to edifie in Christe / and in as moch as a dumme ceremonie edifieth not / but hurteth all to gether (for iff it preach not vn to me / then I can not but put confidence therin / that the dede it selfe iustifieth me / which is the denyenge of Christes bloude) & in as moch as no mencion is made of them / as well as of other / ner is knowen what is ment by them: therfore it appereth that the appostles taught them not / but that they be the false marchaundice of wilye ypocrites. And therto presthode was in the tyme of the appostles an office which if they wold do truely / it wold moare profitt then all the sacramentes in the worlde. And agayne gods holinesses striue not one agenst a nother ner defile one a nother. Their sacramentes defile one a nother. For wedlocke defileth presthode moare then horedom / thefte / murther or any sinne agenst nature.

27/7–8 sacramentes . . . significacions. For Tyndale's theology of sacrament as sign only, cf. Obedience M1— M2v, and More's critique : Supplication of Souls, 1529 (CWM 7.162/1–4), Confutation, 1532.—33 (CWM 8/1.302/15–17), Answer to a Poisoned Book, December 1533 (CWM 11.xxx—xxxi). Unio Dissidentium (1.S2) quotes Augustine's praise of Baptism and the Eucharist as intelligible signs in Christian Doctrine (AD c396–97) 3.9.13 (CCL 32.86; 1NPNF 2.560).

27/7–9 all . . . testament. Repeated at CWM 8/1.302/24–26.

27/20–21 false marchaundice. 2 Pet. 2.3.

27/9–21 Wherfore . . . ypocrites. Repeated at CWM 8/1.304/2— 13.

27/21–23 And therto . . . worlde. CWM 8/1.305/20–22. Tyndale agrees with Luther's position that Orders is not a sacrament in Contra Henricum Regem Angliae, 1522 (cf. CWM 8/1.220/10–12; WA 10/2.220–21; not in LW).

27/23–27 And agayne . . . nature. CWM 8/1.306/6–9.

They wyll happly demaunde where it is written that wemen shuld baptise. Verely in this commaundement loue thy neyboure as thyselfe it is written / that they maye and ought to ministre not only baptim / but all other in time of neade / iff they be so necessarie as they preach them.

27/28–32 They . . . them. Cf. CWM 8/1.260/2–6.