The King's Good Servant but God's First: The Life and Writings of St. Thomas More

St. Thomas More is widely recognized as the good-humoured Renaissance humanist scholar who wrote Utopia and two decades later died a martyr's death in defense of papal primacy. Yet More's sacrifice of his life was but the culminating act of lifelong dedication of his faith. This work seeks to provide a new portrait of Thomas More by engaging upon a comprehensive exploration of More's books and letters.

All of More's works are examined in detail, revealing the inner life of a saint molded by an ever-deepening reflection upon the Passion of Christ, climaxing in one of the most profounded meditiations upon the Agony in the Garden ever written. The correspondence of More during his imprisonment receives particular attention, an eloquent testament to the depth of More's love for his family and friends.

In addtion to Thomas More's writings, the testimony of early biographies of the saint together with the recent finding of Tudor and Reformation era scholars are utilized to reconstruct the events of More's life and execution. Subjects explored include More's devotion to his family, the roots of his spiritual and intellectual formation, his particiption in the Renaissance movement of Christian humanist scholarship, and the state of the pre-Reformation Church.