Contra Henricvm Regem Angliae Martinvs Lvther (Martin Luther against Henry, King of England)

By: Martin Luther

Collection ID

PBK.000371

Type

Printed Book

Date

1522

Geography

Switzerland

Language

Latin

Medium

Printed on Paper

Dimensions

8.1 × 6 × 0.4 in. (20.7 × 15.3 × 1 cm)

Exhibit Location

Not on View

Martin Luther wrote this text in response to Henry VIII, whose Assertio Septem Sacramentorum (Defense of the Seven Sacraments) appeared in 1521. Henry had attacked Luther’s positions on indulgences, the papacy, and the sacraments as heretical. He supported his arguments with frequent citations of books of the Bible, the writings of the church fathers, and the scholastic theology of Aquinas and others. Luther’s response was forceful. He replied to Henry’s points with counterarguments based on passages from the Bible and rejected Henry’s appeals to other authorities. This work helped to clarify differences between Catholic and Protestant theology in the early Reformation.

Printed in 1522 in Basel, Switzerland.[1] Acquired by the Universitätsbibliothek Basel, Switzerland.[2] Acquired by 1931 for the book collection of Schloss Hohehorst-Lahusen near Bremen, Germany;[3] Purchased at auction in 1931.[4] Acquired by Franz Dreyer.[5] Acquired by 2010 by Antiquariat Uwe Turszynski, Munich, Germany; Privately purchased in 2010 by Green Collection, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Notes: [1] On the title page it says VVITEMBERGAE, but the page is missing the ornate border with columns and cherubs found on copies printed by Johann Rhau-Grunenberg in Wittenberg. Hans Peter Frey of the Manuscript and Early Printed Books section at the Universitätsbibliothek Basel identified Basel as the place of origin of this copy. [2] On the title page is a stamp that says, “Bibl. Publ. Basileensis.” Since the stamp is present but there is no indication of a shelf number, it was likely resold shortly after it was acquired, according to Frey. There is no indication of when the book entered or left the collection. According to the dealer who sold the book to Green Collection, the stamp impression was made long before 1931. [3] It is unclear when it entered the collection, and therefore it is impossible to say which of the owners of the schloss acquired it for the library. For the history of the schloss and its various owners, see Hans-Werner Liebig, “Historie Gut Hohehorst bei Bremen,” Hohehorst-Archiv, 2016 http://www.loehnhorst-online.de/hohehorst/HOHEHORST-HISTORIE.pdf. [4] An inscription at the top of the front pastedown says, in German, “In(ventory) N(umber) 110. Purchased on 2 December 1931 at the Hohehorst Auction (at K(unst)h(aus) Schlüter, Hamburg).” Liebig describes the bankruptcy that led to the auction and includes the newspaper advertisement from the art and auction house Carl F. Schlüter in Hamburg. The advertisement mentions that approximately 600 books were to be auctioned along with the furnishings. [5] Franz Dreyer’s bookplate appears opposite the inscription on the first flyleaf. It is uncertain when he owned the book. It is possible that he owned it after the library deaccessioned it and before the owners of the schloss acquired it.

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