John Frith

author

John Frith

1503–1533

A gifted early English reformer, he wrote boldly about Scripture, the Eucharist, and religious tolerance at a time when such ideas could cost a life. His short career ended in martyrdom, but his influence reached far beyond it.

1 Audiobook

A boke made by John Fryth, prysoner in the Tower of London answerynge unto M. Mores letter, which he wrote agaynst the fyrste lytle treatyse that John Fryth made, concernynge the sacramente of the body and bloude of Christ

A boke made by John Fryth, prysoner in the Tower of London answerynge unto M. Mores letter, which he wrote agaynst the fyrste lytle treatyse that John Fryth made, concernynge the sacramente of the body and bloude of Christ

by John Frith

About the author

Born in Kent around 1503, John Frith was educated at Eton and at King’s College, Cambridge. He became part of the circle of early English reformers linked with William Tyndale, and he quickly earned a reputation as a learned and persuasive writer.

Frith wrote on major religious controversies of his day, especially the meaning of the Eucharist. He also argued unusually early for a measure of Christian toleration, making him a notable voice in Reformation debates. Because of his beliefs and writings, he was arrested after returning to England.

In 1533, Frith was condemned for heresy and burned at the stake at Smithfield in London. Though his life was brief, he is remembered as an important Protestant martyr and as one of the clearest young thinkers of the English Reformation.