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

by James Monti

Book Overview

St. Thomas More is widely recognized as the good-humored 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 a lifelong dedication to 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, a veritable library of Catholic spirituality...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0898706254
• ISBN13: 9780898706253
• Release Date: October 1997
• Publisher: Ignatius Press
• Length: 497 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

...those who would lose their life for my sake will find it.

This is an excellent biography of a courageous saint whose faith in God was stronger than his fear of death. While the book provides sufficient historical detail and background, its narrative structure is unique in that the author places events within the context of More's faith. Thankfully, Monti avoids a posthumous psychoanalysis of his subject (as many biographers are wont to do). Instead, he illuminates the saint's inner life by tapping into More's own thoughts, as revealed in his published works and correspondence. The result is a rich portrait of a man whose warmth and courage derived directly from his faith in God and the Catholic Church. Monti synthesizes More's apologetical writings in response to the Reformation, revealing More's keen theological acumen. What impressed me the most, however, was discovering the depth and richness of More's spirituality and faith. More's insight into Christ's agony in the garden of Gethseme and during His passion were particularly moving. It becomes clear that More's understanding and appreciation of Christ's suffering strenthened his faith when he needed it most. I would especially recommend this inspirational book to young people, who could choose no better role model than Saint Thomas More. He stands as a beacon of light in today's culture of moral relativism.

A Fantastic Overview of a Great Saint

The author has presented a very well balanced survey of the life of St. Thomas More. In this work of history, one can find an excellent survey of the literary work of St. Thomas More. Additionally, you will find an excellent synopsis of St. Thomas More's relationship with his friend and humanist, Erasmus. The author writes in a style which captures the reader. This will not be one of those histories that you may only read piecemeal. Rather, St. Thomas More takes life and captivates the reader because of his holiness and goodness. This work looks into the saint's devotional practices, his great faith, his love of God and man, and his relationship with his family. To state that this is an excellent starting point for any person wishing to learn more about this man is an understatement.The characters of the reformation (i.e., Luther, Henry VIII) are given a balanced treatment in that their beliefs or writings are not misconstrued or embellished. St. Thomas More was a defender of the Father, and to that extent, his writing of the defense of the faith are given equal treatment.This book is most highly recommended.

Outstanding - can't put it down!

I am about halfway through this book, despite purchasing it only a few days ago. It is such a terrific read, I can't put it down. I even bring it to work with me to read whenever I have a few spare minutes! For those of you who might find history boring, this is still the text for you. Monti's style of writing is outstanding and easy to follow. This book is one of my all-time favorites. Most importantly, it provides a fair and objective portrayal of Saint Thomas More. Many books have a bias, one way or the other, when writing about More or 16th century England yet it's tough to find one in this book. Furthermore, Monti doesn't focus simply on More, but gives the reader a fair portrayal of the Reformation during this crucial period in European history. More's life is simply fascinating - it reads like a novel. His genius and profound morality is clear. Upon reading this book, More is the type of man one would want to know, and the kind we wish (!) there were more of in modern-day society. It is an extremely inspirational book.

A Unique and Fair Perspective

This book attempts to understand Thomas More on his own terms. It is sympathetic to More in the sense that it allows More to defend his views in his own words and instead of trying to find weaknesses to exploit, it attempts to put More's thoughts into context and explain how they fit together to form a comprehensive and consistent whole. You may not like More any better after reading this biography, but you'll certainly understand him better. It is the most honest work I have read on More because it is written by a man whose interest is in More himself, not by someone who simply wants to use a biography as a vehicle to promote his own sociological, political or theological agenda. Short of reading all of More's published works, it seems to be the best way for the reader to be able to listen to More himself, not someone's "spin" or "take" on him. That is why it is so helpful. One really gets a feel for More, his personality, spirituality, political thinking, and family life. I must admit that I've had to reevaluate my thoughts on Thomas More and the whole Reformation. I guess there truly are two sides to every story! Read critically, its a very good book -- but be careful, it might challenge some of your long-standing assumptions.

Excellent portrayal of More's life and spirituality

I found this book well-written and informative. As someone whose knowledge of the Reformation was limited to what you got 30 years ago in high school world history classes, I am still digesting what I learned from this book and will return to it many times over. As another reviewer stated, the book is biased favorably toward Thomas More and toward the Catholic Church, but the author states this clearly up front, so no one should be surprised. Monti's research is thorough enough so that his book would make an excellent textbook (among others) for a college level class on this period of history. Monti's book has genuinely increased my understanding of this drastic splintering of Western Christianity and given me both new perspective and hope as I see the efforts being made nearly 500 years later to begin to mend the damage.