Abstract

The presence and relevance of St. Cyprian and his writings in Thomas More's works has only been partially discussed in the available literature. In the present paper I intend to contextualize More's interest for St. Cyprian within the general appreciation that other humanists showed for the Fathers of the Church, and this African Bishop in particular. Thus a close review of More's references to St. Cyprian in his writings is here presented, organized in three blocks: the so-called “humanist letters,” his controversial works—with the exception of The Confutation of Tyndale's Answer —and the Tower works. In the conclusion I will provide a tentative categorization of the uses More made of this Father of the Church.