Welcome to the opening matchup of Lent Madness 2020! If you're a veteran of the Saintly Smackdown, we're delighted you're back for another
year of saintly thrills and spills. If you're joining us for the first time, we're especially glad you're along for this wild penitential ride. If you're curious about what this all entails, check out the About Lent Madness tab on the website.
To experience the fullness of the Lent Madness experience, the Supreme Executive Committee (the somewhat benevolent dictatorship that runs this whole enterprise) encourages you to do several things. First, like Lent Madness on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter. Second, subscribe to the Lent Madness e-mails so you never miss a vote -- you'll get each matchup hand-delivered to your inbox on the weekdays of Lent. You can do this by going to the home page of our website and entering your e-mail address (near the top right). Third, you can support the ministry of Lent Madness by heading over to the Lentorium and purchasing Lent Madness swag, thereby impressing everyone on your block. Or at least in your pew.
But mostly, we encourage you to read about the 32 saints participating in this year’s edition of Lent Madness, faithfully cast your (single!) vote on the weekdays of Lent, and add your comments to the great cloud of participating witnesses that gathers as the online Lent Madness community each year. If you're wondering when your favorite saint will be competing - in order to rally your friends and neighbors (creative campaigning is encouraged, voter fraud is not) - you can check out the 2020 Matchup Calendar.
Things kick off with an early 16th century Anglican facing off against a Biblical character as Thomas More clashes with James the Less. We hope you enjoy reading about these two saintly souls, more or less, before casting your very first vote of Lent Madness 2020! We're glad you're all here. Now get to it!
Thomas More
Of all the characters of the English Reformation, few are as remarkable as Sir Thomas More. He was considered a scold yet also a man of quick wit, at once both politically astute and obstinate, and a man who was behind his time even as he lived ahead of it.
Born in 1478, Thomas became a barrister in 1502 and was elected to Parliament in 1504. For a time, Thomas debated becoming a Franciscan or a priest — and ultimately chose neither, pursuing marriage and a legal career instead. While known for his strict piety, including the wearing of a hair shirt, and the daily recitation of the Offices, Thomas delighted in life in London and was eager to engage in argument and debate.
Thomas’s intellect, honesty, and loyalty to his family and king brought him into the service of Henry VIII. During this time, Thomas wrote Utopia, a political essay envisioning an ideal community in which there is no private property, universal religious toleration, and free education for men and women alike.
Thomas was a devoted husband and father, committed to the education of his wife and four daughters to a level far exceeding the standard education of women during that time; his dedication to this task was often noted by his contemporaries.
In 1529, Thomas became Lord Chancellor of England. Thomas was strident in his opposition to the Protestant Reformation, and his support in joining Henry VIII’s attack on Martin Luther earned him the title “defender of the faith” by the Pope. As Henry moved to assert his power as king over the Church in England, Thomas, dedicated to the Roman Church, found himself in opposition to the king he loved. He resigned as chancellor in 1532. When Thomas later refused to take an oath swearing that Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn was true and valid (after the divorce from Catharine of Aragon), he was thrown into the Tower of London. At trial, Thomas defended himself as being true to the church over any king. He was condemned to die and executed in 1535. His final words were that he died for the faith of the Church and was “the king’s good servant, but God’s first.”
Collect for Thomas More
Almighty God, by whose grace and power your holy martyr Thomas More triumphed over suffering and was faithful even to death: Grant us, who now remember him in thanksgiving, to be so faithful in our witness to you in this world, that we may receive with him the crown of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
James the Less
Who was James the Less? Well, it depends on whom you ask. This is because the gospels are replete with Jameses. There’s James the son of Zebedee, James the son of Alpheus, as well as James the brother of Jesus. The confusion is further compounded because the gospel writers don’t always distinguish which James they’re referring to in a passage and the Gospel of Mark only refers to “James the Less” in one passage (Mark 15:40).
Some Roman Catholics believe James the Less refers to James the brother of Jesus, while Anglicans consider James the Less as James the son of Alpheus. Even if we blithely assume the Anglicans are right in saying that James the Less is, indeed, James the son of Alpheus, this biography almost comes to a full stop. The truth is, we know very little about this apostle. Yet perhaps what we know is important enough. James the son of Alpheus was most certainly an apostle as three of the gospels include him in their lists (Mark 3:18; Matthew 10:3; Luke 6:12-16) — and he is also present in a room that is full of apostles in Acts 1:13. Beyond this, however, there’s not much more to go on.
Of course, this has never stopped the wider church from filling in the gaps — as you’ll see, neither will it stop me. Some legends hold that James the son of Alpheaus lived to ninety-six years old and died by crucifixion at the hands of the Jewish authorities in Ostrakine in lower Egypt. His body was then sawed in half. This is dubious for many reasons, including the fact that crucifixion was a favorite execution method of Roman, rather than Jewish, authorities.
But since I’m already giving space to dubious claims, I want to offer a new one, entirely of my own creation, and equally bereft of any evidence. In Mexican Spanish, we add a diminutive to people we feel an incredible amount of affection for, to those we love and adore. Mexican Spanish contrasts with America’s obsession with “bigger is better” by linguistically shrinking everyone we love to make them cuter and sweeter and more adorable still. I’d love to believe that “the less” is, in fact, a diminutive rooted in affection. If so, then Mark 15:40 is talking about James the little guy, James the adorable apostle, James the cherished one. Which James, exactly, this passage refers to remains a mystery, but to my mind that’s still a James worth voting for.
Collect for James the Less
Almighty God, who gave to your apostle James grace and strength to bear witness to the truth: Grant that we, being mindful of his victory of faith, may glorify in life and death the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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311 comments on “Thomas More vs. James the Less”
I wish we were awarding points :). I’d definitely give Señor Escobar points for a wonderful write up with out much to go on; but, since this is all or nothing, I had to go with Sir More.
As many pastors in the Lutheran church have taught, if a story, teaching, or person was mentioned in the gospels it is important. The gospels often leave up for interpretation why this person is important, but it doesn't matter. They are important in the greater scheme. If James the Less was in any gospel, let a lone several, he was important to the work of Christ and that is all I need to know.
Also, Thomas Moore actively promoted the killing of Martin Luther. Not a fan of that.
"like"
Ditto.
Marian, you have been quite attentive. Praise be upon you. Though I have admiration for Thomas' own, "Here I Stand" spirit, I will vote for Jim. And I will find a "Beam" with (in) my eye and toast his faithfulness with a little More.
I wish we were awarding points :). I’d definitely give Señor Escobar points for a wonderful write up with out much to go on; but, since this is all or nothing, I had to go with Sir More.
FactCheck: Henry VIII did not divorce his 1st or 4th wives, both marriages were annulled.
And yet, and yet, without the marriage to Anne Boleyn there would have been no Elizabeth I, arguably England's greatest monarch ever! God's ways are mysterious indeed!
Back to our subject, with a dim memory of seeing "A Man for All Seasons" on Broadway in my earliest days in New York City, I vote for a man strong enough to respect, honor, and educate his wife and daughters. He sounds something like my own father, who would not accept a position that meant there was no job for my mother, a gifted musician and teacher. St. Thomas, about whom much MORE is known, is my choice today.
Voting for St. James the Less and giving great thanks for St. James the Less School in Philly. The school is Episcopal in founding and in operation and spirit. Less is More.
A vote for all the 'less' in life.... but so important to our world❣
Thanks to both David and Miguel for their good examples of what we can expect from the fine celebrity bloggers
I voted for More, in spite of wanting to vote for James the Less in honor of my brother James. More was a man of principle, but not an unflawed man. Our own version of burning at the stake consists of lethal injection, drones, bombers, and possible again, land mines. I too love his interest in educating women and his writing about a society that is better than the one in which he lives
I enjoyed reading about both. I have to vote for Thomas More because to cast a vote for someone based on conjecture, no matter how entertaining the information, would be folly.
I am happy to find I was not the only person who immediately thought "Less is More" while reading the two biographies. While I think both may have been flawed characters, I More or Less had it a tie. Despite my minimalist lifestyle, I am rebelling against the Lenten vow of Less and going with a little More.
Not Re this, but a question that I haven’t gotten an answer to. I bought the Saintly Scorecard book for my Kindle. Is there any place where I can download and print the bracket sheet?
https://www.lentmadness.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/LM_Bracket-2020-Small-RGB.jpg
I answered your question yesterday, Grace. I see that Tim has answered again, here. Hopefully you will see it. There is also a button at the top of the page that says "Bracket 2020." That is where a pdf of the bracket sheet can be obtained for printing.
Wikipedia seems to think More should not bear all the blame for nasty things done to Protestants, but he did at least speak in approval of burning some of them, and oversee beating a couple who were, I guess, of less worth: a child and a 'feeble-minded man'. Odd that world was, but I know people approving of pulling children from their parents an locking them up for (basically) speaking Spanish. We are not blameless. None the less (pun intended) I shall support the early Church foundation and vote for James. Whichever one he was, he was important enough!
Although there is much to admire in Thomas More’s passion, the fact that he wrote about religious tolerance for all in his “Utopia” and then proceeded to burn Protestants at the stake for their religious differences makes me think he was a hypocrite at best and a fanatic at worst. I therefore will be voting for “Lil James”.
Sir Thomas More's relationship with his daughter Margaret has always reminded me of my own relationship with my dad, who was a professor of literature. And Tudor history has been an avocation of mine since I was a teen, so it would seem that More would be my choice. But James' being the underdog pulls more at my heartstrings. And he was handpicked by Jesus for his select group. What's not to love there?
Happy Lent 2020!
Thomas for the win
Though it's hard to vote against an apostle, and I lean to the Protestant side of the Anglican via media, Sir Thomas More's life and witness compels me to cast my first 2020 Lent Madness vote for him. I do like Miguel Escobar's take on Lil' James, though!
You lean Protestant but you vote for the man that burned them alive?
Voted for James the Less, the diminutive and so far) the underdog today-though he was an apostle.
Let's remember that Thomas More tortured people and killed them for the "crime" of reading the Bible in English. His famous conscience did not compel him to have any compassion for those who believed differently from himself.
Regina is spot on!
This is a tough choice between Thomas More and James the less. I picked More because he is complicated figure full of apparent contradictions. Yet in the end his faith held strong over the sway of a mighty king and the ultimate sacrifice. Life is full of challenges. He is a good role model.
"Less is More" was coined by CoCo Chanel to describe her fashion ideology. Chanel eliminated the elaborate and restrictive clothing constructions for women of her day by adopting the tailored line of military uniforms she saw in Paris during WWI, as well as adopting the use of jersey fabric in the creation of outerwear. Up until her fashion revolution, jersey fabric was exclusively confined to undergarments.
Very nice. Like!
Thank you, CoCo, for making my comfortable clothes possible! However, I believe it was Mies Van der Rohe who coined the phrase.
Voted for James the Less as Miguel so aptly described Less is More. (voting as a member of St James (the Less) Episcopal Westwood Cincinnati.
Well, the "man for all seasons" is certainly a controversial figure with a lot of dark pages in his history. A little too fanatical. It's not nice to burn people, no matter how wrong you think they are. But, as had often been pointed out, a lot of saints have messy pasts before, and sometimes after, becoming saintly. Even with all his egregious faults, his courage in standing up for his faith and against the King gets him a lot of credit.
In a time when nationalism threatens the Gospel, I have to vote for Thomas More. This is an important reminder about priorities for disciples of Jesus: “the king’s good servant, but God’s first.”
As I was ordained in the Church of St. Philip and St. James, the choice was easy! St. James, all the way!
'Cause we need folks who will stand up to kings and would-be kings these days.
This year my Lenten focus is "decrease", so I voted for James. I think he represents the countless saints who lived faithful lives but are not remembered in history.
On a different note, here's a song for Lent Madness:
(Sung to the tune of "Blessed Assurance")
Welcome Lent Madness,
It’s finally here!
I can’t believe it’s
Already a year.
Waiting and wondering
Who’s on the list?
Are they my favorites,
Was somebody missed?
Chorus
When I am voting,
I think hard and long.
Sometimes it’s tough,
I don’t want to be wrong.
(repeat)
Saints in submission,
Holy and blest,
Can I be like them when
Put to the test?
Learning and laughing,
Good holy fun,
I’m almost sad when
The Halo is won.
Well done!
Fanstastic! Good work.
One additional comment. The argument for More standing up against his King’s authoritarian rule might be able to be made for James the Less as well. Tradition holds that he was martyred. This would only have happened if he was standing up for what he believed in against the powers that were over him. Just something to think about.
Lil' Jimmy is cute and all that, but nobody really knows his story, or who he really is. Tommy, on the other hand was a martyr for his beliefs. Tommy for the win!
As a retired Spanish teacher, I had to go with James the Less. Besides, I couldn't get past the hair shirt.