ABSTRACT
The debate on religious vows in Reformation polemic was complex, and focused upon issues beyond the relatively simple question of clerical immorality. While the fact that there were clergy who did breach their vows of celibacy did not escape the attention of either Catholic or Protestant polemicists, it was far from being the dominant argument for the rejection of vows. Later Catholic writers were not so inflexible as to ignore the questions raised by contemporary developments. The idea that vows should be made voluntarily was a central feature of the pre-Reformation literature on the subject. If vows were to be treated as meritorious, and effective in salvation, it was essential that they should be seen as a positive and voluntary commitment on the part of the individual. The voluntary nature of vows was also vital to the argument that once such promises were made, they should not be broken.
