Many have heard of St. John Fisher, but usually in association with his fellow martyr, St. Thomas More and that he refused to accept Henry VIII's break from Rome, and was thus executed. Few know that Fisher was famous in the first half of the 16th century, not only as a holy reforming bishop, but also as one of the greatest theologians in Europe. His masterful theological acumen made him the right man to oppose the ill wind blowing in from Germany.
Luther denied several Catholic doctrines, and asserted many other teachings which were false on Justification, the Papacy, the Sacraments, etc. In 1520 he was condemned by Pope Leo X in his bull Exsurge Domine, and Luther, far from recanting, reasserted his forty articles, and burned the entire corpus of Canon Law.
As the crisis continued, Henry VIII of England sensed an opportunity to win prestige in letters which had been denied to him in war. He assembled numerous theologians who aided him in writing a defense of the Church's sacraments against Luther's treatise De Babylonica Captivitate, or, The Babylonian Captivity of the Church. The 1521 publication of Henry's Assertio did not escape Luther's notice. The next year, he vigourously replied with his work Contra Henricum regem Angliæ, or Against Henry, King of England. Throughout, Luther mocks Henry, and resorts to name-calling worse than what had hitherto been seen in print, while only giving limited response to the arguments. Henry would not respond-indeed, royal protocol would not allow him to acknowledge such insults against the royal person. Instead, he tapped Fisher to write a response.
The present volume, The Defense of the Royal Assertion, is more aggressive than in his other works, aggrieved by Luther's sheer impudence in not answering his king but hurling abuse at him instead. The extent to which Fisher defers to Henry and takes pains to defend him might surprise the reader, who has the benefit of history to know the poor reward Fisher was to receive for his efforts a mere 10 years later.
In twelve chapters, Fisher dismantles not only Luther's assault on Henry, but also the foundation of his sacramental theology:
Chapter One: Luther's Agitated Arrogance Is Openly Deceitful
Chapter Two: His Apology That Attempts to Cover Notable Vices Is in Vain
Chapter Three: Regarding the Faithful's Communion, the Church's Custom Should Be Observed
Chapter Four: The Substance of the Bread Does Not Remain with the Most Holy Body of Christ
Chapter Five: The Mass Is Not a Testament
Chapter Six: The Mass Is Properly Called a Sacrifice and a Work by Those of Right Faith
Chapter Seven: Certain Quibbling Subterfuges and Lying Sophisms Are Laid Bare
Chapter Eight: The Mass Is Not Solely a Promise
Chapter Nine: Some of Luther's False Accusations against the King Are Done Away With
Chapter Ten: We Must Believe in the Fathers' United and Harmonious Scriptural Interpretation
Chapter Eleven: The Judgment of Doctrine Belongs to the Fathers Rather Than to the People
Chapter Twelve: Orders and Matrimony Are Sacraments and Efficaciously Confer Grace
