Reflections on Thomas More Conference

Nearly 200 people gathered at the University of Dallas this past weekend for the annual Thomas More Conference.  The theme this year was “Thomas More on Trial:  Law and Conscience in More’s Last Letters and Trial Accounts.  Many noted More scholars were joined on the program by practicing lawyers and jurists, including Judge Edith Jones (5^th Circuit) and Sir Michael Tugendhat ( Judge of the High Court, England and Wales.

One of the many themes that unfolded during the weekend was the development and change in tone of More’s letters and writings in the tower as the months went by but especially as it became clear that he would suffer death.  Dr. Seymour Baker House developed this theme in contrasting More’s Dialogue of Comfort Against Tribulation with the Sadness of Christ with the former much lighter and the latter much darker, being written probably after the execution of the Carthusian monks and just prior to Bishop Fisher’s execution. Dr. Elizabeth McCutcheon explored the changes in the letters to his daughter Margaret written after three different interrogations.  And, Dr. John Boyle looked at the letters to fellow prisoner Wilson.

More’s trial was also examined from a number of angles – procedure (did he get a fair procedure for the time period and how does that contrast to today’s procedures), the substance (the Acts of Succession, Supremacy, and Treason; the indictment; the fact that Parliament had insisted that “malice” be an element of treason; whether Richard Rich may have misunderstood More rather than engaged in perjury – the consensus was a resounding “no;” and the roles of the King, Parliament, Judges, and jury).

One of the high points of the conference included a dramatic reading of the trial based upon the multiple accounts of the trial.  The trial had the feel of a Good Friday Service and the trial of Jesus.  During a question and answer session, one of the lawyers present opined that all the great trials in history are miscarriages of justice, revealing our fallen human nature and the need for redemption in Christ.

The conference was also a great place to begin friendships with fellow travelers, including practicing lawyers, English professors, and philosophers.  I became acquainted with the journal Moreana and its editor who traveled from

France

for the conference.  Our hosts, Professor Jerry Wegemer and the Center for Thomas Studies were excellent hosts.  Next years conference (Nov. 6-7) will focus on “Thomas More’s Life of Pico & Humanist Letters.”