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The ''Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion'' were established in 1563, and are the historic defining statements of Anglican doctrine in relation to the controversies of the English Reformation ; especially in the relation of Calvinist doctrine and Roman Catholic practices to the nascent Anglican Doctrine of the evolving English Church.The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church by F. L. Cross (Editor), E. A. Livingstone (Editor) Oxford University Press, USA; 3 edition p.1611 (March 13, 1997) The name is commonly abbreviated as the '''Thirty-Nine Articles''' or the '''XXXIX Articles'''. The Church Of England was searching out its doctrinal position in relation to the Roman Catholic Church and the continental Protestants . A series of defining documents were written and replaced over a period of 30 years as the doctrinal and political situation changed from the Excommunication of Henry VIII in 1533, to the excommunication of Elizabeth I in 1570. Prior to King Henry's death in 1547, several statements of position were issued. The first attempt was the ''Ten Articles'' in 1536 which showed some slightly Protestant leanings; the result of an English desire for a political alliance with the German Lutheran princes.1 The next revision was the ''Six Articles'' in 1539 which swung away from all reformed positions, and the ''King's Book'' in 1543 which re-established almost in full the familiar Catholic doctrines. Then, during the reign of Edward VI in 1552, the ''Forty-Two Articles'' were written under the direction of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer . It was in this document that Calvinist thought reached its zenith of its influence in the English Church. These articles were never put in to action, due to the king's death and the reunion of the English Church with Rome under Queen Mary I. Finally, upon the coronation of Elizabeth I and the re-establishment of the separate Church of England the ''Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion'' were established by a Convocation of the Church in 1563, under the direction of Matthew Parker , then the Archbishop Of Canterbury , which pulled back from Calvinist thinking and created the peculiar English reformed doctrine. The articles, finalized in 1571, were to have a lasting effect on Religion In The United Kingdom and elsewhere through their incorporation into and propagation through the Book Of Common Prayer .2 ''TEN ARTICLES'' (1536) The ''Ten Articles'' were published in 1536 by Thomas Cranmer . They were the first guidelines of the Church Of England as it became independent of Rome . In summary, the Ten Articles asserted: # The binding authority of the Bible, the three œcumenical creeds, and the first four œcumenical councils # The necessity of baptism for salvation, even in the case of infants (Art. II. says that 'infants ought to be baptized;' that, dying in infancy, they 'shall undoubtedly be saved thereby, and else not ;' that the opinions of Anabaptists and Pelagians are 'detestable heresies, and utterly to be condemned.') # The sacrament of penance, with confession and absolution, which are declared 'expedient and necessary' # The substantial, real, corporal presence of Christ's body and blood under the form of bread and wine in the eucharist # Justification by faith, joined with charity and obedience # The use of images in churches # The honoring of saints and the Virgin Mary # The invocation of saints # The observance of various rites and ceremonies as good and laudable, such as clerical vestments, sprinkling of holy water, bearing of candles on Candlemas-day, giving of ashes on Ash Wednesday # The doctrine of purgatory, and prayers for the dead in purgatory (made purgatory a non-essential doctrine) The emerging doctrines of the nascent Church of England were followed by further explication in ''The Institution of the Christian Man''. ''BISHOP'S BOOK'' (1537) ''The Institution of the Christian Man'' (also called ''The Bishops' Book''), published in 1537, was written by a committee of forty six divines and bishops headed by Thomas Cranmer. The purpose of the work, along with the Ten Articles of the previous year, was to implement the reforms of Henry VIII in separating from the Roman Catholic Church and establishing the '' Ecclesia Anglicana ''. It was considered "reformed" in basic orientation, though it was not strongly Lutheran . The work functioned as an official formulary of the new Anglican faith in England. It was later superseded by other creedal and official statements during the successive reigns of Edward VI and Elizabeth I , as the Anglican Church moved toward a more Reformed theological position. It would evolve into the ''King's Book''. "The work was a noble endeavor on the part of the bishops to promote unity, and to instruct the people in Church doctrine." 3 Authorship The list of the forty six divines as they appear in the ''Bishop's Book'' included all of the bishops, eight archdeacons, and seventeen other Doctors of Divinity; some, of which can be found later assigned with translating the Bible , and the compilation of the Prayer Book included: Thomas Cranmer - Edward Lee - John Stokesley - Cuthbert Tunstall - Stephen Gardiner - Robert Aldrich - John Voysey - John Longland - John Clerk - Royland Lee - Thomas Goodrich - Nicholas Shaxton - John Bird - Edward Foxe - Hugh Latimer - John Hilsey - Richard Sampson - William Repps - William Barlowe - Robert Partew - Robert Holgate - Richard Wolman - William Knight - John Bell - Edmond Bonner - William Skip - Nicholas Heath - Cuthbert Marshal - Richard Curren - William Cliffe - William Downes - Robert Oking - Ralph Bradford - Richard Smith - Simon Matthew - John Pryn - William Buckmaster - William May - Nicholas Wotton - Richard Cox - John Edmunds - Thomas Robertson - John Baker - Thomas Barett - John Hase - John Tyson ''SIX ARTICLES'' (1539) The ''Six Articles'' of June 1539, ( Short Title ''31 Henry VIII, c. 14''), was an Act Of The Parliament Of England which reaffirmed Henry VIII's leaning towards theological conservatism. Although Henry wrested control over the English church from Rome, he did not alter the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, which remained largely intact until the reforms of Archbishop Cranmer and the regents of Henry's son and successor, Edward VI. The articles reaffirmed Catholic doctrine on key issues: # Transubstantiation , #the reasonableness of withholding of the cup from the Laity during Communion , # Clerical Celibacy , #observance of vows of Chastity , #permission for private Masses , #the importance of auricular Confession . Penalties under the act ranged from imprisonment and fine to death. However, its severity was reduced by an act of 1540, which retained the death penalty only for denial of transubstantiation, and a further act limited its arbitrariness. The Catholic emphasis of the doctrine commended in the articles is not matched by the ecclesiastical reforms Henry undertook in the following years, such as the enforcement of the necessity of the English Bible and the insistence upon the abolition of all shrines, both in 1541. The Six Articles were opposed by the covertly married Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer; the reforming bishops Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Shaxton resigned their sees in response to the act and thereafter spent time in custody. After Henry's death, the articles were repealed by his son. ''KING'S BOOK'' (1543) ''The Necessary Doctrine and Erudition for Any Christian Man'', also known as the ''King's Book'', was published in 1543, and attributed to Henry VIII. It was a revision of ''The Institution of the Christian Man'', and defended transubstantiation and the Six Articles. It also encouraged preaching and attacked the use of images. ''FORTY-TWO ARTICLES'' (1552) The ''Forty-Two Articles'' were intended to summarise by the Pope in 1570. That act destroyed any hope of reconciliation with Rome and it was no longer necessary to fear that Article XXIX would offend Catholic sensibilities.http://www.episcopalian.org/pbs1928/Articles/AnglicanTeaching/007.HTM ''Anglican Teaching'' by W. G. WILSON, M.A., B.D., Ph.D. and J.H. TEMPLETON. M.A., B.D.. M.LITT.. Ph.D. The Articles, increased to Thirty-nine, were ratified by the Queen, and the bishops and clergy were required to assent.http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01498a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia Anglicanism ''THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES'' (1563) The ''Thirty-Nine Articles'' were not intended as a complete statement of the Christian faith, but of the position of the Church of England ''vis-a-vis'' the Roman Catholic Church and dissident Protestants . The Articles argue against some Anabaptist positions such as the holding of goods in common, and the necessity of Believer's Baptism . The purpose of their production and enactment was the absence of a general consensus on matters of faith following the separation with Rome. There was a concern that dissenters who wanted the reforms to go much further, and, for example, to abolish hierarchies of Bishop s, would increase in influence. Wishing to pursue Queen Elizabeth I's agenda of establishing a national church that would maintain the indigenous Apostolic Faith and incorporate some of the insights of Protestantism, the Articles were intended to incorporate a balance of theology and doctrine. This allowed them to appeal to the broadest domestic opinion, Catholic and otherwise. In this sense, the Articles are a revealing window into the ethos and character of Anglicanism, in particular in the way the document works to navigate a '' Via Media '', or "middle path," between the beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church and of the continental Protestant reformers. The "via media" was expressed so adroitly in the Articles that some Anglican scholars have labeled their content as an early example of the idea that the doctrine of Anglicanism is one of "Reformed Catholicism".Henry Chadwick, ''Tradition, Fathers, and Councils.'' In "The Study of Anglicanism," ed. by S. Sykes and J. Booty. London: SPCK, 1988 Content of the Articles The Articles highlight the Anglican positions with regards to the corruption of Catholic doctrine in the Middle Ages , to orthodox Roman Catholic teachings, to Calvinism , and to Anabaptist thought. They are divided, per the command of Queen Elizabeth I, into four sections: Articles 1-8, "The Catholic Faith"; Articles 9-18, "Personal Religion"; Articles 19-31, "Corporate Religion"; and Articles 32-39, "Miscellaneous." The articles were issued both in English and in Latin, and both are of equal authority. Articles I—VIII: The Catholic faith: The first five articles articulate the Catholic creedal statements concerning the nature of God, manifest in the Holy Trinity . Articles VI and VII deal with scripture, while Article VIII discusses the essential creeds. Articles IX—XVIII: Personal religion: These articles dwell on the topics of Sin , Justification , and the eternal disposition of the soul. Of particular focus is the major Reformation topic of Justification By Faith . The Articles in this section and in the section on the Church plant Anglicanism in the '' Via Media '' of the debate, portraying an Economy Of Salvation where good works are an outgrowth of faith, and there is a role for the Church and for the Sacrament s. Articles XIX—XXXI: Corporate religion: This section focuses on the expression of faith in the public venue – the institutional church, the Councils Of The Church , Worship , Ministry , and Sacramental Theology . Articles XXXII—XXXIX: Miscellaneous: These articles concern Clerical Celibacy , Excommunication , traditions of the Church, and other issues not covered elsewhere. Meaning of the Articles What the Articles truly mean has been a matter of debate in the church since before they were issued. The Evangelical wing of the Church has taken the Articles at face value. In 2003, evangelical Anglican clergyman Chris Pierce wrote: This view has never been held by the whole church. In 1643, Archbishop Of Armagh John Bramhall laid out the core argument against the Articles: |
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