''The Lamentation of a Sinner'' (contemporary spelling: ''The Lamentacion of a Synner'') is a three-part sequence of reflections published by the English queen

Catherine Parr Catherine Parr (sometimes alternatively spelled Katherine, Katheryn, Kateryn, or Katharine; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until ...

, the sixth wife and widow of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

, as well as the first woman to publish in English under her own name. It was written in the autumn of 1546 at the latest and published in November 1547, after her husband's death. Its publication was sponsored by the

Duchess of Suffolk Earl of Suffolk is a title which has been created four times in the Peerage of England. The first creation, in tandem with the creation of the title of Earl of Norfolk, came before 1069 in favour of Ralph the Staller; but the title was forfei ...

and the Marquess of Northampton, the Queen's closest friend and only brother respectively.

Background

, who became queen in 1543, had a profound influence on government decisions, including religious policy. She succeeded in preventing her husband

from plundering universities, which had happened to monasteries in 1541. Eminent humanists advocating the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

had place in her household, and she entrusted to them the education of her stepchildren, the future monarchs

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". El ...

and Edward VI. She hosted readings of the newly published English translations of the Bible for her friends and theologians, and did not refrain from engaging in debate about the Reformation with her more conservative husband. He eventually became discontented with her growing independence; sensing this, her opponents at court tried to incriminate her during the trial for heresy of the Protestant Anne Askew in 1546. Heresy charges were drawn up against the Queen, with the King's approval, and her rooms were searched for unorthodox literature, but no evidence was found. She publicly submitted to her husband's supreme authority and so avoided becoming the third of Henry's wives to be executed (following

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

and Catherine Howard), but remained undeterred in her Protestant conviction.

Content and doctrine

''The Lamentation of a Sinner'', Parr's wholly original work, was probably written in the summer and autumn of the same year and started circulating in manuscript at court in November. It remained unpublished until 5 November 1547, nine months after her husband's death and the accession of her Protestant stepson. It starts with the themes of confession and

repentance Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better. In modern times, it is generally seen as involving a co ...

, with an unusual degree of self-debasement that would not have been appropriate for the monarch's wife. It then moves to

conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

and

prophecy In religion, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divine will or law, or prete ...

, a pattern inspired by the

Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

. Although Parr wrote in the first person and recounted her own religious experience, she avoided using too many autobiographical or topical details (as Marguerite de Navarre had done), maintaining both authentic and universalized voice. She explicitly identified herself as

Queen of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiw ...

, King Henry VIII's wife; the contrasting of her sinfulness with her status was unprecedented. The small volume was strongly anti-Roman Catholic, referring to "papal riffraff", and the insistence that all people be able to read the Bible in English for themselves. The book's emphasis on the importance of the scripture marks it clearly as a reformist work, as does its promotion of the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

concept of

justification by faith alone ''Justificatio sola fide'' (or simply ''sola fide''), meaning justification by faith alone, is a soteriological doctrine in Christian theology commonly held to distinguish the Lutheran and Reformed traditions of Protestantism, among others, fro ...

. Parr, however, carefully avoided extremes and criticized the

sententiousness Self-righteousness, also called sanctimoniousness, sententiousness and holier-than-thou attitudes is a feeling or display of (usually smug) moral superiority derived from a sense that one's beliefs, actions, or affiliations are of greater virtue ...

of " vain gospellers", although never directing any criticism on anyone in particular. She argued that the Reformation urged Christians to look to themselves rather than to judge others.

Significance

''The Lamentation of a Sinner'' is the first published

conversion narrative Broadly speaking, a conversion narrative is a narrative that relates the operation of conversion, usually religious. As a specific aspect of American literary and religious history, the conversion narrative was an important facet of Puritan sacred a ...

, which was heavily used by the

Nonconformist Nonconformity or nonconformism may refer to: Culture and society * Insubordination, the act of willfully disobeying an order of one's superior *Dissent, a sentiment or philosophy of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or entity ** ...

s in the following century. It was, however, much less circulated among English readers than Parr's previous (and not entirely original) works, '' Psalms or Prayers'' (1544) and '' Prayers or Meditations'' (1545). The young Edward VI may have been influenced by the subjectivity expressed in the book. It turned out to be a revolutionary text that led to a drastic change in the Tudor court's view of literature during the reign of Parr's serious and astute stepson.

References

Sources

* * * *

External links

*
''The Lamentation of a Sinner''
at

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