Dialogue Concerning Heresies

By St. Thomas More

Considered by C.S. Lewis as perhaps the best dialogue written in English, this friendly, spirited, and often merry exchange takes place at St. Thomas More’s peaceful and cultured home in Chelsea.

Dialogue Concerning Heresies is a conversation between the experienced humanist and statesman More and an intelligent college student who has been influenced by the spirit and ideas of the new men and reformers, especially Martin Luther and William Tyndale. It addresses questions that continue to be discussed today:

• Isn’t it idolatry to pray to saints, venerate images, and go on pilgrimages?
• Why listen to what the Church teaches? Shouldn’t we go only by Scripture, since it is the word of God?
• Why didn’t the Church want laypeople to have their own Bible, and in English?
• How do we know which church is the true one?
• Why waste time on philosophy and other secular studies if the Bible is God’s revealed word?

This modernized edition of More’s Dialogue brings this masterful work into wide circulation for the first time since its publication in 1529.