1638 First Edition Of the Visible Sacrifice of the Church of God

Printed: Brussels (imprint falsely stylized as London or secretly printed in England)

Measures: 7" x 4" x 1.5"

Of the Visible Sacrifice of the Church of God" refers to a rare 17th-century theological treatise published around 1638. The book was penned under the pseudonym "Anonymus Eremita" by Thomas Doughty, an active writer of the era who often published anonymously or under pseudonyms to avoid severe political and religious backlash.The work serves as a notable anti-Catholic piece written during a period of massive religious turmoil and heightened tension throughout the British Isles. It strongly argues against Catholic Eucharistic doctrines, focusing its theological critique heavily against transubstantiation and the practice of the Mass as a literal, visible sacrifice.Instead, the text emphasizes the earthly, symbolic rites of the Church contrasted against the spiritual reality of Christ’s singular sacrifice. This perspective captures one of the most defining and fierce intellectual debates of the Protestant Reformation era, making the text a valuable historical artifact.