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Thirty-nine Articles

2026-01-02T16:27:02Z

AnglicanAkatosh: Reverted my own edit

{{Short description|Anglican doctrinal statement}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2013}}
{{Anglicanism}}

The '''Thirty-nine Articles of Religion''' (commonly abbreviated as the '''Thirty-nine Articles''' or the '''XXXIX Articles'''), finalised in 1571, are the historically defining statements of doctrines and practices of the [[Church of England]] with respect to the controversies of the [[English Reformation]]. The Thirty-nine Articles form part of the ''[[Book of Common Prayer]]'' used by the Church of England, and feature in parts of the worldwide [[Anglican Communion]] (including the [[Episcopal Church (United_States)|Episcopal Church]]), as well as by denominations outside of the Anglican Communion that identify with the Anglican tradition (see [[Continuing Anglican movement]]).

When [[Henry VIII]] broke with the [[Catholic Church]] and was [[excommunication|excommunicated]], he began the reform of the Church of England, which would be [[Supreme Head of the Church of England|headed]] by the monarch (himself), rather than the pope. At this point, he needed to determine what its doctrines and practices would be in relation to the Church of Rome and the new [[Protestantism|Protestant movements]] in continental Europe. A series of defining documents were written and replaced over a period of thirty years as the doctrinal and political situation changed from the excommunication of Henry VIII in 1533, to the [[excommunication of Elizabeth I|excommunication of Elizabeth I]] in 1570. These positions began with the Ten Articles in 1536, and concluded with the finalisation of the Thirty-nine articles in 1571. The Thirty-nine articles ultimately served to define the doctrine of the Church of England as it related to [[Calvinist]] doctrine and Catholic practice.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|1997|p=1611}}<ref name="Milton2002"/>

The articles went through at least five major revisions prior to their finalisation in 1571. 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.{{sfn|Chapman|2006|p=}} The next revision was the Six Articles in 1539 which swung away from all reformed positions,{{sfn|Chapman|2006|p=}} and then the ''King's Book'' in 1543, which re-established most of the earlier Catholic doctrines. During the reign of [[Edward VI]], Henry VIII's son, the [[Forty-two Articles]] were written under the direction of [[Archbishop]] [[Thomas Cranmer]] in 1552. It was in this document that Calvinist thought reached the zenith of its [[Calvinism in the Church of England|influence in the English Church]]. These articles were never put into action, owing to Edward VI's death and the reversion of the English Church to Catholicism under Henry VIII's elder daughter, [[Mary I of England|Mary I]].

Finally, upon the coronation of Elizabeth I and the re-establishment of the Church of England as separate from the Catholic Church, the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion were initiated by the [[Convocation of 1563]], under the direction of [[Matthew Parker]], the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]].

The Thirty-nine Articles were finalised in 1571, and incorporated into the ''[[Book of Common Prayer]]''. Although not the end of the struggle between Catholic and Protestant monarchs and citizens, the book helped to standardise the English language, and was to have a lasting effect on [[religion in the United Kingdom]] and elsewhere through its wide use.{{sfn|MacCulloch|1999|p=}}

==Predecessors==
{{History of the Church of England}}
===Ten Articles (1536)===
The [[Church of England]]'s break with Rome inaugurated a period of doctrinal confusion and controversy as both conservative and reforming clergy attempted to shape the church's direction, the former as "[[Catholicism]] without the [[Pope]]" and the latter as [[Protestant]]. In an attempt "to establish Christian quietness and unity", the Ten Articles were adopted by clerical [[Convocations of Canterbury and York|Convocation]] in July 1536 as the English Church's first post-papal doctrinal statement.{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 238}} The Ten Articles were crafted as a rushed interim compromise between conservatives and reformers. Historians have variously described it as a victory for [[Lutheranism]] and a success for Catholic resistance.{{Sfn| Haigh | 1993 | p = 128}} Its provisions have also been described as "confusing".{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 239}}

The first five articles dealt with doctrines that were "commanded expressly by God, and are necessary to our [[Salvation in Christianity|salvation]]", while the last five articles dealt with "laudable ceremonies used in the Church".{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 238}}{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=161}} This division reflects how the Articles originated from two different discussions earlier in the year. The first five articles were based on the Wittenberg Articles negotiated between English ambassadors [[Edward Foxe]], [[Nicholas Heath]] and [[Robert Barnes (martyr)|Robert Barnes]] and German Lutheran theologians, including [[Martin Luther]] and [[Philip Melanchthon]]. This doctrinal statement was itself based on the [[Augsburg Confession]] of 1530.{{Sfn | "Wittenberg Articles"}}{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=161}}

The five principal doctrines were the [[Bible]] and [[ecumenical creeds]], [[baptism]], [[penance]], the [[Eucharist]] and [[Justification (theology)|justification]].{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 239}} The core doctrine in the Ten Articles was [[justification by faith]].{{Sfn| Haigh | 1993 | p = 129}} Justification – which was defined as [[Forgiveness|remission]] of [[sin]] and accepting into God's favour – was through "the only mercy and [[Grace in Christianity|grace]] of the [[God the Father|Father]], promised freely unto us for his Son’s sake [[Jesus Christ]], and the merits of his [[Blood of Christ|blood]] and [[Passion of Jesus|passion]]".{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=161}} [[Good works]] would follow, not precede, justification. However, the Lutheran influence was diluted with qualifications. Justification was attained "by [[contrition]] and [[Faith in Christianity|faith]] joined with [[Charity (virtue)|charity]]".{{Sfn| Haigh | 1993 | p = 129}} In other words, good works were "necessarily required to the attaining of everlasting life".{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 239}}

To the disappointment of conservatives, only three of the traditional seven [[sacrament]]s were even mentioned (baptism, the Eucharist and penance).{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=161}} The Articles affirm the [[real presence of Christ in the Eucharist]], stating that "under the form and figure of bread and wine ... is verily, substantially and really contained the very self-same body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ".{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 239}} This definition was acceptable to those who held to [[transubstantiation]] or [[sacramental union]], but it clearly condemned [[sacramentarianism]]. More controversially for the reformers, the Articles maintained penance as a sacrament and the [[priest]]'s authority to grant divine [[absolution]] in [[Confession (religion)|confession]].{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 239}}

Articles six to ten focused on secondary issues. Significantly, [[purgatory]], which had been a central concern of medieval religion, was placed in the non-essential articles. On the question of its existence, the Ten Articles were ambiguous. They stated, "the place where [departed souls] be, the name thereof, and kind of pains there" was "uncertain by scripture". [[Prayer for the dead]] and [[Requiem|masses for the dead]] were permitted as arguably relieving the pain of departed souls in purgatory.{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 240}}

The Articles also defended the use of a number of Catholic rituals and practices opposed by Protestants, such as kissing the cross on [[Good Friday]], while mildly criticising popular abuses and excesses. The use of [[Religious images in Christian theology|religious images]] was permitted but people were to be taught not to kneel before them or make [[Votive offering|offerings]] to them. Prayer to [[Mary, mother of Jesus]], and all the other [[saint]]s was permitted as long as [[superstition]] was avoided.{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | pp = 238–239}}

In summary, the Ten Articles asserted:<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.reformationhenryviii.com/1536-ten-articles.html | title = Ten Articles 1536 | website = reformationhenryviii.com | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180803183730/http://www.reformationhenryviii.com/1536-ten-articles.html | archive-date = 3 August 2018 | url-status = live | access-date = 3 August 2018 }}</ref>

# The Bible and the three [[ecumenical creeds]] are the basis and summary of true Christian faith.
# Baptism imparts [[Forgiveness|remission of sins]] and [[Regeneration (theology)|regeneration]] and is necessary for salvation, even in the case of infants. It condemns the opinions of [[Anabaptist]]s and [[Pelagianism|Pelagians]] as [[heresy]].
# The sacrament of [[penance]], with confession and absolution, is necessary to salvation.
# That the body and blood of Christ are [[Real Presence|really present]] in the Eucharist.
# Justification is by faith, but good works are necessary.
# Images can be used as representations of virtue and good example and also to remind people of their sins but are not objects of worship.
# Saints are to be honoured as examples of life and as furthering the prayers of the faithful.
# [[Intercession of saints|Praying to saints]] is permitted, and holy days should be observed.
# The observance of various rites and ceremonies, such as clerical [[vestment]]s, sprinkling of [[holy water]], bearing of candles on [[Candlemas]], giving of ashes on [[Ash Wednesday]], is good and laudable. However, none of these has power to forgive sin.
# It is a good and charitable deed to pray for the dead. However, the doctrine of purgatory is biblically uncertain. Abuses related to purgatory, such as the claim that papal [[indulgence]]s or masses for the dead offered at certain localities (such as the ''[[Santa Maria Scala Coeli|scala coeli]]'' mass) can deliver immediately from purgatory, are to be rejected.

=== ''Bishops' Book'' (1537) ===

[[Image:Thomas-Cranmer.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Thomas Cranmer]] headed the committee that authored the ''Bishop's Book''.]]

The failure of the Ten Articles to settle doctrinal controversy led [[Thomas Cromwell]], the King's [[vicegerent]] in spirituals, to convene a national [[synod]] of bishops and high-ranking clergy for further theological discussion in February 1537.{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|pp=185–186}} This synod produced a book called ''The Institution of the Christian Man'' (popularly called ''The Bishops' Book''), the word ''institution'' being synonymous with ''instruction''.{{Sfn| Blunt | 1878 | p = 444}} ''The Bishops' Book'' preserved the semi-Lutheranism of the Ten Articles, and the articles on justification, purgatory, and the sacraments of baptism, the Eucharist and penance were incorporated unchanged into the new book.{{Sfn | Marshall | 2017 | p = 255}}<ref>''The Institution of A Christen Man'' (Thomas Berthelet, cum privilegio, London 1537), full page views at [https://archive.org/details/institutionofchr00chur/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater Internet Archive].</ref>

When the synod met, conservatives were still angry that four of the traditional seven sacraments ([[confirmation]], marriage, [[holy orders]] and [[extreme unction]]) had been excluded from the Ten Articles. [[John Stokesley]] argued for all seven, while [[Thomas Cranmer]] only acknowledged baptism and the Eucharist. The others divided along party lines. The conservatives were at a disadvantage because they found it necessary to appeal to [[sacred tradition]], which violated Cromwell's instructions that all arguments refer to scripture.{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|pp=187–188}}

In the end, the missing sacraments were restored but placed in a separate section to emphasize "a difference in dignity and necessity." Only baptism, the Eucharist and penance were "instituted of Christ, to be as certain instruments or remedies necessary for our salvation".{{Sfn | Marshall | 2017 | p = 254}} Confirmation was declared to have been introduced by the [[early Church]] in imitation of what they had read about the [[Christian laying on of hands|practice of the Apostles]].{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=189}}

The ''Bishops' Book'' also included expositions on the creed, the [[Ten Commandments]], the [[Lord's Prayer]] and [[Hail Mary]].{{Sfn| Blunt | 1878 | p = 446}} These were greatly influenced by [[William Marshall (translator)|William Marshall]]'s primer (an English-language [[book of hours]]) of 1535, which itself was influenced by Luther's writings.{{Sfn | Marshall | 2017 | p = 256}} Following Marshall, ''The Bishops' Book'' rejected the traditional Catholic numbering of the Ten Commandments, in which the [[Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image|prohibition on making and worshiping graven images]] was part of the first commandment, "[[Thou shalt have no other gods before me]]". In agreement with the [[Eastern Orthodox]] and [[Huldrych Zwingli]]'s church at Zurich, the authors of the ''Bishops' Book'' adopted the Jewish tradition of separating these commandments. While allowing images of Christ and the saints, the exposition on the second commandment taught against representations of [[God the Father]] and criticised those who "be more ready with their substance to deck dead images gorgeously and gloriously, than with the same to help poor Christian people, the quick and lively [[Image of God|images of God]]".{{Sfn | Marshall | 2017 | p = 256}} Such teachings encouraged [[iconoclasm]], which would become a feature of the English Reformation.{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=192}}

The list of the 46 divines as they appear in the ''Bishop's Book'' included all of the [[bishop]]s, eight [[archdeacon]]s and 17 other [[Doctor of Divinity|Doctors of Divinity]], some of whom were later involved with translating the [[Great Bible|Bible]] and compiling the ''[[Book of Common Prayer]]'':{{Sfn| Blunt | 1878 | p = 445}}

[[Thomas Cranmer]] –
[[Edward Lee, Archbishop of York|Edward Lee]] –
[[John Stokesley]] –
[[Cuthbert Tunstall]] –
[[Stephen Gardiner]] –
[[Robert Aldrich, Bishop of Carlisle|Robert Aldrich]] –
[[John Voysey]] –
[[John Longland]] –
[[John Clerk, Bishop of Bath and Wells|John Clerk]] –
[[Rowland Lee (bishop)|Rowland Lee]] –
[[Thomas Goodrich]] –
[[Nicholas Shaxton]] –
[[John Bird (Bishop)|John Bird]] –
[[Edward Foxe]] –
[[Hugh Latimer]] –
[[John Hilsey]] –
[[Richard Sampson]] –
[[William Repps]] –
[[William Barlowe]] –
[[Robert Partew]] –
[[Robert Holgate]] –
[[Richard Wolman]] –
[[William Knight (royal servant)|William Knight]] –
[[John Bell, Bishop of Worcester|John Bell]] –
[[Edmund Bonner|Edmond Bonner]] –
[[William Skip]] –
[[Nicholas Heath]] –
[[Cuthbert Marshal]] –
[[Richard Curren]] –
[[William Cliffe]] –
[[William Downes (divine)|William Downes]] –
[[Robert Oking]] –
[[Ralph Bradford]] –
[[Richard Smyth (Regius Professor)|Richard Smyth]] –
[[Simon Matthew]] –
[[John Pryn]] –
[[William Buckmaster]] –
[[William May (theologian)|William May]] –
[[Nicholas Wotton]] –
[[Richard Cox (bishop)|Richard Cox]] –
[[John Edmunds (academic)|John Edmunds]] –
[[Thomas Robertson (divine)|Thomas Robertson]] –
[[John Baker (English statesman)|John Baker]] –
[[Thomas Barett]] –
[[John Hase]] –
[[John Tyson (divine)|John Tyson]]

In August 1537, it was presented to the King who ordered that parts should be read from the pulpit every Sunday and feast day. Nevertheless, the King was not entirely satisfied and took it upon himself to make a revised ''Bishops' Book'', which, among other proposed changes,<ref>{{Harvnb| Marshall | 2017 | pp = 257–258}}: "Most notoriously, [Henry VIII] took it upon himself to improve the wording of both the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer. He wanted the final petition of the latter to read 'and suffer us not to be led into temptation' (rather than 'lead us not into temptation'). And he amended the First Commandment ('Thou shalt have none other gods but me') to read 'Thou shalt not have nor repute any other God, or gods, but me Jesu Christ.'"</ref> weakened the original's emphasis on justification by faith. This revised version was never published.{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 259}} Because the ''Bishops' Book'' was never authorised by the Crown or Convocation, the Ten Articles remained the official doctrinal standard of the Church of England.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=17}}

===Six Articles (1539)===
[[File:The Act of Six Articles 1539.jpg|thumb|right|One of the final drafts of the Six articles (1539), amended in King Henry VIII's own hand]]
Fearful of diplomatic isolation and a Catholic alliance, Henry VIII continued his outreach to the Lutheran [[Schmalkaldic League]].
In May 1538, three Lutheran theologians from Germany – Franz Burchard, vice-chancellor of Saxony; Georg von Boineburg, doctor of law; and [[Friedrich Myconius]], [[Superintendent (ecclesiastical)|superintendent]] of the church in [[Gotha]] – arrived in London and held conferences with English bishops and clergy at the archbishop's [[Lambeth Palace]] through September.<ref>{{Harvnb|MacCulloch|1996|pp=215–216}}: The English delegation included Cranmer, as chairman, and Nicholas Heath for the Protestant side. The conservatives included Bishops Sampson and Stokesley along with [[George Day (bishop)|George Day]] and [[Nicholas Wilson (parson)|Nicholas Wilson]]. Bishop Tunstall was involved in negotiations as well.</ref>

The Germans presented, as a basis of agreement, a number of articles based on the Lutheran Confession of Augsburg. Bishops [[Cuthbert Tunstall|Tunstall]], [[John Stokesley|Stokesley]] and others were not won over by these Protestant arguments and did everything they could to avoid agreement. They were willing to separate from Rome, but their plan was to unite with the [[Greek Orthodox Church|Greek Church]] and not with the Protestants on the continent.{{sfn|d'Aubigné|1972|p=}} The bishops also refused to eliminate what the Germans considered abuses (e.g. private masses for the dead, compulsory [[clerical celibacy]], and withholding [[communion wine]] from the [[laity]]) allowed by the English Church.{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=219}} Stokesley considered these customs to be essential because the Greek Church practised them.{{sfn|d'Aubigné|1972|p=}} As the King was unwilling to break with these practices, the Germans had all left England by 1 October.{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=221}}

Meanwhile, England was in religious turmoil. Impatient Protestants took it upon themselves to further reform – some priests said mass in English rather than Latin and married without authorisation (Archbishop Cranmer was himself secretly married). Protestants themselves were divided between establishment reformers who held Lutheran beliefs upholding the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and radicals who held [[Anabaptist]] and [[Sacramentarian]] views denying real presence.{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | pp = 269–270}} In May 1539, a new Parliament met, and [[Lord Chancellor]] [[Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Walden|Audley]] told the [[House of Lords]] that the King desired religious uniformity. A committee of four conservative and four reformist bishops was appointed to examine and determine doctrine.<ref>{{Harvnb| Marshall | 2017 | p = 273}}: The committee was headed by Cromwell, the vicegerent, and the bishops included Cranmer and his Protestant allies – Latimer, Goodrich, Salcot – and their traditionalist counterparts Lee, Tunstall, Clerk and Robert Aldrich of Carlisle.</ref> On 16 May, the [[Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk|Duke of Norfolk]] noted that the committee had not agreed on anything and proposed that the Lords examine six controversial doctrinal questions that became the basis of the Six Articles:

#whether the Eucharist could be the true body of Christ without transubstantiation,
#whether it needed to be given to the laity [[Communion under both kinds|under both kinds]],
#whether [[Religious vows|vows]] of [[chastity]] needed to be observed as part of divine law,
#whether clerical celibacy should be compulsory,
#whether [[Votive Mass|private (votive) masses]] were required (legitimate) by divine law,
#whether auricular [[Confession (religion)|confession]] (that is, confession to a priest) was necessary as part of divine law.{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 275}}{{sfn|Ridley|2013|p=180}}

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title = Statute of the Six Articles
| type = Act
| parliament = Parliament of England
| long_title = An Act for abolishing of Diversity of Opinions of certain Articles concerning Christian Religion.
| year = 1539
| citation = [[31 Hen. 8]]. c. 14
| territorial_extent = [[England and Wales]]
| royal_assent = 28 June 1539
| commencement = 28 April 1539{{efn|Start of session.}}
| repeal_date = 4 November 1547
| amends =
| replaces = [[Suppression of Heresy Act 1414]]
| amendments =
| repealing_legislation = [[Treason Act 1547]]
| related_legislation =
| status = Repealed
| original_text = https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=pst.000017915533&view=1up&seq=510
}}
Over the next month, these questions were argued in Parliament and Convocation with the active participation of the King. The final product was an affirmation of traditional teachings on all but the sixth question. Communion in one kind, compulsory clerical celibacy, vows of chastity and votive masses were a legitimate form.{{Sfn| Haigh | 1993 | p = 153}} Protestants achieved a minor victory on auricular confession, which was declared "expedient and necessary to be retained" but not required by divine law. In addition, although the real presence was affirmed in traditional terminology, the word ''transubstantiation'' itself did not appear in the final version.{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 275}}<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Documents/act_six_articles.htm | title = The Act of the Six Articles | date = 1539 | website = tudorplace.com.ar | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180912225855/http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Documents/act_six_articles.htm | archive-date = 2018-09-12 | url-status = live | access-date = 1 December 2018}}. The article on the Eucharist defines the real presence in these terms: "First, that in the most blessed Sacrament of the Altar, by the strength and efficacy of Christ's mighty word, it being spoken by the priest, is present really, under the form of bread and wine, the natural body and blood of Our Saviour Jesu Christ, conceived of the Virgin Mary, and that after the consecration there remaineth no substance of bread and wine, nor any other substance but the substance of Christ, God and man".</ref>

The Act of Six Articles became law in June 1539, which, unlike the Ten Articles, gave the Six Articles statutory authority. Harsh penalties were attached to violations of the Articles. Denial of transubstantiation was punished by burning without an opportunity to [[recant]]. Denial of any of the other articles was punished by hanging or life imprisonment.{{Sfn| Haigh | 1993 | p = 153}} Married priests had until 12 July to put away their wives, which was likely a concession granted to give Archbishop Cranmer time to move his wife and children outside of England.{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=249}} After the act's passage, bishops Latimer and Shaxton, outspoken opponents of the measure, were forced to resign their dioceses.{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=251}} The Act of Six Articles was repealed by the [[Treason Act 1547]] ([[1 Edw. 6]]. c. 12) during the reign of Henry's son, [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]].{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 312}}

===''King's Book'' (1543)===
When Parliament re-convened in April 1540, a committee was formed to revise the ''Bishops' Book'', which Henry VIII had never liked. The committee's membership included both traditionalists and reformers, but the former held the majority.{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 279}} Convocation began discussing the revised text in April 1543. The ''King's Book'', or ''The Necessary Doctrine and Erudition for Any Christian Man'' to use its formal title,<ref>''The Necessary Doctrine and Erudition for Any Christen Man'' (Thomas Barthelet, King's Printer, London 1543), full page views at [https://archive.org/details/necessarydoctrin00chur/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater Internet Archive].</ref> was more traditional than the 1537 version and incorporated many of the King's own revisions. It was approved by a [[Magnum Concilium|special meeting of the nobility]] on 6 May and differed from the ''Bishop's Book'' in having been issued under the King's authority. It was also statutorily enforced by the [[Act for the Advancement of True Religion]].{{Sfn| Haigh | 1993 | pp = 160–161}} Because of its royal authorisation, the ''King's Book'' officially replaced the Ten Articles as the official doctrinal statement of the Church of England.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=18}}

Significantly, the doctrine of justification by faith ''alone'' was totally rejected. Cranmer tried to save the doctrine by arguing that while true faith was accompanied by good works (in other words, faith was not ''alone'') it was only faith that justified. However, Henry would not be persuaded, and the text was amended to read that faith justified "neither only nor alone".{{Sfn| Haigh | 1993 | p = 160}} It also stated that each person had free will to be "a worker ... in the attaining of his own justification".{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 288}} The ''King's Book'' also endorsed traditional views of the mass, transubstantiation, confession, and Church ceremonies.{{Sfn| Haigh | 1993 | p = 160}} The traditional seven sacraments were all included without any distinction in importance made between them. It was taught that the second commandment did not forbid images but only "godly honour" being given to them. Looking at images of Christ and the saints "provoked, kindled and stirred to yield thanks to Our Lord".{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | pp = 288–289}}

The one area in which the ''King's Book'' moved away from traditional teaching was on prayer for the dead and purgatory. It taught that no one could know whether prayers or masses for the dead benefited an individual soul, and it was better to offer prayers for "the universal congregation of Christian people, quick and dead". People were encouraged to "abstain from the name of purgatory, and no more dispute or reason thereof".{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 289}} Presumably, the hostility towards purgatory derived from its connection to papal authority. The King's own behavior sent mixed signals. In 1540, he allowed offerings for the souls of deceased [[Knights of the Garter]] to be spent on works of charity instead of masses. At the same time, however, he required the new cathedral foundations to pray for the soul of [[Jane Seymour|Queen Jane]]. Perhaps because of the uncertainty surrounding this doctrine, bequests in wills for [[Chantry|chantries]], [[Obiit|obits]] and masses fell by half what they had been in the 1520s.{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 289}}

===Forty-two Articles (1553)===
{{main|Forty-two Articles}}
Henry VIII was succeeded by his son, [[Edward VI]], in 1547. During Edward's reign, the Church of England adopted a stronger Protestant identity. The [[Book of Common Prayer (1549)|''Book of Common Prayer'' of 1549]] authorised a reformed liturgy, and the [[Book of Common Prayer (1552)|1552 ''Book of Common Prayer'']] was even more explicitly Protestant. To make the English Church fully Protestant, Cranmer also envisioned a [[Reformatio legum ecclesiasticarum|reform of canon law]] and the creation of a concise doctrinal statement, which would become the Forty-two Articles.{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=500}} Work on a doctrinal statement was delayed by Cranmer's efforts to forge a doctrinal consensus among the various Protestant churches to counter the work of the Catholic [[Council of Trent]]. When this proved impossible, Cranmer turned his attention to defining what the Church of England believed.{{Sfn|Heal|2003|p=310}}

In late 1552 the first edition of the confession was produced in the form of the Forty-Five Articles that Cranmer submitted for comment and revision, and which were approved by Parliament in June of 1553 by which time their number had been reduced to the [[Forty-two Articles]] which were drafted by Cranmer and a small group of fellow Protestants. The title page claimed that the articles were approved by Convocation when in reality they were never discussed or adopted by the clerical body. They were also never approved by Parliament.{{Sfn | Marshall | 2017 | p = 353}} The articles were issued by Royal Mandate on 19 June 1553. All clergy, schoolmasters and members of the universities were required to subscribe to them.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|1997|p=625}} The theology of the articles has been described by some as a "restrained" [[Calvinism]].{{Sfn| Haigh | 1993 | p = 181}}{{sfn|Bray|2004|p=284}} Others point to a much stronger Lutheran influence.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hall|first=Basil|date=1993b|editor-last1=Ayris|editor-first1=Paul |editor-last2=Selwyn|editor-first2=David|title=Thomas Cranmer: Churchman and Scholar|publisher=The Boydell Press|chapter=Cranmer, the Eucharist and the Foreign Divines in the Reign of Edward VI|isbn=0-85115-549-9}}</ref>

== Development ==
Edward died in 1553. With the coronation of [[Mary I|Mary I]] and the reunion of the Church of England with the Catholic Church, the articles were never enforced. However, after Mary's death, they became the basis of the Thirty-nine Articles.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|1997|p=625}} In 1563, Convocation met under [[Matthew Parker|Archbishop Parker]] to revise the articles.{{sfn|Moyes|1913}} Convocation passed only 39 of the 42, and Elizabeth reduced the number to 38 by throwing out Article 29 to avoid offending her subjects with Catholic leanings.{{sfn|Moyes|1913}} In 1571, despite the opposition of Bishop [[Edmund Gheast]], Article 29 was re-inserted, declaring that the wicked do not eat the Body of Christ.{{sfn|Wilson|Templeton|1962|p=}} This was done following the queen's [[excommunication]] by the [[Pope Pius V|Pope Pius V]] in 1570. That act destroyed any hope of reconciliation with Rome and it was no longer necessary to fear that Article 29 would offend Catholic sensibilities.{{sfn|Wilson|Templeton|1962|p=}} The Articles, increased to Thirty-nine, were ratified by the Queen, and the bishops and clergy were required to assent.{{sfn|Moyes|1913}}

==Content==
[[Image:Elizabeth1England.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]], in whose reign the Thirty-nine Articles were passed]]

The Thirty-nine Articles were intended to establish, in basic terms, the faith and practice of the Church of England.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|pp=5, 8}} While not designed to be a creed or complete statement of the Christian faith, the articles explain the doctrinal position of the Church of England in relation to [[Calvinism]], as well as Catholicism and [[Anabaptism]].{{Sfn|Cross|Livingstone|1997|p=1611}} According to historian Anthony Milton, "the Thirty-Nine Articles were certainly broadly consistent with the Reformed consensus in doctrinal matters".<ref name="Milton2002">{{cite book |last1=Milton |first1=Anthony |title=Catholic and Reformed: The Roman and Protestant Churches in English Protestant Thought, 1600-1640 |date=9 May 2002 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-89329-9 |page=396 |language=en}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+Thirty-nine Articles
|
1. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity. 
2. Of Christ the Son of God. 
3. Of his going down into Hell. 
4. Of his Resurrection. 
5. Of the Holy Ghost. 
6. Of the Sufficiency of the Scripture. 
7. Of the Old Testament. 
8. Of the Three Creeds. 
9. Of Original or Birth-sin. 
10. Of Free-Will. 
11. Of Justification. 
12. Of Good Works. 
13. Of Works before Justification. 
14. Of Works of Supererogation. 
15. Of Christ alone without Sin. 
16. Of Sin after Baptism. 
17. Of Predestination and Election. 
18. Of obtaining Salvation by Christ. 
19. Of the Church. 
20. Of the Authority of the Church.
|
21. Of the Authority of General Councils. 
22. Of Purgatory. 
23. Of Ministering in the Congregation. 
24. Of speaking in the Congregation. 
25. Of the Sacraments. 
26. Of the Unworthiness of Ministers. 
27. Of Baptism. 
28. Of the Lord's Supper. 
29. Of the Wicked which eat not the Body of Christ. 
30. Of both kinds. 
31. Of Christ's one Oblation. 
32. Of the Marriage of Priests. 
33. Of Excommunicate Persons. 
34. Of the Traditions of the Church. 
35. Of the Homilies. 
36. Of Consecrating of Ministers. 
37. Of Civil Magistrates. 
38. Of Christian men's Goods. 
39. Of a Christian man's Oath.
|}

The Thirty-nine Articles can be divided into eight sections based on their content:{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=88}}

'''Articles 1–5: The Doctrine of God''':
The first five articles articulate the doctrine of God, the [[Holy Trinity]] and the [[Incarnation (Christianity)|incarnation]] of Jesus Christ. This is a departure from other doctrinal statements of the 16th and 17th centuries such as the [[Helvetic Confessions]] and the [[Westminster Confession]], which begin with the doctrine of [[revelation]] and [[Bible|Holy Scripture]] as the source of knowledge about God.{{Sfn|O'Donovan|2011|pp=11–12}}

'''Articles 6–8: Scripture and the Creeds''':
These articles state that Holy Scripture contains everything necessary for [[Salvation in Christianity|salvation]], so that no one can be required to believe any doctrine that cannot be proved on the basis of biblical teaching. The articles acknowledge the authority of the [[Apostles' Creed]], the [[Nicene Creed]] and the [[Athanasian Creed]] because they express Scriptural teaching. It states that the [[Biblical apocrypha|Apocrypha]] is not part of Scripture. While not a basis of doctrine, the Apocrypha continues to be read by the church for moral instruction and examples for holy living.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|pp=230–232}}

'''Articles 9–18: Sin and Salvation''':
These articles discuss the doctrines of [[original sin]] and [[justification by faith]] (salvation is a gift received through [[Faith in Christianity|faith]] in Christ). They reject the medieval Catholic teachings on works of [[supererogation]] and that performing [[good works]] can make a person worthy to receive justification (congruous [[Merit (Christianity)|merit]]). They also reject the radical Protestant teaching that a person could be free from sin in this life.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=294}} The articles address the doctrine of [[predestination]]—that "Predestination to life is the everlasting purpose of God". [[Double predestination]], the belief that God has also predestined some people to [[reprobation]], is not endorsed by the articles.{{Sfn|O'Donovan|2011|p=84}}

'''Articles 19–21: The Church and its Authority''':
These articles explain the nature and authority of the [[visible church]]. They state that the church, under Scripture, has authority over matters of faith and order. General councils of the church can only be called with the permission of the civil authority. It is possible for church councils to reach the wrong decisions, so they should only be followed if their actions align with Scripture.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=393}}

'''Articles 22–24: Errors to be avoided in the Church''':
These articles condemn the Catholic teachings on [[purgatory]], [[indulgences]], the use of religious images and the [[Intercession of saints|invocation of saints]]. In addition, the Catholic practice of using Latin as a [[liturgical language]] is disapproved of in favour of the vernacular. The articles state that no person should preach publicly or administer the sacraments unless they are called and authorised by legitimate church authority.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=424}} This was meant to counter the radical Protestant belief that a Christian could preach and act as a minister on his own initiative in defiance of church authorities.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=441}}

'''Articles 25–31: The Sacraments''':
These articles explain the Church of England's [[Anglican sacraments|sacramental theology]]. According to the articles, [[sacrament]]s are signs of divine grace which God works invisibly but effectively in people's lives. Through sacraments, God creates and strengthens the faith of believers. The radical Protestant belief that sacraments are only outward signs of a person's faith is denied by the articles.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|pp=464–466}} While the Catholic Church claimed [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|seven sacraments]], the articles recognise only two: [[baptism]] and the [[Eucharist|Lord's Supper]].{{Sfn|Davie|2013|pp=468–470}} The five rites called sacraments by Catholics are identified in the articles as either corrupted imitations of the Apostles (confirmation, penance and extreme unction) or as "states of life allowed in the Scriptures" (holy orders and marriage).{{Sfn|Davie|2013|pp=468–470}}

[[Baptismal regeneration|Regeneration]] (or the gift of new life), membership in the church, forgiveness of sins and [[Adoption (theology)|adoption as children of God]] are all received through baptism.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|pp=485–486}} The articles state that [[infant baptism]] is "most agreeable with the institution of Christ" and should continue to be practised in the church.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=489}} In the Lord's Supper, participants become partakers of the body and blood of Christ and receive the spiritual benefits of Christ's death on the cross.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=499}} According to the articles, this partaking should not be understood in terms of the Catholic doctrine of [[transubstantiation]], which is condemned as "repugnant to the plain words of Scripture". Instead, the articles declare that there is no change in the substance of the bread and wine. Rather, participants are fed the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit and through faith.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=500–503}} The articles declare that "The offering of Christ once made is the perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world". This was meant as a repudiation of the popular medieval idea that the Mass was a sacrifice in which Christ was offered for the forgiveness of sins for the living and the dead in purgatory.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|pp=526, 529}}

'''Articles 32–36: The Discipline of the Church''':
The articles defend the practice of [[clerical marriage]] and the church's power of [[excommunication]]. It states that traditions and ceremonies in the church may vary by time and place; national churches can alter or abolish traditions created by human authority. The ''[[Books of Homilies|First and Second Book of Homilies]]'' are said to contain correct doctrine and should be read in church. The articles also defend the ordination rites contained in the [[Edwardine Ordinals|1549 and 1552 Ordinals]].{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=535}}

'''Articles 37–39: Christians and Civil Society''':
The articles affirm the role of the monarch as the [[Supreme Governor of the Church of England]]. It rejects all claims to the Pope's jurisdiction in England. It defends the state's right to use [[capital punishment]] and declares that Christians may serve in the military. It rejects the Anabaptist teaching that the property of Christians should be held in common, but it does explain that Christians should give [[alms]] to the poor and needy. It also defends the morality of oath-taking for civic purposes.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=590}}

== Later history ==
[[File:Book of Common Prayer 1760.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|The 1662 ''Book of Common Prayer'' has long been printed with the Thirty-nine Articles.]]

During the reign of Elizabeth I, a "[[Calvinism in the Church of England|Calvinist consensus]]" developed within the church regarding the doctrines of salvation. Article 17 only endorsed [[Election in Christianity|election]] to salvation and was silent on whether God predestined people for [[reprobation]]; however, most of the bishops and leading churchmen believed in [[Double predestination (Hyper-Calvinist)|double predestination]]. When an [[Arminianism in the Church of England|Arminian]] minority emerged to challenge this consensus, [[Archbishop Whitgift]] issued the [[Lambeth Articles]] in 1595. These did not replace the Thirty-nine Articles but were meant to officially align Article 17 to Calvinist theology. The Queen was unwilling to alter her religious settlement and refused to assent to these new articles.{{Sfn|Marshall|2017b|pp=56 & 60}}

The Thirty-nine Articles are printed in the [[Book of Common Prayer (1662)|1662 ''Book of Common Prayer'']] and other Anglican prayer books. The [[Test Act 1672]] made adherence to the Articles a requirement for holding civil office in England until its repeal in 1828.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}} Students at [[Oxford University]] were still expected to sign up to them until the passing of the [[Oxford University Act 1854]].

In the Church of England, only clergy (and until the 19th century members of Oxford and Cambridge Universities) are required to subscribe to the Articles. Starting in 1865, clergy affirmed that the doctrine contained in the Articles and the ''Book of Common Prayer'' was agreeable to Scripture and that they would not preach in contradiction to it. Since 1975, clergy are required to acknowledge the Articles as one of the historic formularies of the Church of England that bear witness to the faith revealed in Scripture and contained in the creeds.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|1997|p=1611}} The [[Church of Ireland]] has a similar declaration for its clergy, while some other churches of the [[Anglican Communion]] make no such requirement.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2004 |title=Institution of an Incumbent |url=http://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/files/worship/pdf/InstitutionHC.pdf |work=Book of Common Prayer |publisher=[[Church of Ireland]] |pages=24}}</ref> The [[Episcopal Church (United States)|US Episcopal Church]] never required subscription to the Articles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thirty-Nine Articles, or Articles of Religion |url=https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/thirty-nine-articles-or-articles-of-religion/ |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=The Episcopal Church |language=en-US}}</ref>

The influence of the Articles on Anglican thought, doctrine and practice has been profound. The Articles are the confession of faith of the Anglican tradition.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gee |first1=Henry |title=Documents Illustrative of English Church History |date=1896 |publisher=Macmillan and co |location=London |pages=519 |edition=1st}}</ref> In Anglican discourse, the Articles are regularly cited and interpreted to clarify doctrine and practice. An important concrete manifestation of this is the [[Chicago–Lambeth Quadrilateral]], which incorporates Articles VI, VIII, XXV, and XXXVI in its broad articulation of fundamental Anglican identity. In other circumstances they delineate the parameters of acceptable belief and practice in proscriptive fashion. The Articles continue to be invoked today in the Anglican Church. For example, in the ongoing debate over homosexual activity and the concomitant controversies over episcopal authority, Articles VI, XX, XXIII, XXVI, and XXXIV are regularly cited by those of various opinions.

Each of the 44 member churches in the [[Anglican Communion]] is, however, free to adopt and authorise its own official documents, and the Articles are not officially normative in all Anglican Churches (neither is the [[Athanasian Creed]]). The only doctrinal documents agreed upon in the Anglican Communion are the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed of AD 325, and the Chicago–Lambeth Quadrilateral. Beside these documents, authorised liturgical formularies, such as Prayer Book and Ordinal, are normative. The several provincial editions of Prayer Books (and authorised alternative liturgies) are, however, not identical, although they share a greater or smaller amount of family resemblance. No specific edition of the Prayer Book is therefore binding for the entire Communion.

A revised version was adopted in 1801 by the [[US Episcopal Church]] which deleted the Athanasian Creed. Earlier, [[John Wesley]], founder of the [[Methodists]], adapted the Thirty-nine Articles for use by American Methodists in the 18th century. The resulting [[Articles of Religion (Methodist)|Articles of Religion]] remain an official doctrinal statement of the [[United Methodist Church]].

== Interpretation ==
According to theologian [[Henry Chadwick (theologian)|Henry Chadwick]], 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]]'' (Latin: middle path or middle way) between the beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church on the one hand, and those of the Lutheran and Reformed churches on the other hand, thus giving the Church of England a unique middle-of-the-road position. The ''via media'' was expressed so adroitly in the Articles that some Anglican scholars have labelled their content as an early example of the idea that the doctrine of Anglicanism is one of "Reformed Catholicism".{{sfn|Chadwick|1988|p=}}

In 1628 [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] prefixed a royal declaration to the articles, which demands a literal interpretation of them, threatening discipline for academics or churchmen teaching any personal interpretations or encouraging debate about them. It states: "no man hereafter shall either print or preach, to draw the Article aside any way, but shall submit to it in the plain and Full meaning thereof: and shall not put his own sense or comment to be the meaning of the Article, but shall take it in the literal and grammatical sense."<ref>{{Cite web |title=The King's Declaration Prefixed to the Articles of Religion (Nov. 1628) |url=https://history.hanover.edu/texts/engref/er91.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428232645/https://history.hanover.edu/texts/engref/er91.html |archive-date=2022-04-28 |access-date=2022-11-02 |website=history.hanover.edu}}</ref>

However, what the Articles truly mean has been a matter of debate in the Church since before they were issued. The [[Evangelical Anglicanism|evangelical wing]] of the Church has claimed to take the Articles at face value, and to regard them as of utmost importance. In 2003, evangelical Anglican clergyman Chris Pierce wrote:

{{blockquote|The Thirty-Nine Articles define the biblically derived summations of precise Christian doctrine. The Thirty-Nine Articles are more than minimally assented to; they are believed wholeheartedly. In earlier times English and Irish evangelicals would have read Cranmer, [[Nicholas Ridley (martyr)|Ridley]], [[Hugh Latimer|Latimer]], [[James Ussher|Ussher]], and [[J. C. Ryle|Ryle]] and would unreservedly agree with Dean Litton's assessment that (quoted by Dean Paul Zahl, in his work 'The Protestant Face of Anglicanism'), 'The Anglican Church, if she is to be judged by the statements of the Articles, must be ranked among the Protestant Churches of Europe.'{{sfn|Pierce|2003}} }}

This view has never been held by the whole church.{{cn|date=February 2023}} In 1643, [[Archbishop of Armagh (Church of Ireland)|Archbishop of Armagh]] [[John Bramhall]] laid out a broader view of the Articles:

{{blockquote|Some of them are the very same that are contained in the Creed; some others of them are practical truths, which come not within the proper list of points or articles to be believed; lastly, some of them are pious opinions or inferior truths, which are proposed by the Church of England to all her sons, as not to be opposed; not as essentials of Faith necessary to be believed by all Christians ''necessitate medii,'' under pain of damnation.{{sfn|Bramhall|1842|p=355}} }}

This divergence of opinion became overt during the [[Oxford Movement]] of the 19th century. The stipulations of Articles XXV and XXVIII were regularly invoked by evangelicals to oppose the reintroduction of certain beliefs, customs, and acts of piety with respect to the sacraments. In response, [[John Henry Newman]]'s [[Tract 90]] attempted to show that the 39 Articles could be read according to an [[Anglo-Catholic]] interpretation.{{sfn|Newman|1841|p=}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
;Citations
{{Reflist}}

;Sources
{{refbegin|indent=yes}}
* {{cite book | year =1993 | editor-last = Ayris | editor-first = Paul | editor2-last =Selwyn | editor2-first = David | title =Thomas Cranmer: Churchman and Scholar | place = Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK | publisher =[[Boydell & Brewer|The Boydell Press]] | isbn =0-85115-549-9 }}
* {{cite book | last = Blunt | first = John Henry | title = The Reformation of the Church of England: Its History, Principles and Results | publisher = Rivingtons | volume = Part 1 AD 1514–1547 | edition = 4th | year = 1878 | location = London, Oxford, and Cambridge | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=M9UwAQAAMAAJ }}
* {{cite book |last=Bramhall|first=John |title=The Works of Archbishop Bramhall |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O10PAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA355|volume=2|year=1842|publisher=J.H. Parker|location=Oxford|chapter=Schism Guarded}}
* {{cite book|last=Bray|first=Gerald Lewis |title=Documents of the English Reformation 1526-1701 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UGi6WWtzkJYC&pg=PA284|year=2004|publisher=James Clarke & Co. |isbn=978-0-227-17239-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Brown|first=Stephen F. |title=Protestantism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lplJPBYWefcC&pg=PA77|year=2009|publisher=Chelsea House|location=New York|isbn=978-1-60413-112-3}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Sykes|editor-first1=Stephen |editor-last2=Booty|editor-first2=John E. |title=The Study of Anglicanism |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=3XUtAAAAMAAJ |year=1988 |publisher=SPCK/Fortress Press |location=London|isbn=978-0-8006-2087-5 |author-link=Henry Chadwick (theologian)|first=Henry |last=Chadwick|chapter=Tradition, Fathers, and Councils}}
*{{cite book |last=Chapman |first=Mark |title=Anglicanism: A Very Short Introduction |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=RLEL9Xxy9E8C |year=2006 |publisher=OUP |location=Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-157819-9}}
* {{cite book |editor1-first=Frank Leslie |editor1-last=Cross|editor2-first= Elizabeth A. |editor2-last=Livingstone|title=The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church |url = https://archive.org/details/oxforddictionary00late|url-access=registration|edition=3rd|year=1997|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-211655-0 }}
* {{cite book | last = d'Aubigné | first = J. H. Merle | author-link = Jean-Henri Merle d'Aubigné | title = The Reformation in England |volume= 2 Book 3 | publisher = [[Banner of Truth Trust]] | year = 1972 |location = Edinburgh | isbn = 978-0-85151-487-1 }}
* {{cite book | last = Davie | first = Martin | title = Our Inheritance of Faith: A Commentary on the Thirty Nine Articles | publisher = Gilead Books Publishing | year = 2013 | isbn = 978-0956856074}}
* {{cite book |last=Guy |first=John |title=Tudor England |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8JhrQgAACAAJ |year=1990 |publisher=OUP |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-285213-7}}
* {{cite book |last = Haigh | first = Christopher | title = English Reformations: Religion, Politics, and Society Under the Tudors | publisher = Clarendon Press | year= 1993 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=zFmS2ng9z7wC | isbn = 0198221622 }}
* {{cite book|last=Heal|first=Felicity|author-link=Felicity Heal|title=Reformation in Britain and Ireland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5SRANUBTt3AC&pg=PA362|year=2003|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-928015-5}}
* {{cite book | last = MacCulloch | first = Diarmaid | author-link = Diarmaid MacCulloch | title = Thomas Cranmer: A Life | publisher = [[Yale University Press]] | year = 1996 | location = London | isbn = 0-300-06688-0 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/thomascranmerlif0000macc }}.
* {{cite book |via=Church of England |editor-first=Diarmaid |editor-last=MacCulloch |title=The Book of Common Prayer: 1662 Version (includes Appendices from the 1549 Version and Other Commemorations) |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=BHRnQgAACAAJ |series=Issue 241 of Everyman's library |year=1999 |publisher=David Campbell Publishers|isbn=978-1-85715-241-8}}
* {{cite book |author-link = J. D. Mackie|last=Mackie|first= J. D.|title=The Earlier Tudors, 1485–1558|publisher= Oxford Paperbacks |year = 1994 |isbn=0-19-285292-2}}
* {{cite book |last = Marshall |first = Peter | title = Heretics and Believers: A History of the English Reformation | publisher = Yale University Press |year= 2017 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=M7S_DgAAQBAJ |isbn = 978-0300170627 }}
* {{cite book | last = Marshall | first = Peter | chapter = Settlement Patterns: The Church of England, 1553–1603 | year = 2017b | title = The Oxford History of Anglicanism | volume = 1: Reformation and Identity, c. 1520–1662 | editor-last = Milton | editor-first = Anthony | pages = 45–62 | publisher = Oxford University Press | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=1WfODQAAQBAJ | isbn= 9780199639731 }}
* {{cite CE1913 |wstitle = Anglicanism |first=James |last=Moyes |year = 1913 }}
* {{cite book |last=Newman |first=John Henry |author-link=John Henry Newman |title=Remarks on Certain Passages in the Thirty-nine Articles |url = https://archive.org/details/a623832400newmuoft |page = [https://archive.org/details/a623832400newmuoft/page/n6 1] |series=Tract No 90 of Tracts for the Times |year=1841 |publisher=J.G.F. & J. Rivington}}
* {{cite book|last=O'Donovan |first=Oliver |author-link=Oliver O'Donovan |title=On the Thirty Nine Articles: A Conversation with Tudor Christianity |publisher=SCM Press |edition = 2nd |year=2011 |location=London |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8WOmDwAAQBAJ |isbn=9780334047810}}
* {{cite journal |first=Chris |last=Pierce |url = http://archive.churchsociety.org/crossway/documents/Cway_089_Pierce1.pdf |title = A Look across the Pond - A brief analysis of the status of the evangelical Anglicanism in the US and Canada |journal=Cross†way |year=2003 |issue=89 }}
* {{cite book |last=Ridley |first=Jasper |author-link=Jasper Ridley (historian) |title=Thomas Cranmer |url={{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=WiodIjEXpjwC |keywords=importance of auricular confession}} |year=2013 |publisher=Pan Macmillan |isbn=978-1-4472-4128-7 |orig-year=1962 |oclc=398369 }}
*{{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=William Gilbert |last2=Templeton |first2 = J. H. |title=Anglican Teaching: An Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=N6a9GAAACAAJ |year=1962 |publisher=[[Association for Promoting Christian Knowledge]] |location=Dublin }}
* {{cite encyclopedia |title = Wittenberg Articles |encyclopedia = Christian Cyclopedia |publisher = Concordia Publishing House |year = 2000 |access-date = 3 August 2018 |url = http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/display.asp?t1=w&word=WITTENBERGARTICLES |ref= {{harvid|"Wittenberg Articles"}} }}
{{refend}}

;Further reading
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Bicknell|first=Edward John|title=A theological introduction to the Thirty-nine articles of the Church of England|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GU-gAAAAMAAJ|year=1919|publisher=Longmans|location=London}}
* {{cite book|last=Boultbee|first=Thomas Pownall|title=A Commentary on the Thirty-nine Articles: Forming an Introduction to the Theology of the Church of England|url=https://archive.org/details/acommentaryonth00boulgoog|year=1877|publisher=Longmans}}
* {{cite book|last=Denison|first=Edward|author-link=Edward Denison (bishop)|date=1835|title=A Review of the State of the Question respecting the Admission of Dissenters to the Universities|location=London|publisher=John Cochran|title-link=s:A Review of the State of the Question respecting the Admission of Dissenters to the Universities}}
* {{cite book|last=Douglas|first=Brian|title=A Companion to Anglican Eucharistic Theology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jW2uOx2kHrYC&pg=PA234|volume=1: The Reformation to the 19th Century|year=2011|publisher=Brill|location=Leiden|isbn=978-90-04-21930-4|pages=234–246}}
* {{cite book|last=Gibson|first=Edgar Charles Sumner|title=The Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England Explained...|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JwNKAAAAMAAJ|year=1908|publisher=Methuen & Company}}
* {{cite book|last=Kirby|first=Torrance|chapter=The Articles of Religion of the Church of England (1563/71), commonly called the Thirty-Nine Articles.|editor1-first=Andreas|editor1-last=Mühling|editor2-first=Peter|editor2-last=Opitz|title=Reformierte Bekenntnisschriften|volume=Band 2/1, 1559-1563|pages=371–410|location=Neukirchen-Vluyn|publisher=Neukirchener Verlag|date=2009}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Redworth|first1=Glyn|title=A Study in the Formulation of Policy: The Genesis and Evolution of the Act of Six Articles|journal=The Journal of Ecclesiastical History|volume=37|issue=1|year=2011|pages=42–67|issn=0022-0469|doi=10.1017/S0022046900031900|s2cid=162584862 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Wikisource-multi|Book of Common Prayer (1863)/Articles of Religion|t1=Thirty-nine Articles of Religion|Book of Common Prayer (ECUSA)/Historical Documents of the Church/Articles of Religion|t2=Articles of Religion of the Episcopal Church}}
* [https://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/tenarticles.htm The Ten Articles of 1536]
* [http://www.theologian.org.uk/church/39articles.html Audio version of the 39 Articles in MP3 format]
* [https://www.eskimo.com/~lhowell/bcp1662/articles/articles.html Articles of Religion], text of the 1571 version
* [https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/book-common-prayer/articles-religion Articles of Religion] Church of England website
* [http://www.justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/england.htm Anglican Communion resources relating to the ''Book of Common Prayer'', including the articles of religion]
** [http://www.justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/1662/articles.pdf Facsimile of a 1762 printing] from the above site
* [https://gavvie.tripod.com/39articles/articles.html Original text in Latin and in English]
* [https://anglicansonline.org/basics/thirty-nine_articles.html Revised 1801 version] adopted by the US Episcopal Church
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071024070704/http://www.tlogical.net/irish.htm Irish Articles of 1615]
* {{Librivox book |stitle=The Reformation Collection Volume 2 |dtitle=The Ten Articles and The Six Articles}}

{{Reformed confessions}}
{{Intermediates between Catholicism and Protestantism}}

[[Category:16th-century Christian texts]]
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[[Category:Anglicanism]]
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[[Category:Book of Common Prayer]]
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[[Category:History of the Church of England]]
[[Category:Reformed confessions of faith]]

Ten Articles

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The '''Ten Articles''' of 1536 (formally titled: '''Articles devised by the King's Highness Majesty to stablish Christian quietness and unity among us''') were the first official doctrinal statement of the Anglicanism after its break with Rome. They were issued under the authority of King [[Henry VIII]], who directed their creation to establish doctrinal unity. Adopted by Convocation (the church assembly) in July 1536 at Henry's insistence, they reflected a compromise: mildly Reformed in tone (influenced by negotiations with Lutheran princes) but largely conservative, affirming only three sacraments (baptism, Eucharist, and penance) while addressing topics like justification, images, and purgatory. While some historical accounts suggest involvement or compilation by figures like Archbishop [[Thomas Cranmer]] (a key reformer under Henry), primary responsibility and authorship are attributed to Henry VIII himself, often in collaboration with advisors like [[Thomas Cromwell]] and a committee of divines. They were superseded by later documents, before evolving toward the Thirty-Nine Articles.

== Text of the Ten Articles ==

=== The Preface ===
Henry the VIII. by the grace of God king of England and of France defender of the faith lord of Ireland and in earth supreme head of the Church of England to all and singular our most loving, faithful, and obedient subjects, greeting.

Among other cures appertaining unto this our princely office, whereunto it hath pleased Almighty God of his infinite mercy and goodness to call us, we have always esteemed and thought, like as we also yet esteem and think, that it most chiefly belongeth unto our said charge diligently to foresee and cause, that not only the most holy word and commandments of God should most sincerely be believed, and most reverently be observed and kept of our subjects, but also that unity and concord in opinion, namely in such things as doth concern our religion, may increase and go forthward, and all occasion of dissent and discord touching the same be repressed and utterly extinguished.

For the which cause, we being of late, to our great regret, credibly advertised of such diversity in opinions, as have grown and sprung in this our realm, as well concerning certain articles necessary to our salvation, as also touching certain other honest and commendable ceremonies, rites, and usages now of long time used and accustomed in our churches, for conservation of an honest policy and decent and seemly order to be had therein, minding to have that unity and agreement established through our said Church concerning the premises, and being very desirous to eschew not only the dangers of souls, but also the outward unquietness which by occasion of the said diversity in opinions (if remedy were not provided) might perchance have ensued, have not only in our own person at many times taken great pains, study, labours, and travails, but also have caused our bishops, and other the most discreet and best learned men of our clergy of this our whole realm, to be assembled in our convocation, for the full debatement and quiet determination of the same. Where, after long and mature deliberation, and disputations had of and upon the premises, finally they have concluded and agreed upon the most special points and articles, as well such as be commanded of God, and are necessary to our salvation, as also divers other matters touching the honest ceremonies and good and politic orders, as is aforesaid, which their determination, debatement, and agreement, for so much as we think to have proceeded of a good, right, and true judgment, and to be agreeable to the laws and ordinances of God, and much profitable for the establishment of that charitable concord and unity in our Church of England, which we most desire, we have caused the same to be published, willing, requiring, and commanding you, to accept, repute, and take them accordingly. And further we most heartily desire and pray Almighty God, that it may please him so to illumine your hearts, that you and every of you may have no less desire, zeal, and love to the said unity and concord, in reading, divulging, and following the same, than we have had, and have in causing them to be thus devised, set forth, and published.

And, for because we would the said Articles and every of them should be taken and understanden of you after such sort, order, and degree, as appertaineth accordingly, we have caused, by the like assent and agreement of our said bishops and other learned men, the said Articles to be divided into two sorts ; whereof the one part containeth such as be commanded expressly by God, and be necessary to our salvation ; and the other containeth such things as have been of a long continuance for a decent order and honest policy, prudently instituted and used in the churches of our realm, and be for that same purpose and end to be observed and kept accordingly, although they be not expressly commanded of God, nor necessary to our salvation. Wherefore we will and require you to accept the same, after such sort as we have here prescribed them unto you, and to con- form yourselves obediently unto the same. Whereby you

shall not only attain that most charitable unity and loving concord, whereof shall ensue your incomparable commodity, profit, and lucre, as well spiritual as other, but also you shall not a little encourage us to take further travails, pains, and labours for your commodities, in all such other matters as in time to come may happen to occur, and as it shall be most to the honour of God, the profit, tranquillity, and quietness of all you our most loving subjects.

=== I. The principle articles concerning our Faith ===
''First,'' As touching the chief and principal Articles of our VIII. Faith, it is thus agreed, as hereafter followeth, by the whole clergy of this our realm. We will, that all bishops and preachers shall instruct and teach our people by us committed to their spiritual charge, that they ought and must most constantly believe and defend all those things to lie true which be comprehended in the whole body and canon of the Bible; and also in the three creeds or symbols, whereof one was made by the apostles, and is the common Creed which every man useth: the second was made 'by the council of Nice, and is said daily in the mass: and the third was made by Athanasius, and is comprehended in the Psalm, ''Quicunque vult.'' And that they ought and must take and interpret all the same things, according to the selfsame sentence and interpretation, which the words of the selfsame creeds or symbols do purport, and the holy approved doctrines of the church do intreat and defend the same.

''Item,'' That they ought and must repute, hold, and take all the same things for the most holy, most sure, and most certain and infallible words of God, and such as neither ought ne can be altered, or convelled by any contrary opinion or authority.

''Item,'' That they ought and must believe, repute, and take all the articles of our faith contained in the said creeds to be so necessary to be believed for man's salvation. That, whosoever being taught will not believe them, as is aforesaid, or will obstinately affirm the contrary of them; he, or they, cannot be the very members of Christ, and his spouse the church, but be very infidels or heretics, and members of the devil, with whom they shall perpetually be damned.

''Item,'' That they ought and must most reverently and religiously observe and keep the selfsame words, according to the very same form and manner of speaking, as the A.D. 1536. articles of our faith be already conceived and expressed in said creeds, without altering in any wise, or varying from the same.

''Item,'' That they ought and must utterly refuse and condemn all those opinions contrary to the said articles, which were of long time passed, condemned in the four holy councils, that is to say, in the council of Nice, Constantinople, Ephesus, and Chalcedon, and all other since that time in any point consonant to the same.

=== II. The Sacrament of Baptism. ===
''Secondly,'' As touching the holy sacrament of baptism, we will, that all bishops and preachers shall instruct and teach our people committed by us unto their spiritual charge, that they ought, and must of necessity believe certainly all those things which have been always by the whole consent of the church approved, received, and used in the sacrament of baptism; that is to say, that the sacrament of baptism was instituted and ordained in the New Testament by our Saviour Jesus Christ, as a thing necessary for the attaining of everlasting life, according to the saying of Christ.No man can enter into the kingdom of heaven, except he be born again of water and the Holy Ghost.

''Item,'' That it is offered unto all men, as well infants as such as have the use of reason, that by baptism they shall have remission of sins, and the grace and favour of God, according to the saying of n Christ, Whosoever believeth and is baptized ah all be saved.

''Item,'' That the promise of grace and everlasting life (which promise is adjoined unto this sacrament of baptism) pertaineth not only unto such as have the use of reason, but also to infants, innocents, and children: and, that they ought therefore, and must needs be baptized; and, that by the sacrament of baptism they do also obtain remission of their sins, the grace and favour of God, and be made thereby the very sons and children of God. Insomuch as

infants and children dying in their infancy shall undoubtedly be saved thereby, and else not.

''Item,'' That infants must needs be christened, because they be born in original sin, which sin must needs be remitted, which cannot be done but by the sacrament of baptism, whereby they receive the Holy Ghost, which exerciseth his grace and efficacy in them, and cleanseth and purifieth them from sin by his most secret virtue and operation.

''Item,'' That children or men, once baptized, can, ne ought ever to be baptized again.

''Item,'' That they ought to repute and take all the Anabaptists and the Pelagians opinions, contrary to the premises, and every other man's opinion agreeable unto the said Anabaptists' or the Pelagians' opinions in this behalf, for detestable heresies, and utterly to be condemned.

''Item,'' That men or children having the use of reason, and willing and desiring to be baptized, shall by the virtue of that holy sacrament obtain the grace and remission of all their sins, if they shall come thereunto perfectly and truly repentant, and contrite of all their sins before committed: and also perfectly and constantly confessing and believing all the articles of our faith, according as it was mentioned in the first article.

''And finally,'' If they shall also have firm credence and trust in the promise of God adjoined to the said sacrament, that is to say, that in and by this said sacrament which they shall receive, God the Father giveth onto them, for his Son Jesus Christ's sake, remission of all their sins, and the grace of the Holy Ghost, whereby they be newly regenerated, and made the very children of God, according to the saying of "St. John, and 'the apostle St. Peter, Do penance for your sins, and be each of you baptized in the name of Jesu Christ, and you shall obtain remission of your sins, and shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. And according also to the saying of St. Paul, God hath not saved us for the works of justice which we have done, but by His mercy by baptism, and renovation of the Holy Ghost, whom he hath poured out upon us most plentifully, for the love of Jesu Christ our Saviour, to the intent that we being justified by his grace, should be made the inheritors of everlasting life, according to our hope.

=== III. The Sacrament of Penance. ===
''Thirdly,'' Concerning the sacrament of penance, we will, that all bishops and preachers shall instruct and teach our people committed by us unto their spiritual charge, that they ought and must constantly believe, that that sacrament was institute of Christ in the New Testament as a thing so necessary for man's salvation, that no man, which after his baptism is fallen again, and hath committed deadly sin, can without the same be saved, or attain everlasting life.

''Item,'' That like as such men, which after baptism do fall again into sin, if they do not penance in this life shall undoubtedly be damned ; even so, whensoever the same men shall convert themselves from their naughty life, and do such penance for the same as Christ requireth of them, they shall without doubt attain remission of their sins, and shall be saved.

''Item,'' That a the sacrament of perfect penance, which' Christ requireth of such manner persons, consisted of three parts; that is to say, contrition, confession, band the amendment of the former life, and a new obedient reconciliation unto the laws and will of God; that is to say, exterior acts in works of charity, according as they be commanded of God, which be called in scripture, ''the worthy fruits of penance.''

''Furthermore,'' As touching contrition, which is the first part, we will, that all bishops and preachers shall instruct and teach our people committed by us unto their spiritual charge, that the said contrition consisteth in two special parts, which must always be conjoined together, and cannot be dissevered; that is to say, the penitent and contrite man must first knowledge the filthiness and abomination of his own sin, unto which knowledge he is brought by hearing and considering of the will of God- declared in his laws; and feeling and perceiving in his own conscience that God is angry and displeased with him for the same. He must also conceive not only great sorrow and inward shame that he hath so grievously offended God, but also great fear of God's displeasure towards him, considering he hath no works or merits of his own, which he may worthily lay before God, as sufficient satisfaction for his sins. Which done, then afterward with this fear, shame and sorrow must needs succeed and be conjoined the second part, that is to wit, a certain faith, trust and confidence of the mercy and goodness of God, whereby the penitent must conceive certain hope and faith that God will forgive him his sins, and repute him justified, and of the number of his elect children, not for the worthiness of any merit or work done by the penitent, but for the only merits of the blood and passion of our Saviour Jesu Christ.

''Item,'' That this certain faith and hope is gotten, and also confirmed and made more strong by the applying of Christ's words and promises of his grace and favour contained in his gospel, and the sacraments instituted by him in the New Testament. And therefore to attain this certain faith, the second part of penance is necessary, that is to say, confession to a priest, if it may be had; for the absolution given by the priest was institute of Christ to apply the promises of God's grace and favour to the penitent.

''Wherefore,'' As touching confession, we will, that all bishops and preachers shall instruct and teach our people committed by us to their spiritual charge, that they ought, and must certainly believe, that the words of absolution pronounced by the priest be spoken by the authority given to him by Christ in the Gospel.

''Item,'' That they ought and must give no less faith and credence to the same words of absolution, so pronounced by the ministers of the church, than they would give unto the very words and voice of God himself, if he should speak unto us out of heaven, according to the saying of Christ, Who so ever heareth you heareih me.

''Item,'' That in nowise they do contemn this auricular confession, which is made unto the ministers of the church, but that they ought to repute the same as a 'very expedient and necessary mean, whereby they may require and ask this absolution at the priest's hands, at such time as they shall find their conscience grieved with mortal sin, and have occasion so to do; to the intent they may thereby attain certain comfort and consolation of their consciences.

As touching the third part of penance, we will, that all bishops and preachers shall instruct and teach our people committed by us to their spiritual charge, that although Christ and his death be the sufficient oblation, sacrifice, satisfaction, and recompense, for the which God the Father forgiveth and remitteth to all sinners, not only their sin, but also eternal pain due for the same; yet all men truly penitent, contrite and confessed, must needs also bring forth the fruits of penance, that is to say, prayer, fasting, alms deeds: and must make restitution or satisfaction in will and deed to their neighbours in such things as they have done them wrong and injury in, and also must do all other good works of mercy and charity, and express their obedient will in the executing and fulfilling of God's commandments outwardly, when time, power, and occasion shall be ministered unto them, or else they shall never be saved. For this is the express precept and commandment of God, Do you the ... worthy fruits of penance. And St. Paul saith, Like as in . times past you have given and applied yourselves, and all the members of your body, to all filthy living and wickedness, continually increasing the same; in like manner now you must give and apply yourselves wholly to justice, increasing continually in purity and cleanness of life. And in another place he saith, I chastise and subdue my carnal body, and the affections of the same, and make them obedient unto the spirit.

''Item,'' That these precepts and works of charity be necessary works to our salvation, and God necessarily requireth that every penitent man shall perform the same whensoever time, power, and occasion shall be ministered unto them so to do.

''Item,'' That by penance, and such good works of the same, we shall not only obtain everlasting life, but also we shall deserve remission or mitigation of these present pains and afflictions in this world, according to the saying of St. Paul, if we would correct and take punishment of ourselves we should not be so grievously corrected of God. And Zacharias the prophet saith, Turn yourselves unto me, and I will turn again unto you. And the prophet Esay saith, Break and deal thy bread unto the hungry, bring into thy house the poor man, and such as want harbour. When thou seest a naked man, give him clothes to cover him with, and refuse not to succour and help the poor and needy, for he is thine own flesh. And if thou wilt thus do, then shall thy light glister out as bright as the sun in the morning, and thy health shall sooner arise unto thee, and thy justice shall go before thy face, and the glory of God shall gather thee up, that thou shalt not fall. And whensoever thou shalt call upon God, shall hear thee: and whensoever thou shalt cry unto God, God shall say, Lo! here I am ready to help thee. Then shall thy light overcome all darkness, and thy darkness shall be as bright as the sun at noondays: and then God shall give unto thee continual rest, and shall fulfil thy soul with brightness; and shall deliver thy body from adversity: and then thou shalt be like a garden that most plentifully bringeth forth all kind of fruits, and like the well-spring that never shall want water.

These things, and such other, should be continually taught and inculcated into the ears of our people, to the intent to stir and provoke them unto good works, and by the selfsame good works to exercise and confirm their faith and hope, and look for to receive at God's hand mitigation and remission of the miseries, calamities, and grievous punishments which God sendeth to men in this world for their sins.

=== IV. The Sacrament of the Altar. ===
''Fourthly,'' As touching the sacrament of the altar, we will, that all bishops and preachers shall instruct and teach our people committed by us unto their spiritual charge, that they ought and must constantly believe, that under the form and figure of bread and wine, which we there presently do see and perceive by outward senses, is verily, substantially, and really contained and comprehended the very selfsame body and blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which was born of the Virgin Mary, and suffered upon the cross for our redemption. And, that under the same form and figure of bread and wine, the very selfsame body and blood of Christ is corporally, really, and in the very substance exhibited, distributed, and received unto and of all them which receive the said sacrament. And, that therefore the said sacrament is to be used with all due reverence and honour; and that every man ought first to prove and examine himself, and religiously to try and search his own conscience before he shall receive the same, according to the saying of St. Paul. Whosoever eateth this body of Christ is unworthily, or drinketh of this blood of Christ unworthily, shall be guilty of the very body and blood of Christ. Wherefore let every man first prove himself and so let him eat of this bread and drink of this drink ; for whosoever eateth it or drinketh it unworthily, he eateth and drinketh to his own damnation, because he putteth no difference between the very body of Christ aand other kinds of meat.

=== V. Justification. ===
''Fifthly,'' As touching the order and cause of our justification, we will, that all bishops and preachers shall instruct and teach our people committed by us to their spiritual charge, that this word ''justification'' signifieth remission of our sins, and our acceptation or reconciliation into the grace and favour of God, that is to say, our perfect renovation in Christ.

''Item,'' That sinners attain this justification by contrition and faith joined with charity, after such sort and manner as we before mentioned and declared. Not as though our contrition, or faith, or any works proceeding thereof, can worthily merit or deserve to attain the said justification: for the only mercy and grace of the Father promised freely unto us for his Son's sake Jesus Christ, and the merits of his blood and passion, be the only sufficient and worthy causes thereof. And yet, that, notwithstanding, to the attaining of the bsame justification, God requireth to be in us, not only inward contrition, perfect faith and charity, certain hope and confidence, with all other spiritual graces and motions; which, as we said before, must necessarily concur in remission of our sins, that is to say, our justification: but also he requireth and commandeth us, that after we be justified, we must also have good works of charity and obedience towards God, in the observing and fulfilling outwardly of his laws and commandments. For although acceptation to everlasting life be conjoined with justification, yet our good works be necessarily required to the attaining of everlasting life. And we being justified be necessarily bound, and it is our necessary duty to do. good works, according to the saying of St. Paul, We be bound not to live according to the flesh, and to fleshly appetites ; for if we live so, ice shall undoubtedly be damned. And contrary, if we will mortify the deeds of our flesh, and live according to the Spirit, we shall be saved. For whosoever be led by the Spirit of God, they be the children of God. And Christ saith, If you will come to heaven, keep the commandments. And St. Paul, speaking of evil works, saith, Whosoever commit sinful deeds sliall never come to heaven.

Wherefore we will, that all bishops and preachers shall instruct and teach our people committed by us unto their spiritual charge, that God necessarily requireth of us to do good works commanded by him, and that not only outward and civil works, but also the inward spiritual motions and graces of the Holy Ghost: that is to say, to dread and fear God, to love God, to have firm confidence and trust in God, to invocate and call upon God, to have patience in all adversities, to hate sin, and to have certain purpose and will not to sin again, and such other like motions and virtues. For Christ saith, ''Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven:'' that is to say, we must not only do outward civil good works, but also we must have these foresaid inward spiritual motions, consenting and agreeable to the law of God.

=== '''Articles concerning the laudable ceremonies used in the Church of Christ''' ===

==== VI. and first of Images. ====
''As touching images,'' truth it is, that the same have been used in the Old Testament, and also for the great abuses of them, sometime destroyed and put down. And in the New Testament they have been also allowed, as good authors do declare. Wherefore we will, that all bishops and preachers shall instruct and teach our people committed by us to their spiritual charge, how they ought and may use them. And first, that there be attributed unto them, that they be representers of virtue and good example. And, that they also be by occasion the kindlers and stirrers of men's minds, and make men oft to remember and lament their sins and offences, especially the images of Christ and our Lady'''.''' And, that therefore it is meet that they

should stand in the churches, and none otherwise to be esteemed. And, to the intent that rude people should not from henceforth take such superstition as in time past, it is thought that the same hath used to do; We will, that our bishops and preachers diligently shall teach them, and according to this doctrine reform their abuses: for else there might fortune idolatry to ensue, which God forbid. And as for censing of them, and kneeling and offering unto them, with other like worshippings, although the same hath entered by devotion, and fallen to custom, yet the people ought to be diligently taught, that they in nowise do it, nor think it meet to be done to the same images; but only to be done to God and in his honour, although it be done before the images, whether it be of Christ, of the cross,'of our Lady, or of any other saint beside.

==== VII. Of honouring of Saints ====
As touching the honouring of saints, we will, that all bishops and preachers shall instruct and teach our people committed by us unto their spiritual mcharges, that saints, now being with Christ in heaven, be to be honoured of Christian people in earth, but not with that confidence and honour which are only due unto God, trusting to attain at their hands that which must be had only of God. But, that they be thus to be honoured, because they be known the elect persons of Christ, because they be passed in godly life out of this transitory world; because they already do reign in glory with Christ; and, most specially to laud and praise Christ in them for their excellent virtues, which he planted in them, for example of and by them to such as "yet are in this world, to live in virtue and goodness; and also not to fear to die for Christ and his cause, as some of them did. And finally, to take them in that they may, to be the advancers of our prayers and demands unto Christ. By these ways, and such like, be saints to be honoured and had in reverence, and by none other.

==== VIII. Of Praying to Saints. ====
As touching praying to saints, we will, that all bishops and preachers shall instruct and teach our people committed by us unto their spiritual charge, that albeit grace, remission of sin, and salvation, cannot be obtained but of God only, by the mediation of our Saviour Christ, which is only sufficient mediator for our sins; yet it is very laudable to pray to saints in heaven everlastingly living, whose charity is ever permanent to be intercessors, and to pray for us and with us unto Almighty God, after this manner:

"All holy angels and saints in heaven, pray for us, and "with us, unto the Father, that for his dear Son Jesus "Christ his sake, we may have grace of him, and remission "of our sins, with an earnest purpose (not wanting ghostly "strength) to observe and keep his holy commandments, "and never to decline from the same again unto our lives' "end." And in this manner we may pray to our blessed Lady, to St. John Baptist, to all and every of the apostles, or any other saint particularly, as our devotion doth serve us: so that it be done without any vain superstition, as to think that any saint is more merciful, or will hear us sooner than Christ; or that any saint doth serve for one thing more than another, or is patron of the same. And likewise we must keep holy-days unto God, in memory of Him and His saints, upon such days as the church hath ordained their memories to be celebrate, except they be mitigated and moderated by the assent and commandment of us the supreme head, to the ordinaries; and then the subjects ought to obey it.

==== IX. Of Rites and Ceremonies. ====
As concerning the rites and ceremonies of Christ's church; as, to have such vestments in doing God's service as be and have been most part used: as sprinkling of holy water, to put us in remembrance of our baptism, and the blood of Christ sprinkled for our redemption upon the cross: giving of holy bread, to put us in remembrance of the sacrament of the altar, that all Christian men be one body mystical of Christ, as the bread is made of many grains, and yet but one loaf; and to put us in remembrance of the receiving of the holy sacrament and body of Christ, the which we ought to receive in right charity, which in the beginning of Christ's church men did more often receive than they use nowadays to do: bearing of candles on Candlemas-day, in memory of Christ the spiritual light, of whom Simeon did prophesy, as is read in the church that day: giving of ashes on Ash-Wednesday, to put in remembrance every Christian man in the beginning of Lent and penance, that he is but ashes and earth, and thereto shall return, which is right necessary to be uttered from henceforth in our mother-tongue always on the same day: bearing of palms on Palm-Sunday, in memory of the receiving of Christ into Jerusalem a little before his death, that we may have the same desire to receive him into our hearts: creeping to the cross, and humbling ourselves to Christ on Good-Friday before the cross, and ''<nowiki/>'''there offering unto Christ before the same, and kissing of it in memory of our redemption by Christ made upon the cross: setting up the sepulture of Christ, whose body after his death was buried: the hallowing of the font, and other like exorcisms and benedictions by the ministers of Christ's church, and all other like laudable customs, rites and ceremonies, be not to be contemned and cast away, but to be used and continued, as things good and laudable, to put us in remembrance of those spiritual things that they do signify, not suffering them to be forgotten, or to be put in oblivion, but renewing them in our memories from time to time; but none of these ceremonies have power to remit sin, but only to stir and lift up our minds unto God, by whom only our sins be forgiven.

==== X. Of Purgatory. ====
Forasmuch as due order of charity requireth, and the Book of Maccabees and divers ancient doctors plainly shewen, that it is a very good and charitable deed to pray for souls departed; and forasmuch also as such usage hath continued in the church so many years, even from the beginning; we will, that all bishops and preachers shall instruct and teach our people committed by us unto their spiritual charge, that no man ought to be grieved with the continuance of the same; and, that it standeth with the very due order of charity, a Christian man to pray for souls departed, and to commit them in our prayers to God's mercy, and also to cause other to pray for them in masses and exequies, and to give alms to other to pray for them, whereby they may be relieved and holpen of some part of their pain. But, forasmuch as the place where they be, the name thereof, and kind of pains there also, be to us uncertain by scripture, therefore this, with all other things, we remit to Almighty God, unto whose mercy it is meet and convenient for us to commend them; trusting that God accepteth our prayers for them, referring the rest wholly to God, to whom is known their estate and condition. Wherefore it is much necessary that such abuses be clearly put away which under the name of purgatory hath been advanced, as, to make men believe that through the bishop of Rome's pardons souls might clearly be delivered out of purgatory and all the pains of it; or, that masses said at. ''scala call,'' or otherwise in any place, or before any image, might likewise deliver them from all their pain, and send them straight to heaven. And other like abuses.

Thirty-nine Articles

2025-12-27T21:20:28Z

AnglicanAkatosh: Tried redoing the sources, but my PC is glitching out so either I or someone else will fix the sources later.

The '''Thirty-nine Articles of Religion''' (commonly abbreviated as the '''Thirty-nine Articles''' or the '''XXXIX Articles'''), finalized in 1571, are the definitive doctrinal statements of doctrines and practices of the [[Church of England]] and the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Thirty-nine Articles form part of the ''[[Book of Common Prayer]]'' used by the Church of England, and represent the divinely guided reformation of Catholic Christianity according to Scripture and the testimony of the Early Church Fathers.

When God in His providence raised up the [[English Reformation]] through [[Henry VIII]], He did so not to create a new church, but to purify His ancient Church in England from the corruptions which had accumulated during the medieval period. At this point, Henry VIII needed to determine what its doctrines and practices would be in relation to the Church of Rome and the new [[Protestantism|Protestant movements]] in continental Europe. A series of defining documents were written and replaced over a period of thirty years as the doctrinal and political situation changed from the excommunication of Henry VIII in 1533, to the excommunication of [[Elizabeth I]] in 1570. These positions began with the Ten Articles in 1536, and concluded with the finalization of the Thirty-nine articles in 1571. The Thirty-nine articles ultimately served to define the doctrine of the Church of England as it related to Calvinist doctrine and Catholic practice.<ref name="Milton2002"/>

The articles went through at least five major revisions prior to their finalization in 1571. The first attempt was the [[Ten Articles]] in 1536, which showed more Protestant leanings, and which was the result of an English desire for a political alliance with the German Lutheran princes.<ref name=":0" /> The next revision was the Six Articles in 1539 which swung away from all reformed positions, and then the ''King's Book'' in 1543, which re-established most of the earlier Catholic doctrines. During the reign of [[Edward VI]], Henry VIII's son, the Forty-two Articles were written under the direction of [[Archbishop]] [[Thomas Cranmer]] in 1552. It was in this document that Calvinist thought reached the zenith of its influence in the English Church. These articles were never put into action, owing to Edward VI's death and the reversion of the English Church to Catholicism under Henry VIII's elder daughter, [[Mary I of England|Mary I]].

Finally, upon the coronation of Elizabeth I and the re-establishment of the Church of England as separate from the Catholic Church, the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion were initiated by the [[Convocation of 1563]], under the direction of [[Matthew Parker]], the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]]. The Thirty-nine Articles were finalized in 1571, and incorporated into the ''[[Book of Common Prayer]]''. Although not the end of the struggle between Catholic and Protestant monarchs and citizens, the book helped to standardize the English language.<ref name=":1" />

==Predecessors==
===Ten Articles (1536)===
The [[Church of England]]'s break with Rome inaugurated a period of doctrinal confusion and controversy as both conservative and reforming clergy attempted to shape the church's direction, the former as "Catholicism without the Pope" and the latter as [[Protestant]]. In an attempt "to establish Christian quietness and unity", the Ten Articles were adopted by clerical [[Convocations of Canterbury and York|Convocation]] in July 1536 as the English Church's first post-papal doctrinal statement.<ref name=":2" /> The Ten Articles were crafted as a rushed interim compromise between conservatives and reformers. Historians have variously described it as a victory for Lutheranism and a success for Catholic resistance.<ref name=":3" /> Its provisions have also been described as "confusing".<ref name=":2" />

The first five articles dealt with doctrines that were "commanded expressly by God, and are necessary to our salvation", while the last five articles dealt with "laudable ceremonies used in the Church".<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":4" /> This division reflects how the Articles originated from two different discussions earlier in the year. The first five articles were based on the Wittenberg Articles negotiated between English ambassadors [[Edward Foxe]], [[Nicholas Heath]] and [[Robert Barnes (martyr)|Robert Barnes]] and German Lutheran theologians, including Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon. This doctrinal statement was itself based on the Augsburg Confession of 1530.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":4" />

The five principal doctrines were the [[Bible]] and [[ecumenical creeds]], [[baptism]], [[penance]], the [[Eucharist]] and [[Justification (theology)|justification]].<ref name=":2" /> The core doctrine in the Ten Articles was [[justification by faith]].<ref name=":3" /> Justification, defined as [[Forgiveness|remission]] of [[sin]] and accepting into God's favor, was through "the only mercy and [[Grace in Christianity|grace]] of the [[God the Father|Father]], promised freely unto us for his Son’s sake [[Jesus Christ]], and the merits of his [[Blood of Christ|blood]] and [[Passion of Jesus|passion]]."<ref name=":4" /> [[Good works]] would follow, not precede, justification. However, the Lutheran influence was diluted with qualifications. Justification was attained "by [[contrition]] and [[Faith in Christianity|faith]] joined with [[Charity (virtue)|charity]]."<ref name=":3" /> In other words, good works were "necessarily required to the attaining of everlasting life."<ref name=":2" />

To the disappointment of conservatives, only three of the traditional seven [[sacrament]]s were even mentioned (baptism, the Eucharist and penance).<ref name=":4" /> The Articles affirm the [[real presence of Christ in the Eucharist]], stating that "under the form and figure of bread and wine…is verily, substantially and really contained the very self-same body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ." This definition was acceptable to those who held to [[transubstantiation]] or [[sacramental union]], but it clearly condemned [[sacramentarianism]]. More controversially for the Reformers, the Articles maintained penance as a sacrament and the [[priest]]'s authority to grant divine [[absolution]] in [[Confession (religion)|confession]].

Articles six to ten focused on secondary issues. Significantly, [[Purgatory]], a central concern of medieval religion, was placed in the non-essential articles. On the question of its existence, the Ten Articles were ambiguous. They stated, "the place where [departed souls] be, the name thereof, and kind of pains there" was "uncertain by scripture." [[Prayer for the dead]] and [[Requiem|masses for the dead]] were permitted as arguably relieving the pain of departed souls in Purgatory.

The Articles also defended the use of a number of Catholic rituals and practices opposed by Protestants, such as kissing the cross on [[Good Friday]], while mildly criticizing popular abuses and excesses. The use of icons was permitted but people were to be taught not to kneel before them or make [[Votive offering|offerings]] to them. Prayer to the Virgin Mary and all the other [[saint]]s was permitted as long as [[superstition]] was avoided.<ref name=":2" />

In summary, the Ten Articles asserted:

# The Bible and the three [[ecumenical creeds]] are the basis and summary of true Christian faith.
# Baptism imparts [[Forgiveness|remission of sins]] and [[Regeneration (theology)|regeneration]] and is necessary for salvation, even in the case of infants. It condemns the opinions of [[Anabaptist]]s and [[Pelagianism|Pelagians]] as [[heresy]].
# The sacrament of [[penance]], with confession and absolution, is necessary to salvation.
# That the body and blood of Christ are really present in the Eucharist.
# Justification is by faith, but good works are necessary.
# Images can be used as representations of virtue and good example and also to remind people of their sins but are not objects of worship.
# Saints are to be honored as examples of life and as furthering the prayers of the faithful.
# [[Intercession of saints|Praying to saints]] is permitted, and holy days should be observed.
# The observance of various rites and ceremonies, such as clerical [[vestment]]s, sprinkling of [[holy water]], bearing of candles on [[Candlemas]], giving of ashes on [[Ash Wednesday]], is good and laudable. However, none of these has power to forgive sin.
# It is a good and charitable deed to pray for the dead. However, the doctrine of purgatory is biblically uncertain. Abuses related to purgatory, such as the claim that papal [[indulgence]]s or masses for the dead offered at certain localities (such as the ''scala coeli'' mass) can deliver immediately from purgatory, are to be rejected.

=== ''Bishops' Book'' (1537) ===

[[Image:Thomas-Cranmer.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Thomas Cranmer]] headed the committee that authored the ''Bishop's Book''.]]

The failure of the Ten Articles to settle doctrinal controversy led [[Thomas Cromwell]], the King's vicegerent in spirituals, to convene a national synod of bishops and high-ranking clergy for further theological discussion in February 1537. This synod produced a book called ''The Institution of the Christian Man'' (popularly called ''The Bishops' Book''), the word ''institution'' being synonymous with ''instruction''.{{Sfn| Blunt | 1878 | p = 444}} ''The Bishops' Book'' preserved the semi-Lutheranism of the Ten Articles, and the articles on justification, purgatory, and the sacraments of baptism, the Eucharist and penance were incorporated unchanged into the new book.{{Sfn | Marshall | 2017 | p = 255}}<ref name=":0">''The Institution of A Christen Man'' (Thomas Berthelet, cum privilegio, London 1537), full page views at [https://archive.org/details/institutionofchr00chur/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater Internet Archive].</ref>

When the synod met, conservatives were still angry that four of the traditional seven sacraments ([[confirmation]], marriage, [[holy orders]] and [[extreme unction]]) had been excluded from the Ten Articles. [[John Stokesley]] argued for all seven, while [[Thomas Cranmer]] only acknowledged baptism and the Eucharist. The others divided along party lines. The conservatives were at a disadvantage because they found it necessary to appeal to [[sacred tradition]], which violated Cromwell's instructions that all arguments refer to scripture.{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|pp=187–188}}

In the end, the missing sacraments were restored but placed in a separate section to emphasize "a difference in dignity and necessity." Only baptism, the Eucharist and penance were "instituted of Christ, to be as certain instruments or remedies necessary for our salvation".{{Sfn | Marshall | 2017 | p = 254}} Confirmation was declared to have been introduced by the [[early Church]] in imitation of what they had read about the [[Christian laying on of hands|practice of the Apostles]].{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=189}}

The ''Bishops' Book'' also included expositions on the creed, the [[Ten Commandments]], the [[Lord's Prayer]] and [[Hail Mary]].{{Sfn| Blunt | 1878 | p = 446}} These were greatly influenced by [[William Marshall (translator)|William Marshall]]'s primer (an English-language [[book of hours]]) of 1535, which itself was influenced by Luther's writings.{{Sfn | Marshall | 2017 | p = 256}} Following Marshall, ''The Bishops' Book'' rejected the traditional Catholic numbering of the Ten Commandments, in which the [[Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image|prohibition on making and worshiping graven images]] was part of the first commandment, "[[Thou shalt have no other gods before me]]". In agreement with the [[Eastern Orthodox]] and [[Huldrych Zwingli]]'s church at Zurich, the authors of the ''Bishops' Book'' adopted the Jewish tradition of separating these commandments. While allowing images of Christ and the saints, the exposition on the second commandment taught against representations of [[God the Father]] and criticised those who "be more ready with their substance to deck dead images gorgeously and gloriously, than with the same to help poor Christian people, the quick and lively [[Image of God|images of God]]".{{Sfn | Marshall | 2017 | p = 256}} Such teachings encouraged [[iconoclasm]], which would become a feature of the English Reformation.{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=192}}

The list of the 46 divines as they appear in the ''Bishop's Book'' included all of the [[bishop]]s, eight [[archdeacon]]s and 17 other [[Doctor of Divinity|Doctors of Divinity]], some of whom were later involved with translating the [[Great Bible|Bible]] and compiling the ''[[Book of Common Prayer]]'':{{Sfn| Blunt | 1878 | p = 445}}

[[Thomas Cranmer]] –
[[Edward Lee, Archbishop of York|Edward Lee]] –
[[John Stokesley]] –
[[Cuthbert Tunstall]] –
[[Stephen Gardiner]] –
[[Robert Aldrich, Bishop of Carlisle|Robert Aldrich]] –
[[John Voysey]] –
[[John Longland]] –
[[John Clerk, Bishop of Bath and Wells|John Clerk]] –
[[Rowland Lee (bishop)|Rowland Lee]] –
[[Thomas Goodrich]] –
[[Nicholas Shaxton]] –
[[John Bird (Bishop)|John Bird]] –
[[Edward Foxe]] –
[[Hugh Latimer]] –
[[John Hilsey]] –
[[Richard Sampson]] –
[[William Repps]] –
[[William Barlowe]] –
[[Robert Partew]] –
[[Robert Holgate]] –
[[Richard Wolman]] –
[[William Knight (royal servant)|William Knight]] –
[[John Bell, Bishop of Worcester|John Bell]] –
[[Edmund Bonner|Edmond Bonner]] –
[[William Skip]] –
[[Nicholas Heath]] –
[[Cuthbert Marshal]] –
[[Richard Curren]] –
[[William Cliffe]] –
[[William Downes (divine)|William Downes]] –
[[Robert Oking]] –
[[Ralph Bradford]] –
[[Richard Smyth (Regius Professor)|Richard Smyth]] –
[[Simon Matthew]] –
[[John Pryn]] –
[[William Buckmaster]] –
[[William May (theologian)|William May]] –
[[Nicholas Wotton]] –
[[Richard Cox (bishop)|Richard Cox]] –
[[John Edmunds (academic)|John Edmunds]] –
[[Thomas Robertson (divine)|Thomas Robertson]] –
[[John Baker (English statesman)|John Baker]] –
[[Thomas Barett]] –
[[John Hase]] –
[[John Tyson (divine)|John Tyson]]

In August 1537, it was presented to the King who ordered that parts should be read from the pulpit every Sunday and feast day. Nevertheless, the King was not entirely satisfied and took it upon himself to make a revised ''Bishops' Book'', which, among other proposed changes,<ref name=":1">{{Harvnb| Marshall | 2017 | pp = 257–258}}: "Most notoriously, [Henry VIII] took it upon himself to improve the wording of both the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer. He wanted the final petition of the latter to read 'and suffer us not to be led into temptation' (rather than 'lead us not into temptation'). And he amended the First Commandment ('Thou shalt have none other gods but me') to read 'Thou shalt not have nor repute any other God, or gods, but me Jesu Christ.'"</ref> weakened the original's emphasis on justification by faith. This revised version was never published.{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 259}} Because the ''Bishops' Book'' was never authorised by the Crown or Convocation, the Ten Articles remained the official doctrinal standard of the Church of England.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=17}}

===Six Articles (1539)===
[[File:The Act of Six Articles 1539.jpg|thumb|right|One of the final drafts of the Six articles (1539), amended in King Henry VIII's own hand]]
Fearful of diplomatic isolation and a Catholic alliance, Henry VIII continued his outreach to the Lutheran [[Schmalkaldic League]].
In May 1538, three Lutheran theologians from Germany – Franz Burchard, vice-chancellor of Saxony; Georg von Boineburg, doctor of law; and [[Friedrich Myconius]], [[Superintendent (ecclesiastical)|superintendent]] of the church in [[Gotha]] – arrived in London and held conferences with English bishops and clergy at the archbishop's [[Lambeth Palace]] through September.<ref name=":2">{{Harvnb|MacCulloch|1996|pp=215–216}}: The English delegation included Cranmer, as chairman, and Nicholas Heath for the Protestant side. The conservatives included Bishops Sampson and Stokesley along with [[George Day (bishop)|George Day]] and [[Nicholas Wilson (parson)|Nicholas Wilson]]. Bishop Tunstall was involved in negotiations as well.</ref>

The Germans presented, as a basis of agreement, a number of articles based on the Lutheran Confession of Augsburg. Bishops [[Cuthbert Tunstall|Tunstall]], [[John Stokesley|Stokesley]] and others were not won over by these Protestant arguments and did everything they could to avoid agreement. They were willing to separate from Rome, but their plan was to unite with the [[Greek Orthodox Church|Greek Church]] and not with the Protestants on the continent.{{sfn|d'Aubigné|1972|p=}} The bishops also refused to eliminate what the Germans considered abuses (e.g. private masses for the dead, compulsory [[clerical celibacy]], and withholding [[communion wine]] from the [[laity]]) allowed by the English Church.{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=219}} Stokesley considered these customs to be essential because the Greek Church practised them.{{sfn|d'Aubigné|1972|p=}} As the King was unwilling to break with these practices, the Germans had all left England by 1 October.{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=221}}

Meanwhile, England was in religious turmoil. Impatient Protestants took it upon themselves to further reform – some priests said mass in English rather than Latin and married without authorisation (Archbishop Cranmer was himself secretly married). Protestants themselves were divided between establishment reformers who held Lutheran beliefs upholding the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and radicals who held [[Anabaptist]] and [[Sacramentarian]] views denying real presence.{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | pp = 269–270}} In May 1539, a new Parliament met, and [[Lord Chancellor]] [[Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Walden|Audley]] told the [[House of Lords]] that the King desired religious uniformity. A committee of four conservative and four reformist bishops was appointed to examine and determine doctrine.<ref name=":3">{{Harvnb| Marshall | 2017 | p = 273}}: The committee was headed by Cromwell, the vicegerent, and the bishops included Cranmer and his Protestant allies – Latimer, Goodrich, Salcot – and their traditionalist counterparts Lee, Tunstall, Clerk and Robert Aldrich of Carlisle.</ref> On 16 May, the [[Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk|Duke of Norfolk]] noted that the committee had not agreed on anything and proposed that the Lords examine six controversial doctrinal questions that became the basis of the Six Articles:

#whether the Eucharist could be the true body of Christ without transubstantiation,
#whether it needed to be given to the laity [[Communion under both kinds|under both kinds]],
#whether [[Religious vows|vows]] of [[chastity]] needed to be observed as part of divine law,
#whether clerical celibacy should be compulsory,
#whether [[Votive Mass|private (votive) masses]] were required (legitimate) by divine law,
#whether auricular [[Confession (religion)|confession]] (that is, confession to a priest) was necessary as part of divine law.{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 275}}{{sfn|Ridley|2013|p=180}}

{{Infobox UK legislation
| short_title = Statute of the Six Articles
| type = Act
| parliament = Parliament of England
| long_title = An Act for abolishing of Diversity of Opinions of certain Articles concerning Christian Religion.
| year = 1539
| citation = [[31 Hen. 8]]. c. 14
| territorial_extent = [[England and Wales]]
| royal_assent = 28 June 1539
| commencement = 28 April 1539{{efn|Start of session.}}
| repeal_date = 4 November 1547
| amends =
| replaces = [[Suppression of Heresy Act 1414]]
| amendments =
| repealing_legislation = [[Treason Act 1547]]
| related_legislation =
| status = Repealed
| original_text = https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=pst.000017915533&view=1up&seq=510
}}
Over the next month, these questions were argued in Parliament and Convocation with the active participation of the King. The final product was an affirmation of traditional teachings on all but the sixth question. Communion in one kind, compulsory clerical celibacy, vows of chastity and votive masses were a legitimate form.{{Sfn| Haigh | 1993 | p = 153}} Protestants achieved a minor victory on auricular confession, which was declared "expedient and necessary to be retained" but not required by divine law. In addition, although the real presence was affirmed in traditional terminology, the word ''transubstantiation'' itself did not appear in the final version.{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 275}}<ref name=":5">{{cite web | url = http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Documents/act_six_articles.htm | title = The Act of the Six Articles | date = 1539 | website = tudorplace.com.ar | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180912225855/http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/Documents/act_six_articles.htm | archive-date = 2018-09-12 | url-status = live | access-date = 1 December 2018}}. The article on the Eucharist defines the real presence in these terms: "First, that in the most blessed Sacrament of the Altar, by the strength and efficacy of Christ's mighty word, it being spoken by the priest, is present really, under the form of bread and wine, the natural body and blood of Our Saviour Jesu Christ, conceived of the Virgin Mary, and that after the consecration there remaineth no substance of bread and wine, nor any other substance but the substance of Christ, God and man".</ref>

The Act of Six Articles became law in June 1539, which, unlike the Ten Articles, gave the Six Articles statutory authority. Harsh penalties were attached to violations of the Articles. Denial of transubstantiation was punished by burning without an opportunity to [[recant]]. Denial of any of the other articles was punished by hanging or life imprisonment.{{Sfn| Haigh | 1993 | p = 153}} Married priests had until 12 July to put away their wives, which was likely a concession granted to give Archbishop Cranmer time to move his wife and children outside of England.{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=249}} After the act's passage, bishops Latimer and Shaxton, outspoken opponents of the measure, were forced to resign their dioceses.{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=251}} The Act of Six Articles was repealed by the [[Treason Act 1547]] ([[1 Edw. 6]]. c. 12) during the reign of Henry's son, [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]].{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 312}}

===''King's Book'' (1543)===
When Parliament re-convened in April 1540, a committee was formed to revise the ''Bishops' Book'', which Henry VIII had never liked. The committee's membership included both traditionalists and reformers, but the former held the majority.{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 279}} Convocation began discussing the revised text in April 1543. The ''King's Book'', or ''The Necessary Doctrine and Erudition for Any Christian Man'' to use its formal title,<ref name=":4">''The Necessary Doctrine and Erudition for Any Christen Man'' (Thomas Barthelet, King's Printer, London 1543), full page views at [https://archive.org/details/necessarydoctrin00chur/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater Internet Archive].</ref> was more traditional than the 1537 version and incorporated many of the King's own revisions. It was approved by a [[Magnum Concilium|special meeting of the nobility]] on 6 May and differed from the ''Bishop's Book'' in having been issued under the King's authority. It was also statutorily enforced by the [[Act for the Advancement of True Religion]].{{Sfn| Haigh | 1993 | pp = 160–161}} Because of its royal authorisation, the ''King's Book'' officially replaced the Ten Articles as the official doctrinal statement of the Church of England.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=18}}

Significantly, the doctrine of justification by faith ''alone'' was totally rejected. Cranmer tried to save the doctrine by arguing that while true faith was accompanied by good works (in other words, faith was not ''alone'') it was only faith that justified. However, Henry would not be persuaded, and the text was amended to read that faith justified "neither only nor alone".{{Sfn| Haigh | 1993 | p = 160}} It also stated that each person had free will to be "a worker ... in the attaining of his own justification".{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 288}} The ''King's Book'' also endorsed traditional views of the mass, transubstantiation, confession, and Church ceremonies.{{Sfn| Haigh | 1993 | p = 160}} The traditional seven sacraments were all included without any distinction in importance made between them. It was taught that the second commandment did not forbid images but only "godly honour" being given to them. Looking at images of Christ and the saints "provoked, kindled and stirred to yield thanks to Our Lord".{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | pp = 288–289}}

The one area in which the ''King's Book'' moved away from traditional teaching was on prayer for the dead and purgatory. It taught that no one could know whether prayers or masses for the dead benefited an individual soul, and it was better to offer prayers for "the universal congregation of Christian people, quick and dead". People were encouraged to "abstain from the name of purgatory, and no more dispute or reason thereof".{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 289}} Presumably, the hostility towards purgatory derived from its connection to papal authority. The King's own behavior sent mixed signals. In 1540, he allowed offerings for the souls of deceased [[Knights of the Garter]] to be spent on works of charity instead of masses. At the same time, however, he required the new cathedral foundations to pray for the soul of [[Jane Seymour|Queen Jane]]. Perhaps because of the uncertainty surrounding this doctrine, bequests in wills for [[Chantry|chantries]], [[Obiit|obits]] and masses fell by half what they had been in the 1520s.{{Sfn| Marshall | 2017 | p = 289}}

===Forty-two Articles (1553)===
{{main|Forty-two Articles}}
Henry VIII was succeeded by his son, [[Edward VI]], in 1547. During Edward's reign, the Church of England adopted a stronger Protestant identity. The [[Book of Common Prayer (1549)|''Book of Common Prayer'' of 1549]] authorised a reformed liturgy, and the [[Book of Common Prayer (1552)|1552 ''Book of Common Prayer'']] was even more explicitly Protestant. To make the English Church fully Protestant, Cranmer also envisioned a [[Reformatio legum ecclesiasticarum|reform of canon law]] and the creation of a concise doctrinal statement, which would become the Forty-two Articles.{{sfn|MacCulloch|1996|p=500}} Work on a doctrinal statement was delayed by Cranmer's efforts to forge a doctrinal consensus among the various Protestant churches to counter the work of the Catholic [[Council of Trent]]. When this proved impossible, Cranmer turned his attention to defining what the Church of England believed.{{Sfn|Heal|2003|p=310}}

In late 1552 the first edition of the confession was produced in the form of the Forty-Five Articles that Cranmer submitted for comment and revision, and which were approved by Parliament in June of 1553 by which time their number had been reduced to the [[Forty-two Articles]] which were drafted by Cranmer and a small group of fellow Protestants. The title page claimed that the articles were approved by Convocation when in reality they were never discussed or adopted by the clerical body. They were also never approved by Parliament.{{Sfn | Marshall | 2017 | p = 353}} The articles were issued by Royal Mandate on 19 June 1553. All clergy, schoolmasters and members of the universities were required to subscribe to them.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|1997|p=625}} The theology of the articles has been described by some as a "restrained" [[Calvinism]].{{Sfn| Haigh | 1993 | p = 181}}{{sfn|Bray|2004|p=284}} Others point to a much stronger Lutheran influence.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hall|first=Basil|date=1993b|editor-last1=Ayris|editor-first1=Paul |editor-last2=Selwyn|editor-first2=David|title=Thomas Cranmer: Churchman and Scholar|publisher=The Boydell Press|chapter=Cranmer, the Eucharist and the Foreign Divines in the Reign of Edward VI|isbn=0-85115-549-9}}</ref>

== Development ==
Edward died in 1553. With the coronation of [[Mary I|Mary I]] and the reunion of the Church of England with the Catholic Church, the articles were never enforced. However, after Mary's death, they became the basis of the Thirty-nine Articles.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|1997|p=625}} In 1563, Convocation met under [[Matthew Parker|Archbishop Parker]] to revise the articles.{{sfn|Moyes|1913}} Convocation passed only 39 of the 42, and Elizabeth reduced the number to 38 by throwing out Article 29 to avoid offending her subjects with Catholic leanings.{{sfn|Moyes|1913}} In 1571, despite the opposition of Bishop [[Edmund Gheast]], Article 29 was re-inserted, declaring that the wicked do not eat the Body of Christ.{{sfn|Wilson|Templeton|1962|p=}} This was done following the queen's [[excommunication]] by the [[Pope Pius V|Pope Pius V]] in 1570. That act destroyed any hope of reconciliation with Rome and it was no longer necessary to fear that Article 29 would offend Catholic sensibilities.{{sfn|Wilson|Templeton|1962|p=}} The Articles, increased to Thirty-nine, were ratified by the Queen, and the bishops and clergy were required to assent.{{sfn|Moyes|1913}}

==Content==
[[Image:Elizabeth1England.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]], in whose reign the Thirty-nine Articles were passed]]

The Thirty-nine Articles were intended to establish, in basic terms, the faith and practice of the Church of England.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|pp=5, 8}} While not designed to be a creed or complete statement of the Christian faith, the articles explain the doctrinal position of the Church of England in relation to [[Calvinism]], as well as Catholicism and [[Anabaptism]].{{Sfn|Cross|Livingstone|1997|p=1611}} According to historian Anthony Milton, "the Thirty-Nine Articles were certainly broadly consistent with the Reformed consensus in doctrinal matters".<ref name="Milton2002">Milton, Anthony (9 May 2002). ''Catholic and Reformed: The Roman and Protestant Churches in English Protestant Thought, 1600-1640''. Cambridge University Press. p. 396.</ref>

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible"
|+Thirty-nine Articles
|
1. Of Faith in the Holy Trinity. 
2. Of Christ the Son of God. 
3. Of his going down into Hell. 
4. Of his Resurrection. 
5. Of the Holy Ghost. 
6. Of the Sufficiency of the Scripture. 
7. Of the Old Testament. 
8. Of the Three Creeds. 
9. Of Original or Birth-sin. 
10. Of Free-Will. 
11. Of Justification. 
12. Of Good Works. 
13. Of Works before Justification. 
14. Of Works of Supererogation. 
15. Of Christ alone without Sin. 
16. Of Sin after Baptism. 
17. Of Predestination and Election. 
18. Of obtaining Salvation by Christ. 
19. Of the Church. 
20. Of the Authority of the Church.
|
21. Of the Authority of General Councils. 
22. Of Purgatory. 
23. Of Ministering in the Congregation. 
24. Of speaking in the Congregation. 
25. Of the Sacraments. 
26. Of the Unworthiness of Ministers. 
27. Of Baptism. 
28. Of the Lord's Supper. 
29. Of the Wicked which eat not the Body of Christ. 
30. Of both kinds. 
31. Of Christ's one Oblation. 
32. Of the Marriage of Priests. 
33. Of Excommunicate Persons. 
34. Of the Traditions of the Church. 
35. Of the Homilies. 
36. Of Consecrating of Ministers. 
37. Of Civil Magistrates. 
38. Of Christian men's Goods. 
39. Of a Christian man's Oath.
|}

The Thirty-nine Articles can be divided into eight sections based on their content:{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=88}}

'''Articles 1–5: The Doctrine of God''':
The first five articles articulate the doctrine of God, the [[Holy Trinity]] and the [[Incarnation (Christianity)|incarnation]] of Jesus Christ. This is a departure from other doctrinal statements of the 16th and 17th centuries such as the [[Helvetic Confessions]] and the [[Westminster Confession]], which begin with the doctrine of [[revelation]] and [[Bible|Holy Scripture]] as the source of knowledge about God.{{Sfn|O'Donovan|2011|pp=11–12}}

'''Articles 6–8: Scripture and the Creeds''':
These articles state that Holy Scripture contains everything necessary for [[Salvation in Christianity|salvation]], so that no one can be required to believe any doctrine that cannot be proved on the basis of biblical teaching. The articles acknowledge the authority of the [[Apostles' Creed]], the [[Nicene Creed]] and the [[Athanasian Creed]] because they express Scriptural teaching. It states that the [[Biblical apocrypha|Apocrypha]] is not part of Scripture. While not a basis of doctrine, the Apocrypha continues to be read by the church for moral instruction and examples for holy living.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|pp=230–232}}

'''Articles 9–18: Sin and Salvation''':
These articles discuss the doctrines of [[original sin]] and [[justification by faith]] (salvation is a gift received through [[Faith in Christianity|faith]] in Christ). They reject the medieval Catholic teachings on works of [[supererogation]] and that performing [[good works]] can make a person worthy to receive justification (congruous [[Merit (Christianity)|merit]]). They also reject the radical Protestant teaching that a person could be free from sin in this life.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=294}} The articles address the doctrine of [[predestination]]—that "Predestination to life is the everlasting purpose of God". [[Double predestination]], the belief that God has also predestined some people to [[reprobation]], is not endorsed by the articles.{{Sfn|O'Donovan|2011|p=84}}

'''Articles 19–21: The Church and its Authority''':
These articles explain the nature and authority of the [[visible church]]. They state that the church, under Scripture, has authority over matters of faith and order. General councils of the church can only be called with the permission of the civil authority. It is possible for church councils to reach the wrong decisions, so they should only be followed if their actions align with Scripture.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=393}}

'''Articles 22–24: Errors to be avoided in the Church''':
These articles condemn the Catholic teachings on [[purgatory]], [[indulgences]], the use of religious images and the [[Intercession of saints|invocation of saints]]. In addition, the Catholic practice of using Latin as a [[liturgical language]] is disapproved of in favour of the vernacular. The articles state that no person should preach publicly or administer the sacraments unless they are called and authorised by legitimate church authority.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=424}} This was meant to counter the radical Protestant belief that a Christian could preach and act as a minister on his own initiative in defiance of church authorities.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=441}}

'''Articles 25–31: The Sacraments''':
These articles explain the Church of England's [[Anglican sacraments|sacramental theology]]. According to the articles, [[sacrament]]s are signs of divine grace which God works invisibly but effectively in people's lives. Through sacraments, God creates and strengthens the faith of believers. The radical Protestant belief that sacraments are only outward signs of a person's faith is denied by the articles.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|pp=464–466}} While the Catholic Church claimed [[Sacraments of the Catholic Church|seven sacraments]], the articles recognise only two: [[baptism]] and the [[Eucharist|Lord's Supper]].{{Sfn|Davie|2013|pp=468–470}} The five rites called sacraments by Catholics are identified in the articles as either corrupted imitations of the Apostles (confirmation, penance and extreme unction) or as "states of life allowed in the Scriptures" (holy orders and marriage).{{Sfn|Davie|2013|pp=468–470}}

[[Baptismal regeneration|Regeneration]] (or the gift of new life), membership in the church, forgiveness of sins and [[Adoption (theology)|adoption as children of God]] are all received through baptism.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|pp=485–486}} The articles state that [[infant baptism]] is "most agreeable with the institution of Christ" and should continue to be practised in the church.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=489}} In the Lord's Supper, participants become partakers of the body and blood of Christ and receive the spiritual benefits of Christ's death on the cross.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=499}} According to the articles, this partaking should not be understood in terms of the Catholic doctrine of [[transubstantiation]], which is condemned as "repugnant to the plain words of Scripture". Instead, the articles declare that there is no change in the substance of the bread and wine. Rather, participants are fed the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit and through faith.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=500–503}} The articles declare that "The offering of Christ once made is the perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction for all the sins of the whole world". This was meant as a repudiation of the popular medieval idea that the Mass was a sacrifice in which Christ was offered for the forgiveness of sins for the living and the dead in purgatory.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|pp=526, 529}}

'''Articles 32–36: The Discipline of the Church''':
The articles defend the practice of [[clerical marriage]] and the church's power of [[excommunication]]. It states that traditions and ceremonies in the church may vary by time and place; national churches can alter or abolish traditions created by human authority. The ''[[Books of Homilies|First and Second Book of Homilies]]'' are said to contain correct doctrine and should be read in church. The articles also defend the ordination rites contained in the [[Edwardine Ordinals|1549 and 1552 Ordinals]].{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=535}}

'''Articles 37–39: Christians and Civil Society''':
The articles affirm the role of the monarch as the [[Supreme Governor of the Church of England]]. It rejects all claims to the Pope's jurisdiction in England. It defends the state's right to use [[capital punishment]] and declares that Christians may serve in the military. It rejects the Anabaptist teaching that the property of Christians should be held in common, but it does explain that Christians should give [[alms]] to the poor and needy. It also defends the morality of oath-taking for civic purposes.{{Sfn|Davie|2013|p=590}}

== Later history ==
[[File:Book of Common Prayer 1760.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|The 1662 ''Book of Common Prayer'' has long been printed with the Thirty-nine Articles.]]

During the reign of Elizabeth I, a "[[Calvinism in the Church of England|Calvinist consensus]]" developed within the church regarding the doctrines of salvation. Article 17 only endorsed [[Election in Christianity|election]] to salvation and was silent on whether God predestined people for [[reprobation]]; however, most of the bishops and leading churchmen believed in [[Double predestination (Hyper-Calvinist)|double predestination]]. When an [[Arminianism in the Church of England|Arminian]] minority emerged to challenge this consensus, [[Archbishop Whitgift]] issued the [[Lambeth Articles]] in 1595. These did not replace the Thirty-nine Articles but were meant to officially align Article 17 to Calvinist theology. The Queen was unwilling to alter her religious settlement and refused to assent to these new articles.{{Sfn|Marshall|2017b|pp=56 & 60}}

The Thirty-nine Articles are printed in the [[Book of Common Prayer (1662)|1662 ''Book of Common Prayer'']] and other Anglican prayer books. The [[Test Act 1672]] made adherence to the Articles a requirement for holding civil office in England until its repeal in 1828.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}} Students at [[Oxford University]] were still expected to sign up to them until the passing of the [[Oxford University Act 1854]].

In the Church of England, only clergy (and until the 19th century members of Oxford and Cambridge Universities) are required to subscribe to the Articles. Starting in 1865, clergy affirmed that the doctrine contained in the Articles and the ''Book of Common Prayer'' was agreeable to Scripture and that they would not preach in contradiction to it. Since 1975, clergy are required to acknowledge the Articles as one of the historic formularies of the Church of England that bear witness to the faith revealed in Scripture and contained in the creeds.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|1997|p=1611}} The [[Church of Ireland]] has a similar declaration for its clergy, while some other churches of the [[Anglican Communion]] make no such requirement.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2004 |title=Institution of an Incumbent |url=http://www.ireland.anglican.org/cmsfiles/files/worship/pdf/InstitutionHC.pdf |work=Book of Common Prayer |publisher=[[Church of Ireland]] |pages=24}}</ref> The [[Episcopal Church (United States)|US Episcopal Church]] never required subscription to the Articles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thirty-Nine Articles, or Articles of Religion |url=https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/thirty-nine-articles-or-articles-of-religion/ |access-date=2023-04-25 |website=The Episcopal Church |language=en-US}}</ref>

The influence of the Articles on Anglican thought, doctrine and practice has been profound. The Articles are the confession of faith of the Anglican tradition.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gee |first1=Henry |title=Documents Illustrative of English Church History |date=1896 |publisher=Macmillan and co |location=London |pages=519 |edition=1st}}</ref> In Anglican discourse, the Articles are regularly cited and interpreted to clarify doctrine and practice. An important concrete manifestation of this is the [[Chicago–Lambeth Quadrilateral]], which incorporates Articles VI, VIII, XXV, and XXXVI in its broad articulation of fundamental Anglican identity. In other circumstances they delineate the parameters of acceptable belief and practice in proscriptive fashion. The Articles continue to be invoked today in the Anglican Church. For example, in the ongoing debate over homosexual activity and the concomitant controversies over episcopal authority, Articles VI, XX, XXIII, XXVI, and XXXIV are regularly cited by those of various opinions.

Each of the 44 member churches in the [[Anglican Communion]] is, however, free to adopt and authorise its own official documents, and the Articles are not officially normative in all Anglican Churches (neither is the [[Athanasian Creed]]). The only doctrinal documents agreed upon in the Anglican Communion are the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed of AD 325, and the Chicago–Lambeth Quadrilateral. Beside these documents, authorised liturgical formularies, such as Prayer Book and Ordinal, are normative. The several provincial editions of Prayer Books (and authorised alternative liturgies) are, however, not identical, although they share a greater or smaller amount of family resemblance. No specific edition of the Prayer Book is therefore binding for the entire Communion.

A revised version was adopted in 1801 by the [[US Episcopal Church]] which deleted the Athanasian Creed. Earlier, [[John Wesley]], founder of the [[Methodists]], adapted the Thirty-nine Articles for use by American Methodists in the 18th century. The resulting [[Articles of Religion (Methodist)|Articles of Religion]] remain an official doctrinal statement of the [[United Methodist Church]].

== Interpretation ==
According to theologian [[Henry Chadwick (theologian)|Henry Chadwick]], 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]]'' (Latin: middle path or middle way) between the beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church on the one hand, and those of the Lutheran and Reformed churches on the other hand, thus giving the Church of England a unique middle-of-the-road position. The ''via media'' was expressed so adroitly in the Articles that some Anglican scholars have labelled their content as an early example of the idea that the doctrine of Anglicanism is one of "Reformed Catholicism".{{sfn|Chadwick|1988|p=}}

In 1628 [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] prefixed a royal declaration to the articles, which demands a literal interpretation of them, threatening discipline for academics or churchmen teaching any personal interpretations or encouraging debate about them. It states: "no man hereafter shall either print or preach, to draw the Article aside any way, but shall submit to it in the plain and Full meaning thereof: and shall not put his own sense or comment to be the meaning of the Article, but shall take it in the literal and grammatical sense."<ref>{{Cite web |title=The King's Declaration Prefixed to the Articles of Religion (Nov. 1628) |url=https://history.hanover.edu/texts/engref/er91.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428232645/https://history.hanover.edu/texts/engref/er91.html |archive-date=2022-04-28 |access-date=2022-11-02 |website=history.hanover.edu}}</ref>

However, what the Articles truly mean has been a matter of debate in the Church since before they were issued. The [[Evangelical Anglicanism|evangelical wing]] of the Church has claimed to take the Articles at face value, and to regard them as of utmost importance. In 2003, evangelical Anglican clergyman Chris Pierce wrote:

{{blockquote|The Thirty-Nine Articles define the biblically derived summations of precise Christian doctrine. The Thirty-Nine Articles are more than minimally assented to; they are believed wholeheartedly. In earlier times English and Irish evangelicals would have read Cranmer, [[Nicholas Ridley (martyr)|Ridley]], [[Hugh Latimer|Latimer]], [[James Ussher|Ussher]], and [[J. C. Ryle|Ryle]] and would unreservedly agree with Dean Litton's assessment that (quoted by Dean Paul Zahl, in his work 'The Protestant Face of Anglicanism'), 'The Anglican Church, if she is to be judged by the statements of the Articles, must be ranked among the Protestant Churches of Europe.'{{sfn|Pierce|2003}} }}

This view has never been held by the whole church.{{cn|date=February 2023}} In 1643, [[Archbishop of Armagh (Church of Ireland)|Archbishop of Armagh]] [[John Bramhall]] laid out a broader view of the Articles:

{{blockquote|Some of them are the very same that are contained in the Creed; some others of them are practical truths, which come not within the proper list of points or articles to be believed; lastly, some of them are pious opinions or inferior truths, which are proposed by the Church of England to all her sons, as not to be opposed; not as essentials of Faith necessary to be believed by all Christians ''necessitate medii,'' under pain of damnation.{{sfn|Bramhall|1842|p=355}} }}

This divergence of opinion became overt during the [[Oxford Movement]] of the 19th century. The stipulations of Articles XXV and XXVIII were regularly invoked by evangelicals to oppose the reintroduction of certain beliefs, customs, and acts of piety with respect to the sacraments. In response, [[John Henry Newman]]'s [[Tract 90]] attempted to show that the 39 Articles could be read according to an [[Anglo-Catholic]] interpretation.{{sfn|Newman|1841|p=}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
;Citations
{{Reflist}}

;Sources
{{refbegin|indent=yes}}
* {{cite book | year =1993 | editor-last = Ayris | editor-first = Paul | editor2-last =Selwyn | editor2-first = David | title =Thomas Cranmer: Churchman and Scholar | place = Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK | publisher =[[Boydell & Brewer|The Boydell Press]] | isbn =0-85115-549-9 }}
* {{cite book | last = Blunt | first = John Henry | title = The Reformation of the Church of England: Its History, Principles and Results | publisher = Rivingtons | volume = Part 1 AD 1514–1547 | edition = 4th | year = 1878 | location = London, Oxford, and Cambridge | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=M9UwAQAAMAAJ }}
* {{cite book |last=Bramhall|first=John |title=The Works of Archbishop Bramhall |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O10PAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA355|volume=2|year=1842|publisher=J.H. Parker|location=Oxford|chapter=Schism Guarded}}
* {{cite book|last=Bray|first=Gerald Lewis |title=Documents of the English Reformation 1526-1701 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UGi6WWtzkJYC&pg=PA284|year=2004|publisher=James Clarke & Co. |isbn=978-0-227-17239-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Brown|first=Stephen F. |title=Protestantism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lplJPBYWefcC&pg=PA77|year=2009|publisher=Chelsea House|location=New York|isbn=978-1-60413-112-3}}
* {{cite book |editor-last1=Sykes|editor-first1=Stephen |editor-last2=Booty|editor-first2=John E. |title=The Study of Anglicanism |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=3XUtAAAAMAAJ |year=1988 |publisher=SPCK/Fortress Press |location=London|isbn=978-0-8006-2087-5 |author-link=Henry Chadwick (theologian)|first=Henry |last=Chadwick|chapter=Tradition, Fathers, and Councils}}
*{{cite book |last=Chapman |first=Mark |title=Anglicanism: A Very Short Introduction |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=RLEL9Xxy9E8C |year=2006 |publisher=OUP |location=Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-157819-9}}
* {{cite book |editor1-first=Frank Leslie |editor1-last=Cross|editor2-first= Elizabeth A. |editor2-last=Livingstone|title=The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church |url = https://archive.org/details/oxforddictionary00late|url-access=registration|edition=3rd|year=1997|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-211655-0 }}
* {{cite book | last = d'Aubigné | first = J. H. Merle | author-link = Jean-Henri Merle d'Aubigné | title = The Reformation in England |volume= 2 Book 3 | publisher = [[Banner of Truth Trust]] | year = 1972 |location = Edinburgh | isbn = 978-0-85151-487-1 }}
* {{cite book | last = Davie | first = Martin | title = Our Inheritance of Faith: A Commentary on the Thirty Nine Articles | publisher = Gilead Books Publishing | year = 2013 | isbn = 978-0956856074}}
* {{cite book |last=Guy |first=John |title=Tudor England |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8JhrQgAACAAJ |year=1990 |publisher=OUP |location=Oxford |isbn=978-0-19-285213-7}}
* {{cite book |last = Haigh | first = Christopher | title = English Reformations: Religion, Politics, and Society Under the Tudors | publisher = Clarendon Press | year= 1993 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=zFmS2ng9z7wC | isbn = 0198221622 }}
* {{cite book|last=Heal|first=Felicity|author-link=Felicity Heal|title=Reformation in Britain and Ireland|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5SRANUBTt3AC&pg=PA362|year=2003|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-928015-5}}
* {{cite book | last = MacCulloch | first = Diarmaid | author-link = Diarmaid MacCulloch | title = Thomas Cranmer: A Life | publisher = [[Yale University Press]] | year = 1996 | location = London | isbn = 0-300-06688-0 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/thomascranmerlif0000macc }}.
* {{cite book |via=Church of England |editor-first=Diarmaid |editor-last=MacCulloch |title=The Book of Common Prayer: 1662 Version (includes Appendices from the 1549 Version and Other Commemorations) |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=BHRnQgAACAAJ |series=Issue 241 of Everyman's library |year=1999 |publisher=David Campbell Publishers|isbn=978-1-85715-241-8}}
* {{cite book |author-link = J. D. Mackie|last=Mackie|first= J. D.|title=The Earlier Tudors, 1485–1558|publisher= Oxford Paperbacks |year = 1994 |isbn=0-19-285292-2}}
* {{cite book |last = Marshall |first = Peter | title = Heretics and Believers: A History of the English Reformation | publisher = Yale University Press |year= 2017 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=M7S_DgAAQBAJ |isbn = 978-0300170627 }}
* {{cite book | last = Marshall | first = Peter | chapter = Settlement Patterns: The Church of England, 1553–1603 | year = 2017b | title = The Oxford History of Anglicanism | volume = 1: Reformation and Identity, c. 1520–1662 | editor-last = Milton | editor-first = Anthony | pages = 45–62 | publisher = Oxford University Press | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=1WfODQAAQBAJ | isbn= 9780199639731 }}
* {{cite CE1913 |wstitle = Anglicanism |first=James |last=Moyes |year = 1913 }}
* {{cite book |last=Newman |first=John Henry |author-link=John Henry Newman |title=Remarks on Certain Passages in the Thirty-nine Articles |url = https://archive.org/details/a623832400newmuoft |page = [https://archive.org/details/a623832400newmuoft/page/n6 1] |series=Tract No 90 of Tracts for the Times |year=1841 |publisher=J.G.F. & J. Rivington}}
* {{cite book|last=O'Donovan |first=Oliver |author-link=Oliver O'Donovan |title=On the Thirty Nine Articles: A Conversation with Tudor Christianity |publisher=SCM Press |edition = 2nd |year=2011 |location=London |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8WOmDwAAQBAJ |isbn=9780334047810}}
* {{cite journal |first=Chris |last=Pierce |url = http://archive.churchsociety.org/crossway/documents/Cway_089_Pierce1.pdf |title = A Look across the Pond - A brief analysis of the status of the evangelical Anglicanism in the US and Canada |journal=Cross†way |year=2003 |issue=89 }}
* {{cite book |last=Ridley |first=Jasper |author-link=Jasper Ridley (historian) |title=Thomas Cranmer |url={{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=WiodIjEXpjwC |keywords=importance of auricular confession}} |year=2013 |publisher=Pan Macmillan |isbn=978-1-4472-4128-7 |orig-year=1962 |oclc=398369 }}
*{{cite book |last1=Wilson |first1=William Gilbert |last2=Templeton |first2 = J. H. |title=Anglican Teaching: An Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=N6a9GAAACAAJ |year=1962 |publisher=[[Association for Promoting Christian Knowledge]] |location=Dublin }}
* {{cite encyclopedia |title = Wittenberg Articles |encyclopedia = Christian Cyclopedia |publisher = Concordia Publishing House |year = 2000 |access-date = 3 August 2018 |url = http://cyclopedia.lcms.org/display.asp?t1=w&word=WITTENBERGARTICLES |ref= {{harvid|"Wittenberg Articles"}} }}
{{refend}}

;Further reading
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Bicknell|first=Edward John|title=A theological introduction to the Thirty-nine articles of the Church of England|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GU-gAAAAMAAJ|year=1919|publisher=Longmans|location=London}}
* {{cite book|last=Boultbee|first=Thomas Pownall|title=A Commentary on the Thirty-nine Articles: Forming an Introduction to the Theology of the Church of England|url=https://archive.org/details/acommentaryonth00boulgoog|year=1877|publisher=Longmans}}
* {{cite book|last=Denison|first=Edward|author-link=Edward Denison (bishop)|date=1835|title=A Review of the State of the Question respecting the Admission of Dissenters to the Universities|location=London|publisher=John Cochran|title-link=s:A Review of the State of the Question respecting the Admission of Dissenters to the Universities}}
* {{cite book|last=Douglas|first=Brian|title=A Companion to Anglican Eucharistic Theology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jW2uOx2kHrYC&pg=PA234|volume=1: The Reformation to the 19th Century|year=2011|publisher=Brill|location=Leiden|isbn=978-90-04-21930-4|pages=234–246}}
* {{cite book|last=Gibson|first=Edgar Charles Sumner|title=The Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England Explained...|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JwNKAAAAMAAJ|year=1908|publisher=Methuen & Company}}
* {{cite book|last=Kirby|first=Torrance|chapter=The Articles of Religion of the Church of England (1563/71), commonly called the Thirty-Nine Articles.|editor1-first=Andreas|editor1-last=Mühling|editor2-first=Peter|editor2-last=Opitz|title=Reformierte Bekenntnisschriften|volume=Band 2/1, 1559-1563|pages=371–410|location=Neukirchen-Vluyn|publisher=Neukirchener Verlag|date=2009}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Redworth|first1=Glyn|title=A Study in the Formulation of Policy: The Genesis and Evolution of the Act of Six Articles|journal=The Journal of Ecclesiastical History|volume=37|issue=1|year=2011|pages=42–67|issn=0022-0469|doi=10.1017/S0022046900031900|s2cid=162584862 }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Wikisource-multi|Book of Common Prayer (1863)/Articles of Religion|t1=Thirty-nine Articles of Religion|Book of Common Prayer (ECUSA)/Historical Documents of the Church/Articles of Religion|t2=Articles of Religion of the Episcopal Church}}
* [https://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/tenarticles.htm The Ten Articles of 1536]
* [http://www.theologian.org.uk/church/39articles.html Audio version of the 39 Articles in MP3 format]
* [https://www.eskimo.com/~lhowell/bcp1662/articles/articles.html Articles of Religion], text of the 1571 version
* [https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/book-common-prayer/articles-religion Articles of Religion] Church of England website
* [http://www.justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/england.htm Anglican Communion resources relating to the ''Book of Common Prayer'', including the articles of religion]
** [http://www.justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/1662/articles.pdf Facsimile of a 1762 printing] from the above site
* [https://gavvie.tripod.com/39articles/articles.html Original text in Latin and in English]
* [https://anglicansonline.org/basics/thirty-nine_articles.html Revised 1801 version] adopted by the US Episcopal Church
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071024070704/http://www.tlogical.net/irish.htm Irish Articles of 1615]
* {{Librivox book |stitle=The Reformation Collection Volume 2 |dtitle=The Ten Articles and The Six Articles}}

{{Reformed confessions}}
{{Intermediates between Catholicism and Protestantism}}

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History of Anglicanism

2025-12-27T20:46:43Z

AnglicanAkatosh: Made it clearer that the Celtic Church developed into the English Church. Removed "Conclusion" section rendered needless by the introduction.

Anglicanism claims continuity with the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ. Christianity first appeared in Britain in antiquity, during the Roman period. The Church of England became the independent established church in England and Wales in 1534 as a result of the English Reformation. From the apostles to the Celts, from Augustine to Cranmer, and from the English Reformation to the present, the same Gospel endures: ''one Lord, one faith, one baptism.''<ref>Ephesians 4:5</ref>

== Roman Britain ==
Tradition holds that the Gospel reached the British Isles in the first century, brought by early disciples such as [[Joseph of Arimathea]] or [[Aristobulus]], counted among the Seventy. According to St. Gildas, the "Light of Christ" shone in Britain in the last year of Emperor Tiberius,<ref>Gildas. [https://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/gildas01.html On the Conquest of Britain.] §8.</ref> which either refers to Tiberius Julius Caesar (AD 37) or to Tiberius Claudius Caesar (AD 54). Tertullian attests in ''Adversus Judaeos'' (written in AD 198) that Christianity had already been well-established in Britain by then.<ref>[http://www.tertullian.org/anf/anf03/anf03-19.htm#P2021_691723 "Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. III : An Answer to the Jews"]. ''www.tertullian.org''.</ref> The early British Christians maintained episcopal order and orthodoxy independent of Rome, establishing a national church rooted in Scripture, liturgy, and the Creeds.

In the mid-3rd century, there was an intensification of the persecution of Christians, particularly under the Emperors Decius (<abbr>r.</abbr> 249–251) and Valerian (<abbr>r.</abbr> 253–260). These waves of persecution may have impacted the Christian community in Britain. It is possible that Saints Alban, Julius, and Aaron were killed at this time. In 260, the Emperor Gallienus issued an edict that decriminalized Christianity, allowing the church to own property as a corporate body.<ref>Petts, David (2003). ''Christianity in Roman Britain''. Stroud: Tempus. p. 31.</ref><ref>Hylson-Smith, Kenneth (1999). ''Christianity in England from Roman Times to the Reformation''. Vol. 1: From Roman Times to 1066. p 70.</ref>

The most severe persecution of Christians by the empire began in 303 under Diocletian (<abbr>r.</abbr> 284–305). Nevertheless, it appears that British Christians suffered less during the Diocletianic Persecution than Christians elsewhere.<ref>Hylson-Smith, Kenneth (1999). ''Christianity in England from Roman Times to the Reformation''. Vol. 1: From Roman Times to 1066. p 50.</ref> In 313, the Western Roman Emperor Constantine and Eastern Roman Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan, putting an end to the persecution of Christians in the empire.<ref>Petts, David (2003). ''Christianity in Roman Britain''. Stroud: Tempus. p 36.</ref>

In 314, Constantine called the Council of Arles, the first church council summoned by a Roman emperor. The council condemned Donatism and agreed to follow the Roman church's method of calculating the date for Easter. The British bishops in attendance were Eborius from York, Restitutus from London, and Adelfius possibly from Lincoln. These cities were provincial capitals, and the bishops were likely archbishops with authority over the other bishops in their provinces.<ref>Yorke, Barbara (2006). ''[https://archive.org/details/conversionofbrit0000york The Conversion of Britain: Religion, Politics and Society in Britain c. 600–800]''. Religion, Politics and Society in Britain.</ref>

According to St. Athanasius, British bishops attended the Council of Serdica in 343. However, the council records do not indicate any British bishops were present; for this reason, historian Richard Sharpe argued that Athanasius was inaccurate. The Gallo-Roman chronicler Sulpicius Severus claimed that at least three bishops from Britain were in attendance at the Council of Ariminum in 359.<ref>Sharpe, Richard (2002). "Martyrs and Local Saints in Late Antique Britain". ''Local Saints and Local Churches in the Early Medieval West''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 75–154.</ref> Emperor Constantius II offered lodging at public expense, but most bishops refused, except for the British. This suggests that the British church was either poor or numerically small.<ref>Hylson-Smith, Kenneth (1999). ''Christianity in England from Roman Times to the Reformation''. Vol. 1: From Roman Times to 1066. p 56.</ref>

== The Celtic Church ==
In the Early Middle Ages, the faith blossomed among the Celtic peoples of Britain and Ireland. Saints such as **Patrick**, **Brigid**, **Columba**, and **David** nurtured a form of Christianity that emphasized holiness, missionary zeal, and Scriptural devotion. Monastic communities became centers of learning and evangelism, sending missionaries across northern Europe. The Celtic Church maintained apostolic succession and orthodox faith, yet exhibited a local, pastoral character distinct from Roman uniformity.

In AD 449, Vortigern, king of Britain, invited Germanic Pagan mercenaries from the tribes of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, led by the brothers Hengist and Horsa, to help him in a war against the Picts. While the pagan English mercenaries initially helped the British Christians, they later turned on them and, joining the Picts, overran Britain.<ref>Bede. Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation. [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Ecclesiastical_History_of_the_English_Nation_(Jane)/Book_1 Book 1]. Chapters XIV-XV.</ref><ref>Nennius. Historia Brittonum. [https://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/n03.html §36-38]</ref> While efforts by such kings as Vortimer, Ambrosius Aurelius, and Arthur initially proved effective against the Germanic Pagans, Britain was then wasted by civil wars, permitting the English to return. The British Christians also refused to evangelize the English pagans, thus making Germanic Paganism replace Christianity as the predominant religion in Britain.<ref>Bede. Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation. Book 1. Chapters XVI, XXII</ref><ref>Nennius. Historia Brittonum. §43-46, 56</ref>

== The Church of England before the Reformation ==
When **St. Augustine of Canterbury** arrived in 597 under papal commission to convert the English, he found an already ancient Celtic Church in England. The bishops in England accepted fraternal communion with Rome but preserved their national identity. The Celtic Church (now [[Church of England|the English Church]]) possessed its own liturgies, synods, and pastoral customs. The **Synod of Whitby (664)** brought the English Church into closer administrative alignment with Rome, but its spirit of Scriptural purity and native freedom endured.

Throughout the Middle Ages, reform movements such as those of **John Wycliffe** and the **Lollards** called for a return to the authority of Scripture and the example of the primitive Church. Thus, when the Reformation arrived, it was a restoration rather than a revolution.

== The English Reformation ==
The sixteenth-century Reformation under **King Henry VIII**, **Edward VI**, and Archbishop [[Thomas Cranmer]] sought to restore the Church of England to the purity of apostolic faith. The [[Book of Common Prayer]] (1549, 1552, 1559, 1662), the **Thirty-Nine Articles**, and the **Ordinal** enshrined a theology both catholic and reformed—rooted in the Scriptures, the Creeds, and the witness of the Fathers.

For the Reformed Episcopal tradition, the Reformation represents the English Church’s renewal, not its creation. It was a return to the faith of the apostles and the fathers, stripped of medieval excess and centered again upon Christ and His Word.

== The American and Episcopal Church ==
The Church of England took root in the American colonies, and after the Revolution (1789), it was organized as the **Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America**. This Church inherited the episcopate through the consecration of **Samuel Seabury** in 1784 and **William White** and **Samuel Provoost** in 1787, maintaining apostolic succession within an independent national church.

== See also ==

* [[Reformed Episcopal Church]]
* [[Thomas Cranmer]]
* [[Book of Common Prayer]]
* [[Thirty-Nine Articles]]
* [[Church of England]]
* [[Anglican Church in North America]]
* [[Saint Patrick]]
* [[Synod of Whitby]]

== References ==

King Charles the Martyr

2025-12-25T00:21:22Z

AnglicanAkatosh: Someone please update this article to be better

'''Charles I''' (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. He was the second son of King James I of England and Anne of Denmark. Charles's reign was marked by religious and political conflicts that ultimately led to the English Civil War and his trial and execution for high treason. His execution marked the only time in English history that the monarch, the Supreme Governor of the [[Church of England]], was killed by his own subjects.

[[Anglicanism|Anglicans]] who venerate him have called him '''Saint Charles the Martyr''', or '''Charles, King and Martyr.''' His cult is upheld by societies such as the Society of King Charles the Martyr.

== Early life and accession ==
Charles was born at Dunfermline Palace in Fife, Scotland. As the second son, he was not initially expected to inherit the throne, but became heir apparent after the death of his elder brother, Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales, in 1612. Charles was a sickly child who suffered from weak ankles and a stammer, but he grew into a cultured and refined man with a deep appreciation for the arts.

Upon his father's death in 1625, Charles inherited three kingdoms in a state of religious and political tension. Unlike his father, who styled himself a mediating theologian, Charles possessed firm convictions about the nature of monarchy and the Church that would prove uncompromising.

== Anglican convictions and church polity ==
Charles was a devout Anglican who held a high view of the sacraments and the episcopacy. He believed profoundly in the divine right of kings and saw himself as responsible before God for the spiritual welfare of his subjects. His vision of the Church of England included beauty in worship, the importance of ceremony, and the continuity of the Church with its Catholic past while maintaining its reformed Protestant character.

=== Laudian Reforms ===
Charles appointed William Laud as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1633, and together they pursued what they understood as a restoration of reverence and order in Anglican worship. These reforms helped recover the Catholic heritage of the English Church while maintaining its Protestant theology. Charles and Laud believed they were defending the via media, the middle way between Rome and Geneva, which had been established under Elizabeth I. These reforms, often called the Laudian or Arminian program, included (but are not limited to) moving communion tables to the east end of churches and railing them off as altars, enforcing liturgical uniformity according to the Book of Common Prayer, requiring clergy to wear surplices and emphasizing ceremonial aspects of worship, beautifying church interiors with stained glass, carvings, and other ornamentation, and suppressing Puritan practices such as weekday lectures and unauthorized preaching.

=== Theological Position ===
Charles's theological outlook was shaped by a sacramental understanding of Christianity and a belief in the apostolic succession of bishops. He rejected both papal supremacy and Presbyterian church government, insisting a jure divino episcopacy. His chaplains and the bishops whom he appointed generally held what would later be called High Church views, believing in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist (though not transubstantiation), the necessity of episcopal ordination for valid ministry, the Church of England as a true branch of the Catholic Church, the importance of tradition alongside Scripture, and the possibility of salvation through faithful adherence to the sacraments and the teachings of the Church. Charles viewed Puritans who rejected these principles as threats to the very fabric of the established Church and, by extension, to divinely ordained social order.

== Conflict with Parliament and the Puritans ==
Charles's religious policies alienated powerful Puritan factions in Parliament and among the gentry. Many Anglicans feared that the Laudian reforms were a step toward reconciliation with Rome, though Charles himself remained firmly opposed to Roman Catholicism. His marriage to the Roman Catholic Henrietta Maria of France, while a diplomatic necessity, added to these suspicions. The king's attempts to impose Anglican liturgy on Presbyterian Scotland through the 1637 Book of Common Prayer proved disastrous, sparking the Bishops' Wars. The Scottish resistance demonstrated that Charles's vision of a unified Anglican Church throughout his kingdoms was unachievable without a military force which he could not sustain.

== The Civil War ==
The breakdown of relations between Charles and Parliament over taxation, religious policy, and the extent of royal prerogative led to the outbreak of civil war in 1642. Charles fought for the preservation of the Church of England as he understood it. The parliamentary cause was dominated by Puritans who threatened to dismantle the episcopal Church and impose a rigid Presbyterian system. During the war, areas under parliamentary control saw widespread iconoclasm, with stained glass windows smashed, organs destroyed, and clergy ejected from their livings. The Book of Common Prayer was eventually banned in favor of a Presbyterian Directory of Worship. These acts were the desecration and persecution of true religion. After his defeat and capture, Charles refused to recognize the legitimacy of the court which tried him, maintaining that no earthly power could judge an anointed king. He was convicted of high treason and martyred outside the Banqueting House in Whitehall on 30 January 1649.

== Veneration in Anglicanism ==
The king's dignity and piety in his final days, his steadfast defense of the episcopal Church, and his forgiveness of his executioners brought on comparisons to early Christian martyrs. Shortly after the Restoration in 1660, the Church of England began commemorating Charles as "King and Martyr," and his feast day of 30 January was added to the Book of Common Prayer. The ''Eikon Basilike'' (Image of the King), published shortly after his death and purporting to be Charles's own spiritual meditations, became one of the most influential books of the 17th century. It portrayed Charles as a pious sufferer for the true faith, a Christian prince who chose death rather than betray the Church committed to his care.

His commemoration as "Saint Charles the Martyr" in Anglican jurisdictions reflects how he died for principles central to Anglican identity: episcopal government, liturgical worship, and the establishment of the Church under the crown. Anglo-Catholics in particular have venerated Charles as a champion of Catholic order within Protestantism. His support for Laud's reforms and his sacramental piety align with the more Catholic strand of Anglican spirituality which emphasizes tradition, ceremony, and the objective presence of grace in the sacraments. However, even within Anglicanism, assessments of Charles have varied. Some Anglicans have viewed his inflexibility and poor political judgment as contributing to the temporary destruction of the Church he sought to defend. The Restoration settlement that followed the monarchy's return in 1660 was more moderate than Charles's own policies, suggesting that his vision, while sincerely held, may have been impractical given the religious diversity of his kingdoms.

History of Anglicanism

2025-12-24T00:52:33Z

AnglicanAkatosh: Beginning work on a major revamp of the page. Chime in if you want

Anglicanism claims continuity with the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ. Christianity first appeared in Britain in antiquity, during the Roman period. The Church of England became the independent established church in England and Wales in 1534 as a result of the English Reformation. From the apostles to the Celts, from Augustine to Cranmer, and from the English Reformation to the present, the same Gospel endures: ''one Lord, one faith, one baptism.''<ref>Ephesians 4:5</ref>

== Roman Britain ==
Tradition holds that the Gospel reached the British Isles in the first century, brought by early disciples such as [[Joseph of Arimathea]] or [[Aristobulus]], counted among the Seventy. According to St. Gildas, the "Light of Christ" shone in Britain in the last year of Emperor Tiberius,<ref>Gildas. [https://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/gildas01.html On the Conquest of Britain.] §8.</ref> which either refers to Tiberius Julius Caesar (AD 37) or to Tiberius Claudius Caesar (AD 54). Tertullian attests in ''Adversus Judaeos'' (written in AD 198) that Christianity had already been well-established in Britain by then.<ref>[http://www.tertullian.org/anf/anf03/anf03-19.htm#P2021_691723 "Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. III : An Answer to the Jews"]. ''www.tertullian.org''.</ref> The early British Christians maintained episcopal order and orthodoxy independent of Rome, establishing a national church rooted in Scripture, liturgy, and the Creeds.

In the mid-3rd century, there was an intensification of the persecution of Christians, particularly under the Emperors Decius (<abbr>r.</abbr> 249–251) and Valerian (<abbr>r.</abbr> 253–260). These waves of persecution may have impacted the Christian community in Britain. It is possible that Saints Alban, Julius, and Aaron were killed at this time. In 260, the Emperor Gallienus issued an edict that decriminalized Christianity, allowing the church to own property as a corporate body.<ref>Petts, David (2003). ''Christianity in Roman Britain''. Stroud: Tempus. p. 31.</ref><ref>Hylson-Smith, Kenneth (1999). ''Christianity in England from Roman Times to the Reformation''. Vol. 1: From Roman Times to 1066. p 70.</ref>

The most severe persecution of Christians by the empire began in 303 under Diocletian (<abbr>r.</abbr> 284–305). Nevertheless, it appears that British Christians suffered less during the Diocletianic Persecution than Christians elsewhere.<ref>Hylson-Smith, Kenneth (1999). ''Christianity in England from Roman Times to the Reformation''. Vol. 1: From Roman Times to 1066. p 50.</ref> In 313, the Western Roman Emperor Constantine and Eastern Roman Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan, putting an end to the persecution of Christians in the empire.<ref>Petts, David (2003). ''Christianity in Roman Britain''. Stroud: Tempus. p 36.</ref>

In 314, Constantine called the Council of Arles, the first church council summoned by a Roman emperor. The council condemned Donatism and agreed to follow the Roman church's method of calculating the date for Easter. The British bishops in attendance were Eborius from York, Restitutus from London, and Adelfius possibly from Lincoln. These cities were provincial capitals, and the bishops were likely archbishops with authority over the other bishops in their provinces.<ref>Yorke, Barbara (2006). ''[https://archive.org/details/conversionofbrit0000york The Conversion of Britain: Religion, Politics and Society in Britain c. 600–800]''. Religion, Politics and Society in Britain.</ref>

According to St. Athanasius, British bishops attended the Council of Serdica in 343. However, the council records do not indicate any British bishops were present; for this reason, historian Richard Sharpe argued that Athanasius was inaccurate. The Gallo-Roman chronicler Sulpicius Severus claimed that at least three bishops from Britain were in attendance at the Council of Ariminum in 359.<ref>Sharpe, Richard (2002). "Martyrs and Local Saints in Late Antique Britain". ''Local Saints and Local Churches in the Early Medieval West''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 75–154.</ref> Emperor Constantius II offered lodging at public expense, but most bishops refused, except for the British. This suggests that the British church was either poor or numerically small.<ref>Hylson-Smith, Kenneth (1999). ''Christianity in England from Roman Times to the Reformation''. Vol. 1: From Roman Times to 1066. p 56.</ref>

== The Celtic Church ==
In the Early Middle Ages, the faith blossomed among the Celtic peoples of Britain and Ireland. Saints such as **Patrick**, **Brigid**, **Columba**, and **David** nurtured a form of Christianity that emphasized holiness, missionary zeal, and Scriptural devotion. Monastic communities became centers of learning and evangelism, sending missionaries across northern Europe. The Celtic Church maintained apostolic succession and orthodox faith, yet exhibited a local, pastoral character distinct from Roman uniformity.

In AD 449, Vortigern, king of Britain, invited Germanic Pagan mercenaries from the tribes of the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, led by the brothers Hengist and Horsa, to help him in a war against the Picts. While the pagan English mercenaries initially helped the British Christians, they later turned on them and, joining the Picts, overran Britain.<ref>Bede. Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation. [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Ecclesiastical_History_of_the_English_Nation_(Jane)/Book_1 Book 1]. Chapters XIV-XV.</ref><ref>Nennius. Historia Brittonum. [https://www.maryjones.us/ctexts/n03.html §36-38]</ref> While efforts by such kings as Vortimer, Ambrosius Aurelius, and Arthur initially proved effective against the Germanic Pagans, Britain was then wasted by civil wars, permitting the English to return. The British Christians also refused to evangelize the English pagans, thus making Germanic Paganism replace Christianity as the predominant religion in Britain.<ref>Bede. Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation. Book 1. Chapters XVI, XXII</ref><ref>Nennius. Historia Brittonum. §43-46, 56</ref>

== The Church of England before the Reformation ==
When **St. Augustine of Canterbury** arrived in 597 under papal commission to convert the English and to establish the [[Church of England]], he found an already ancient Celtic Church. The English bishops accepted fraternal communion with Rome but preserved their national identity. The English Church possessed its own liturgies, synods, and pastoral customs. The **Synod of Whitby (664)** brought the English Church into closer administrative alignment with Rome, but its spirit of Scriptural purity and native freedom endured.

Throughout the Middle Ages, reform movements such as those of **John Wycliffe** and the **Lollards** called for a return to the authority of Scripture and the example of the primitive Church. Thus, when the Reformation arrived, it was a restoration rather than a revolution.

== The English Reformation ==
The sixteenth-century Reformation under **King Henry VIII**, **Edward VI**, and Archbishop [[Thomas Cranmer]] sought to restore the Church of England to the purity of apostolic faith. The [[Book of Common Prayer]] (1549, 1552, 1559, 1662), the **Thirty-Nine Articles**, and the **Ordinal** enshrined a theology both catholic and reformed—rooted in the Scriptures, the Creeds, and the witness of the Fathers.

For the Reformed Episcopal tradition, the Reformation represents the English Church’s renewal, not its creation. It was a return to the faith of the apostles and the fathers, stripped of medieval excess and centered again upon Christ and His Word.

== The American and Episcopal Church ==
The Church of England took root in the American colonies, and after the Revolution (1789), it was organized as the **Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America**. This Church inherited the episcopate through the consecration of **Samuel Seabury** in 1784 and **William White** and **Samuel Provoost** in 1787, maintaining apostolic succession within an independent national church.

== Conclusion ==
Anglicanism is the authentic continuation of the ancient, apostolic Church in the English-speaking world. From the apostles to the Celts, from Augustine to Cranmer, and from the English Reformation to the present, the same Gospel endures: *one Lord, one faith, one baptism* (Ephesians 4:5).

Anglicanism stands as a testimony to the enduring work of God in His Church—ever reforming, yet always rooted in the faith once delivered to the saints.

== See also ==

* [[Reformed Episcopal Church]]
* [[Thomas Cranmer]]
* [[Book of Common Prayer]]
* [[Thirty-Nine Articles]]
* [[Church of England]]
* [[Anglican Church in North America]]
* [[Saint Patrick]]
* [[Synod of Whitby]]

== References ==

Aristobulus

2025-12-23T22:01:14Z

AnglicanAkatosh: New Page

'''Aristobulus''' (Greek: ''Ἀριστόβουλος'', Welsh: ''Arwystli''<ref>Williams, John. The Ecclesiastical Antiquities of the Cymry; Or the Ancient British Church; Its History, Doctrine, and Rites. [https://books.google.com/books?id=xdhUAAAAcAAJ&q=Saint+Aristobulus+of+Britannia&pg=PA57#v=onepage&q&f=false p57]</ref>) is identified in Church tradition as one of the Seventy Apostles whom Jesus appointed and sent out two by two, as described in the Gospel of Luke.<ref>Luke 10:1</ref> According to a list of these apostles attributed to Hippolytus of Rome (d. 235), Aristobulus was consecrated as the first bishop of Britain.<ref>Pseudo-Hippolytus. [http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0524.htm "Church Fathers: On the Apostles and Disciples"]. New Advent.</ref>

== Apostolic Mission ==
There are several conflicting narratives about Aristobulus' life before he went to Britain. Some identify Aristobulus as the brother of the apostle Barnabas, a Cypriot Levite,<ref>Acts 4:36-37</ref> who accompanied Paul and Barnabas on their missionary travels.<ref>Sanidopoulos, John. [https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2017/03/synaxarion-of-holy-apostle-aristobulus.html "Synaxarion of the Holy Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy, First Bishop of Britain"].</ref> Serenus de Cressy (d. 1674) further elaborates on this tradition, relating that Aristobulus was ordained as a bishop by Paul and dispatched to Britain around AD 60 during Paul's imprisonment in Rome, possibly traveling via Gaul or directly across the Channel to reach the province amid its Roman occupation. Some identify him with Zebedee, the father of the Apostles James and John. Others say that he was the father-in-law of the Apostle Peter.<ref name=":0">[https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2025/03/16/100816-apostle-aristobulus-of-the-seventy-bishop-of-britain "Apostle Aristobulus of the Seventy the Bishop of Britain"]. ''Calendar of Saints''. Orthodox Church in America.</ref> Most of these traditions are unreliable, however.

As the inaugural bishop of the British Isles, Aristobulus is traditionally credited with laying the foundations for Christianity in the region. Others, however, attribute this deed to [[Joseph of Arimathea]]. According to some, Aristobulus preached the Gospel amid hostility from pagan inhabitants, converting numerous individuals and establishing early Christian communities by founding churches and ordaining priests and deacons to sustain the faith.<ref name=":0" /> Yet others attribute these deeds to Faganus and Duvanus, missionaries to [[King Lucius]].<ref>Geoffrey of Monmouth. Historia Regum Britanniae, [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Six_Old_English_Chronicles/Geoffrey%27s_British_History/Book_4 Book IV], Chapter 19.</ref>

Traditions regarding Aristobulus' death diverge: some accounts portray a peaceful repose in Britain after enduring torments from pagans, while other sources portray a martyrdom in Wales. De Cressy records his natural death at Glastonbury Abbey around AD 99, but Michael Alford says that Aristobulus was the husband of Mary Salome, which makes this date appear too late. Alford gives his death as "the second year of Nero", i.e. AD 56. Alford also asserts that "It is perfectly certain that, before St. Paul had come to Rome, Aristobulus was away in Britain".<ref name=":1">Smithett Lewis, Lionel (1955). ''St Joseph of Arimathea at Glastonbury''. London: James Clarke & Co.</ref>

== Possible reference in the New Testament ==
The sole direct reference to a person named Aristobulus in the New Testament appears in Romans 16:10, where the Apostle Paul instructs: "Salute them which are of Aristobulus' household." This greeting follows immediately after a commendation of Apelles as one "approved in Christ" and precedes salutations to Herodion and the household of Narcissus.<ref>Romans 16:10, 11</ref> Scholars generally interpret this phrase as addressing the household or dependents of Aristobulus rather than the individual himself, noting that Paul does not extend a direct greeting to Aristobulus personally, which suggests he may not have been a Christian convert at the time of writing.<ref>That is, late AD 55 to early AD 57.</ref> Alternative interpretations propose that "the family of Aristobulus" could denote a distinct Christian group associated with him, though the majority consensus favors the household reading based on parallel greetings in the chapter, such as those to the households of Prisca and Aquila or Asyncritus.<ref>Lampe, Peter. [https://www.academia.edu/78872964/The_roman_christians_of_romans_16 The Roman Christians of Romans 16]</ref><ref>Dr. Constable's Expository Notes, [https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/dcc/romans-16.html Romans 16]</ref><ref>Free Bible Commentary, [https://www.freebiblecommentary.org/new_testament_studies/VOL05/VOL05_16.html Romans 16]</ref>

== Possible relation to Aristobulus of Chalcis ==
Aristobulus of Chalcis was the son of Herod of Chalcis and Mariamne, the daughter of Olympias. He married Salome, the daughter of Herod II and Herodias, after the death of her first husband, Philip the Tetrarch. They had three sons: Herod, Agrippa, and Aristobulus.<ref>Flavius Josephus, ''Jewish Antiquities'', XVIII</ref> Lionel Smithett Lewis maintains that this latter Aristobulus could have been the apostle Aristobulus.<ref name=":1" />

== References and Notes ==

Julian Dobbs

2025-12-18T01:36:10Z

AnglicanAkatosh:

{{Infobox Christian leader
| type = Bishop
| honorific_prefix = [[The Right Reverend]]
| name = Julian M. Dobbs
| title = Bishop of the Diocese of the Living Word
| image = Bishop Julian Dobbs.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| church = [[Anglican Church in North America]]
| archdiocese =
| diocese = [[Anglican Diocese of the Living Word|Living Word]]
| see =
| term = 2011–present
| predecessor = See created
| successor = 
| other_post =
| ordination = 1991
| consecration = 25 September 2011
| consecrated_by = [[Nicholas Okoh]]
| rank = 
| birth_date =
| birth_place = New Zealand
| death_date =
| death_place =
| ordinated_by =
| spouse = Brenda Dobbs
| children = 3
| education =
| alma_mater =
}}
'''Julian M. Dobbs''' (born 1968) is a New Zealand-born American bishop. He serves as the diocesan bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word (ADLW), a jurisdiction of the [[Anglican Church in North America]]. Dobbs' ministry as a bishop includes overseeing congregations and clergy of the diocese. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States on February 7, 2014.

==Early career==
Dobbs was born and raised in New Zealand, where he married his wife, Brenda, they have three children. Son Sam is married to Paige Dossett. Daughter Grace is married to Lt. Commander David Welborn, and daughter Frances married to Austin Garlick. He and his wife have two grandchildren. In 1991, he was ordained in the Anglican Church in New Zealand. He has an L.Th., Th.M. and a D.D. He planted three congregations, led the fastest-growing congregation in New Zealand and hosted a weekly hour-long television show in Nelson.<ref name="ACNA">[http://www.anglicanchurch.net/?/main/page/206 "New Bishops Elected for North America"]. March 5, 2011. Retrieved September 22, 2012.</ref>

In 2004, Dobbs became executive director of the Barnabas Fund, promoting awareness of the persecution of Christians around the world, particularly in Laos, Malaysia, Syria, Egypt and North Korea. In the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami, Dobbs' relief work in Aceh, Indonesia, was recognized by the New Zealand government with the New Zealand Special Service Medal.<ref name="CANA-PR">[https://web.archive.org/web/20140311004349/http://canaconvocation.org/articles/cana-welcomes-julian-dobbs-as-canon-missioner "CANA Welcomes Julian Dobbs as Canon Missioner"]. December 8, 2008. Archived from [http://canaconvocation.org/articles/cana-welcomes-julian-dobbs-as-canon-missioner the original] on March 11, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2012.</ref> In 2006, Dobbs and his family relocated to the Washington, D.C. area where he continued to work at the Barnabas Fund.

==CANA ministry==
In 2008, Dobbs was appointed archdeacon and canon missioner in the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, where he contributed to clergy development, worked to help North American Anglicans understand and the challenges posed by the rise of Islam in Africa, and develop a West African-American clergy and lay mission partnership.<ref name=CANA-PR /> To continue this and other gospel work, he was elected a bishop for CANA and the Church of Nigeria in spring of 2011, and consecrated by Nicholas Okoh in Lagos on September 25, 2011.<ref name="Virtue">[https://web.archive.org/web/20131227081932/http://canaconvocation.org/articles/julian-dobbs-and-felix-orji-made-bishops "Julian Dobbs and Felix Orji Made CANA Bishops"]. September 26, 2011. Archived from [http://canaconvocation.org/articles/julian-dobbs-and-felix-orji-made-bishops the original] on December 27, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2012.</ref> He was also elected and received as a member of the College of Bishop of ACNA at the same time during a bishops meeting in Long Beach, California. Dobbs has been active in opposing and publicizing the Boko Haram attacks on Christians in northern Nigeria and calling for international prayer and action.<ref name="Boko">Dobbs, Julian (January 4, 2012). [http://www.churchandislam.com/Church_and_Islam/Comments/Entries/2012/1/4_Pray_for_Nigeria.html "Pray for Nigeria"]. Retrieved September 22, 2012.</ref> In August 2012, Okoh visited Washington, D.C., and through Dobbs' connections met with policymakers and officials to promote action against the Muslim militants in the north.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130621021546/http://canaconvocation.org/articles/archbishop-okoh-to-vist-the-united-states-in-august "Archbishop Okoh to Visit the United States in August"]. June 28, 2012. Archived from [http://canaconvocation.org/articles/archbishop-okoh-to-vist-the-united-states-in-august the original] on June 21, 2013. Retrieved August 23, 2012.</ref> He served on ACNA's task force on Christian-Muslim relations.<ref name="ACNA" />

On May 7, 2013, in Wayne, Pennsylvania, Dobbs became the first bishop of the newly formed Missionary Diocese of CANA East.<ref>[http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=17526#.UZWTyJXlnfh "VirtueOnline – the Voice for Global Orthodox Anglicanism"].</ref> CANA East stretches from Maine to Miami and from Tulsa, OK and The Bronx, NY. The diocese (now the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word) has 43 congregations and over 125 clergy. When it was created, the diocese was one of the three dioceses formed out of The Convocation of Anglicans in North America. It is also a diocese of the ACNA.<ref>[https://www.adlw.org/welcome "Anglican Diocese of the Living Word"]. ''www.adlw.org''.</ref>

Dobbs attended the GAFCON 2 meeting in Nairobi Kenya in 2013 and served at that time as a member of the International Board of [http://www.barnabasfund.org Barnabas Fund], an organization that supports suffering Christians.

In 2013 Dobbs wrote an open letter to the President of the United States, Barack Obama, calling for urgent intervention in support of persecuted Christians in Syria.<ref>[http://storage.cloversites.com/canadioceseoftheeast/documents/Open%20Letter%20to%20the%20President%20re%20Syria%20(August%202013)_2.pdf "Letter of Bishop Julian Dobbs to the President of the United States, August 20, 2013"] (PDF).</ref>

In January 2014, Dobbs was appointed as the Missionary Bishop of CANA by the Most Rev. Nicholas D. Okoh, Primate of all Nigeria. He remained diocesan bishop while taking on the additional responsibilities of providing oversight and leadership to CANA's overall ministry.<ref>[http://storage.cloversites.com/canadioceseoftheeast/documents/Missionary%20Bishop%20CANA%202014.pdf "Read the media release here"] (PDF).</ref>

Dobbs wrote his first pastoral letter to CANA on January 24, 2014.<ref>[http://storage.cloversites.com/canadioceseoftheeast/documents/Pastoral%20letter%20JMD%20Jan%202014.pdf "Bishop Julian Dobbs Pastoral Letter to CANA, January 24, 2014"] (PDF).</ref> In September 2014, Dobbs spoke at the "In Defense of Christians" forum in Washington, D.C. Hundreds of activists, including Christian clergy from across the Middle East and more than a dozen members of Congress attended a three-day conference aimed at training a serious policy-impacting force in Washington to protect persecuted Christians overseas. Dobbs presented a paper entitled "Why Christianity is Vital To the Middle East". He said: "Christianity is intrinsically linked to the Middle East. It is in the Middle East that Christianity was birthed in the backwaters of the Roman Empire and from where the message of the Christian gospel spread throughout the Roman Empire, to Ethiopia, and to the Persian Empire."<ref>[https://juliandobbs.com/2014/09/11/why-christianity-is-vital-to-the-middle-east-bishop-julian-dobbs/ "Why Christianity Is Vital to the Middle East – Bishop Julian Dobbs"]. September 11, 2014.</ref>

As missionary bishop, Dobbs presided over the 10th anniversary of the founding of CANA. In his anniversary address, Dobbs said, "CANA was missionary then and she is missionary now. As a Convocation we exist not only as a jurisdiction for the 120 congregations and 450 clergy and chaplains who serve as members of our Convocation, we exist as a missionary movement called by Almighty God to replant biblical missionary Anglican Christianity across North America. This is the mission to which we in CANA have all been called by Almighty God."<ref>[http://storage.cloversites.com/cana/documents/Pastoral%20Address%202015.pdf "Pastoral address"] (PDF).</ref>

==Living Through the Word==
In 2019, Bishop Dobbs became the main host of Living Through the Word podcast. In the inaugural episode Bishop Dobbs interviewed his mentor, Bishop [[Martyn Minns]].

== Anglican Diocese of the Living Word and ACNA ==

Dobbs is the diocesan bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word (formerly CANA East). He oversees the ministry of the diocese across 19 states with missions in Japan and Haiti. Two bishops serve with Dobbs, Bishop William Love and Bishop David Bena. Dobbs remains committed to the gospel once for all entrusted to the saints, the planting of new congregations, Christian discipleship, engaging the world with the good news of Jesus and sharing the gospel of Jesus.

The diocese has 43 congregations and over 120 clergy. He was referred to as the '[https://www.theamericanconservative.com/anglican-julian-dobbs-the-based-bishop/ based bishop' in 2022] by author and journalist, Rod Dreher. Dreher wrote, "I’ve been this week at the conference of the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word (ACNA), led by Bishop Julian Dobbs. The bishop gave his annual address on Friday morning, and … Lord have mercy, if only ten percent of bishops and pastors talked like this man, we would be living in a different country." In that address Bishop Dobbs said, "Courage is not something that regularly appears in the conversation and discipline of many North America Christians. With respect, being a Christian in North America today does not always require a whole lot of courage. But brothers and sisters, as the clouds around our nation begin to gather and the powers of darkness extend their influence, we the followers of Jesus Christ in this generation must ready ourselves to act, where necessary, with courage."<ref>Dreher, Rod. [https://www.theamericanconservative.com/anglican-julian-dobbs-the-based-bishop/ "Julian Dobbs, The Based Bishop"]. ''The American Conservative''. Retrieved 28 September 2023.</ref> In 2023 Bishop Julian Dobbs presided over the inaugural case of the Provincial Tribunal of the Anglican Church in North America. He served as presiding judge with 6 other elected judges. The court issued its initial decision in June 2023.<ref>Harris, Kate (2023-06-07). [https://anglicanchurch.net/provincial-tribunal-opinion-june-6-2023/ "Provincial Tribunal Opinion, June 6, 2023"]. ''The Anglican Church in North America''. Retrieved 2025-06-16.</ref>

Consecrated as a bishop in 2011, Bishop Dobbs is one of the longest serving active diocesan bishops in the ACNA. Dobbs, along with Bp. [[Ray Sutton]], was chosen to temporarily lead the Province after Archbishop [[Steve Wood (bishop)|Steve Wood]] went on leave following allegations of sexual harassment, abuse of power, and plagiarism.<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2025/11/04/archbishop-stephen-wood-on-leave/ "N. American Anglican archbishop takes paid leave in wake of allegations"]. ''The Washington Post''.</ref> On November 17, 2025, Bp. Ray Sutton announced his resignation as Dean of the Province, leaving Bp. Dobbs as Dean and acting archbishop.<ref>Post, Kathryn (2025-11-17). [https://religionnews.com/2025/11/17/acna-archbishop-steve-wood-suspended-after-sexual-misconduct-allegations/ "ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood suspended after sexual misconduct allegations"]. ''RNS''.</ref> <ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2025/11/17/investigations-archbishop-anglican-suspended/ "N. American Anglican archbishop suspended after sexual misconduct allegations"]. ''The Washington Post''.</ref>

In 2024, Archbishop Steve Wood appointed Bishop Dobbs as Chair of the Global Mission and International Relations Task Force in the Anglican Church in North America. It was in that capacity that Bishop Julian made a visit to Israel in late September 2024 to hear from family members of hostages from October 7, meet with Palestinians Christians, and others. Bishop Julian was interviewed on [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcwcOsMnhlQ&t=169s Anglican TV about this ministry]

== Personal life ==
Dobbs is married to wife, Brenda. They have three children: son Sam is married to Paige Dossett; daughter Grace is married to Lt. Commander David Welborn; daughter Frances is married to Austin Garlick. Dobbs and his wife have two grandchildren. Since 2006, Dobbs and his wife have made their home in Northern Virginia.<ref>[https://www.adlw.org/leadership/our-bishops "Anglican Diocese of the Living Word | Our Bishops"]. ''www.adlw.org''. Retrieved 2025-06-16.</ref>

==External links==
*[https://www.adlw.org/welcome Anglican Diocese of the Living Word | Welcome]

== References ==
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dobbs, Julian}}

Julian Dobbs

2025-12-18T01:35:39Z

AnglicanAkatosh: Fixed format

Clavis Apocalyptica

2025-12-17T21:59:17Z

AnglicanAkatosh:

'''''Clavis Apocalyptica''''' (English: '''''Key to the Apocalypse'''''), published in 1627, is a seminal work of biblical exegesis by the Arminian<ref>Nichols 1824, p. 525. Joseph Mede was a pious Arminian of the good old practical school : his humble and unobtrusive conduct on this occasion is a fine trait in his character, and affords a fair specimen of the gentleness and long-suffering of the private ministers of the Arminian persuasion during that period, of whom there were great numbers whose duty did not call them into the ranks of public defenders of the benign doctrines of General Redemption, [...]</ref> [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] scholar Joseph Mede<ref>Joseph Meade, Joseph Mead.</ref> (1586–1638). The work represents a systematic and influential attempt to interpret the Book of Revelation using a synchronistic method, wherein multiple prophetic visions are understood to describe the same periods of history from different perspectives. The ''Clavis'' influenced Protestant eschatology for over two centuries and established principles of prophetic interpretation that shaped later Anglican and Reformed thinking about the end times.

== Historical Context ==
Writing as a Fellow of Christ's College,<ref>[http://venn.lib.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/search-2018.pl?sur=&suro=w&fir=&firo=c&cit=&cito=c&c=all&z=all&tex=MD603J&sye=&eye=&col=all&maxcount=50 "Meade, Joseph (MD603J)"]. ''A Cambridge Alumni Database''. University of Cambridge.</ref> Joseph Mede composed the ''Clavis Apocalyptica'' during a period of intense Protestant interest in biblical prophecy, particularly regarding the identification of Antichrist and the interpretation of apocalyptic timelines. His work appeared at a time when the Anglican Church sought to articulate its theological identity distinct from both Roman Catholicism and continental Reformed traditions, and the ''Clavis'' contributed to this project by offering a systematic approach to prophetic Scripture.

== Methodology and Structure ==
The distinguishing feature of Mede's approach is his synchronistic interpretation of Revelation's visions. Rather than reading the book as a strictly chronological sequence of future events, Mede argued that John's various visions often recapitulate the same historical periods from different angles. This method, which Mede termed "synchronisms," allowed him to harmonize seemingly disparate prophetic sequences.

Mede divided Revelation into two principal parts: the "Prophetical Part" (chapters 4–22) and the introductory material (chapters 1–3). Within the prophetical portion, he identified multiple parallel sequences of seven (seals, trumpets, and vials), which he argued represented overlapping rather than consecutive time periods.

The work is organized around descriptions showing the relationships between different prophetic sequences. Mede employed linguistic analysis and citations from historic sources to support his interpretations.

== Principal Interpretations ==

=== The Historicist Framework ===
Mede firmly situated himself within the historicist school of prophetic interpretation, which reads Revelation as foretelling the history of the Church from apostolic times to the consummation. He identified the opening of the seals with the early persecutions of the Church, the trumpets with successive waves of barbarian invasions that weakened the Roman Empire, and the vials with judgments upon papal Christendom and its supporters.

=== The Papal Antichrist ===
Following established Protestant interpretation, Mede identified the papal system as the fulfillment of biblical prophecies concerning Antichrist.

=== Conversion of the Jews ===
Mede posited that the Jews would be miraculously converted to Christianity before the second coming.<ref>Scult, Mel (1978). [https://books.google.com/books?id=1tQUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA20 ''Millennial Expectations and Jewish Liberties: A Study of the Efforts to Convert the Jews in Britain, Up to the Mid Nineteenth Century''.] Brill Archive. pps. 20–21.</ref>

=== The Millennium ===
Mede advocated a form of premillennialism, arguing that Christ would return before the thousand-year reign of the saints. Mede distinguished between the "first resurrection" (which he understood as the resurrection of martyrs) and the general resurrection at the end of the millennium.

=== Prophetic Chronology ===
Mede made calculations regarding prophetic time periods. Mede claimed that the Antichrist had appeared in 456, and projected the end of the world by 1716: possibly in 1654.<ref>Christopher Hill, ''Milton and the English Revolution'', p. 33.</ref>

== Reception and Legacy ==
Among Mede's pupils at Christ's was Henry More. The poet John Milton studied at Christ's in Mede's time, and is considered to have been influenced by his ideas; but scholars have not found evidence that he was a pupil.<ref>''Mede, Milton and More: Christ's College Millenarians'' by Sarah Hutton, in Milton and the Ends of Time, edited by Juliet Cummins.</ref> John Coffey says that millenarianism was rare in the 1630s, coming in only later as an important force.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927024531/http://www.emanuel.ro/perichoresis/Perichoresis4.2%282006%29.pdf "The Impact of Apocalypticism during the Puritan Revolutions"].</ref> William Twisse, of the Westminster Assembly, added a preface to the 1643 ''Key to the Revelation'', a testimonial to its convincing power.<ref>Christopher Hill (1993), ''The English Bible and the Seventeenth-Century Revolution'', p.304.</ref>

The ''Clavis Apocalyptica'' later became a standard reference work in Anglican scholarship on prophecy. Its influence extended through the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, shaping how successive generations of Anglicans understood Revelation. The work's combination of intricate detail and Protestant conclusions made it particularly attractive to those who sought to defend Anglican positions.

The work was translated into English in 1643<ref>Hugh Trevor-Roper, ''Religion, the Reformation & Social Change'' (1956) says by the MP Richard More (p. 248); also CDNB, giving constituency Bishop's Castle, death in 1643.</ref> (as ''Key of the Revelation Searched and Demonstrated''), making it accessible to a broader readership during a period of intense prophetic speculation surrounding the English Civil War.

Those following Mede in part as a chronologist and interpreter included Thomas Goodwin, Pierre Jurieu, Sir Isaac Newton<ref>''Newton developed a method for the interpretation of prophecy based on the writings of the early seventeenth-century Cambridge divine, Joseph Mede. Mede's views were widely accepted and the scheme that Newton propounded to bring consistency to the unravelling of prophetic symbolism was not in itself controversial.'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20070606234713/http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/exhibitions/Footprints_of_the_Lion/duty.pdf (PDF)]</ref><ref>[http://www.newtonproject.sussex.ac.uk/prism.php?id=15 "The Life and Work of Isaac Newton at a Glance"].</ref>, and Aaron Kinne. The ''Clavis'' was frequently cited in sermons, theological treatises, and biblical commentaries throughout the Georgian era. It remained the standard work on the subject until E.B. Elliott published ''Horae Apocalypticae'' in 1844.

== External Links ==

* [https://ccel.org/ccel/mede/key/key. Key to the Apocalypse, Discovered and Demonstarated from the Internal and Inserted Characters of the Visions.] at Christian Classics Ethereal Library

== Notes and References ==

Clavis Apocalyptica

2025-12-17T02:58:34Z

AnglicanAkatosh: New Page

'''''Clavis Apocalyptica''''' (English: '''''Key to the Apocalypse'''''), published in 1627, is a seminal work of biblical exegesis by the Arminian<ref>Nichols 1824, p. 525. Joseph Mede was a pious Arminian of the good old practical school : his humble and unobtrusive conduct on this occasion is a fine trait in his character, and affords a fair specimen of the gentleness and long-suffering of the private ministers of the Arminian persuasion during that period, of whom there were great numbers whose duty did not call them into the ranks of public defenders of the benign doctrines of General Redemption, [...]</ref> [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] scholar Joseph Mede<ref>Joseph Meade, Joseph Mead.</ref> (1586–1638). The work represents a systematic and influential attempt to interpret the Book of Revelation using a synchronistic method, wherein multiple prophetic visions are understood to describe the same periods of history from different perspectives. The ''Clavis'' influenced Protestant eschatology for over two centuries and established principles of prophetic interpretation that shaped later Anglican and Reformed thinking about the end times.

== Historical Context ==
Writing as a Fellow of Christ's College,<ref>[http://venn.lib.cam.ac.uk/cgi-bin/search-2018.pl?sur=&suro=w&fir=&firo=c&cit=&cito=c&c=all&z=all&tex=MD603J&sye=&eye=&col=all&maxcount=50 "Meade, Joseph (MD603J)"]. ''A Cambridge Alumni Database''. University of Cambridge.</ref> Joseph Mede composed the ''Clavis Apocalyptica'' during a period of intense Protestant interest in biblical prophecy, particularly regarding the identification of Antichrist and the interpretation of apocalyptic timelines. His work appeared at a time when the Anglican Church sought to articulate its theological identity distinct from both Roman Catholicism and continental Reformed traditions, and the ''Clavis'' contributed to this project by offering a systematic approach to prophetic Scripture.

== Methodology and Structure ==
The distinguishing feature of Mede's approach is his synchronistic interpretation of Revelation's visions. Rather than reading the book as a strictly chronological sequence of future events, Mede argued that John's various visions often recapitulate the same historical periods from different angles. This method, which Mede termed "synchronisms," allowed him to harmonize seemingly disparate prophetic sequences.

Mede divided Revelation into two principal parts: the "Prophetical Part" (chapters 4–22) and the introductory material (chapters 1–3). Within the prophetical portion, he identified multiple parallel sequences of seven (seals, trumpets, and vials), which he argued represented overlapping rather than consecutive time periods.

The work is organized around descriptions showing the relationships between different prophetic sequences. Mede employed linguistic analysis and citations from historic sources to support his interpretations.

== Principal Interpretations ==

=== The Historicist Framework ===
Mede firmly situated himself within the historicist school of prophetic interpretation, which reads Revelation as foretelling the history of the Church from apostolic times to the consummation. He identified the opening of the seals with the early persecutions of the Church, the trumpets with successive waves of barbarian invasions that weakened the Roman Empire, and the vials with judgments upon papal Christendom and its supporters.

=== The Papal Antichrist ===
Following established Protestant interpretation, Mede identified the papal system as the fulfillment of biblical prophecies concerning Antichrist.

=== Conversion of the Jews ===
Mede posited that the Jews would be miraculously converted to Christianity before the second coming.<ref>Scult, Mel (1978). [https://books.google.com/books?id=1tQUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA20 ''Millennial Expectations and Jewish Liberties: A Study of the Efforts to Convert the Jews in Britain, Up to the Mid Nineteenth Century''.] Brill Archive. pps. 20–21.</ref>

=== The Millennium ===
Mede advocated a form of premillennialism, arguing that Christ would return before the thousand-year reign of the saints. Mede distinguished between the "first resurrection" (which he understood as the resurrection of martyrs) and the general resurrection at the end of the millennium.

=== Prophetic Chronology ===
Mede made calculations regarding prophetic time periods. Mede claimed that the Antichrist had appeared in 456, and projected the end of the world by 1716: possibly in 1654.<ref>Christopher Hill, ''Milton and the English Revolution'', p. 33.</ref>

== Reception and Legacy ==
Among Mede's pupils at Christ's was Henry More. The poet John Milton studied at Christ's in Mede's time, and is considered to have been influenced by his ideas; but scholars have not found evidence that he was a pupil.<ref>''Mede, Milton and More: Christ's College Millenarians'' by Sarah Hutton, in Milton and the Ends of Time, edited by Juliet Cummins.</ref> John Coffey says that millenarianism was rare in the 1630s, coming in only later as an important force.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927024531/http://www.emanuel.ro/perichoresis/Perichoresis4.2%282006%29.pdf "The Impact of Apocalypticism during the Puritan Revolutions"].</ref> William Twisse, of the Westminster Assembly, added a preface to the 1643 ''Key to the Revelation'', a testimonial to its convincing power.<ref>Christopher Hill (1993), ''The English Bible and the Seventeenth-Century Revolution'', p.304.</ref>

The ''Clavis Apocalyptica'' later became a standard reference work in Anglican scholarship on prophecy. Its influence extended through the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, shaping how successive generations of Anglicans understood Revelation. The work's combination of intricate detail and Protestant conclusions made it particularly attractive to those who sought to defend Anglican positions.

The work was translated into English in 1643<ref>Hugh Trevor-Roper, ''Religion, the Reformation & Social Change'' (1956) says by the MP Richard More (p. 248); also CDNB, giving constituency Bishop's Castle, death in 1643.</ref> (as Key of the Revelation Searched and Demonstrated), making it accessible to a broader readership during a period of intense prophetic speculation surrounding the English Civil War.

Those following Mede in part as a chronologist and interpreter included Thomas Goodwin, Pierre Jurieu, Sir Isaac Newton<ref>''Newton developed a method for the interpretation of prophecy based on the writings of the early seventeenth-century Cambridge divine, Joseph Mede. Mede's views were widely accepted and the scheme that Newton propounded to bring consistency to the unravelling of prophetic symbolism was not in itself controversial.'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20070606234713/http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/exhibitions/Footprints_of_the_Lion/duty.pdf (PDF)]</ref><ref>[http://www.newtonproject.sussex.ac.uk/prism.php?id=15 "The Life and Work of Isaac Newton at a Glance"].</ref>, and Aaron Kinne. The ''Clavis'' was frequently cited in sermons, theological treatises, and biblical commentaries throughout the Georgian era. It remained the standard until E.B. Elliott published ''Horae Apocalypticae'' in 1844.

== External Links ==

* [https://ccel.org/ccel/mede/key/key. Key to the Apocalypse, Discovered and Demonstarated from the Internal and Inserted Characters of the Visions.] at Christian Classics Ethereal Library

== Notes and References ==

Joseph of Arimathea

2025-11-25T22:33:45Z

AnglicanAkatosh: Fixed typos, style fixes

'''Joseph of Arimathea''' (Ancient Greek: Ἰωσὴφ ὁ ἀπὸ Ἀριμαθαίας) is a Biblical figure who assumed responsibility for the burial of Jesus after his crucifixion. He was a member of the Sanhedrin,<ref>Mark 15:43, Luke 23:50</ref> and a rich disciple of Jesus.<ref>Matthew 27:57, John 19:38</ref> The historical location of Arimathea is uncertain, although it has been identified with several towns. According to Anglican tradition, Joseph, a tin merchant, visited Cornwall, accompanied by his nephew, the boy Jesus. He was sent, it was said, by Philip the Apostle to Britain. There he is credited with the founding the Church of Glastonbury; and the staff which he stuck into the ground took root and brought forth leaves and flowers, and became the parent of all the Glastonbury thorns from that day to this. He is typically identified as bringing the Holy Grail to Britain, although this deed is also attributed to his son, Josephus of Arimathea.

== Gospel Narratives ==

=== Gospel of Matthew ===
'''27:57''' ''When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:'' '''58''' ''He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.'' '''59''' ''And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,'' '''60''' ''And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.'' '''61''' ''And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.'' (KJV)

=== Gospel of Mark ===
'''15:42''' ''And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,'' '''43''' ''Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.'' '''44''' ''And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.'' '''45''' ''And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.'' '''46''' ''And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.'' '''47''' ''And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.'' (KJV)

=== Gospel of Luke ===
'''23:50''' ''And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just:'' '''51''' ''(The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God.'' '''52''' ''This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.'' '''53''' ''And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.'' '''54''' ''And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.'' '''55''' ''And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.'' '''56''' ''And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.'' (KJV)

=== Gospel of John ===
'''19:38''' ''And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.'' '''39''' ''And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.'' '''40''' ''Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.'' '''41''' ''Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.'' '''42''' ''There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.'' (KJV)

== Arimathea ==
Arimathea or Arimathaea (Koine Greek: Ἀριμαθαία, ''Arimathaía'') was a city of Judea,<ref>Luke 23:51</ref> and home of Joseph. There is no external evidence for Arimathea, and some liberal scholars suggest that it may have been a literary device used in the Gospel narrative.<ref>O'Collins, Gerald; Kendall, Daniel (1994). "[https://www.jstor.org/stable/42611381 Did Joseph of Arimathea Exist?]". ''Biblica''. '''75''' (2). Peeters Publishers: 235–241.</ref> The Christian historian Eusebius of Caesarea, in his ''Onomasticon'' (144:28–29), identified it with Ramathaim-Zophim and wrote that it was near Diospolis (now Lod). Ramathaim-Zophim was a town in Ephraim, the birthplace of Samuel, where David came to him (1 Samuel 1). He briefly describes it as follows: "Armthem Seipha (Sofim). City of Elcana and Samuel. It is situated (in the region of Thamna) near Diospolis. The home of Joseph who was from Arimathea in the Gospels."<ref>Eusebius of Caesarea, ''[https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/eusebius_onomasticon_02_trans.htm Onomasticon]'' (1971), pp. 1–75. Translated by Carl Umhau Wolf.</ref> Scholars of the ''Onomasticon'' have identified the Greek name Arimathea as deriving from the Hebrew place name of Ramathaim-Zophim (Biblical Hebrew: רמתיים-צופים, romanized: ''Ramaṯayim-ṣop̄im''), which is attested in the Hebrew Bible and 1 Maccabees 11:34.<ref>Eusebius of Caesarea, ''[https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/eusebius_onomasticon_03_notes.htm#144 Onomasticon]'' (1971), pp. 1–75, note 144. Translated by Carl Umhau Wolf.</ref> It appeared in the Septuagint as ''Armathaim Sipha'' (Αρμαθαιμ Σιφα), in 1 Maccabees as ''Rathamin'' (Ραθαμιν), and in Josephus as ''Ramathan'' (Ῥαμαθὰν).

The town of Harmathemē (‘Αρμαθεμη) appears on the 6th-century Madaba Map. Casanowicz argues for its identification with Bani Zeid al-Gharbia in the West Bank.<ref>Casanowicz, I.M., ''A Colored Drawing of the Medeba Map of Palestine in the United States National Museum''</ref> The Crusaders seem to have identified Ramla with Ramathaim and Arimathea. Ramla was a medieval town founded around 705–715 by the Umayyad Caliphate, and located on land in what had once been the allotment of the Tribe of Dan.<ref>''Encyclopedia of Islam'', article "al-Ramla".</ref>

== Old Testament Prophecy ==
Anglicans have traditionally interpreted Joseph's role as fulfilling Isaiah's prediction that the grave of the Suffering Servant would be with a rich man, although others have raised difficulties with this interpretation:<ref>Charles John Ellicott, An Old Testament commentary for English readers (Volume 4), [https://archive.org/details/oldtestamentcomm04elli/page/550/mode/2up p. 550]</ref>

''And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.''<ref>Isaiah 53:9</ref>

== Legends ==

=== Early Legends ===
Since the 2nd century, a mass of legendary detail has accumulated around the figure of Joseph of Arimathea in addition to the New Testament references. Joseph is mentioned in the works of early church fathers such as Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Tertullian, and Eusebius, who added details not found in the canonical accounts. The Narrative of Joseph of Arimathea, a medieval work, is even purportedly written by him directly, although it adds more details on the robbers at Jesus's crucifixion than Joseph himself.<ref>Ehrman, Bart; Pleše, Zlatko (2011). ''The Apocryphal Gospels: Texts and Translations''. Oxford University Press. p. 305–312.</ref> He also appears in the 2nd-century non-canonical text the Gospel of Peter.<ref>Walter Richard (1894). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=vQtKAAAAMAAJ The Gospel According to Peter: A Study]''. Longmans, Green. p. 8.</ref> The Gospel of Nicodemus, a 4th or 5th century text, provides additional details about Joseph. For instance, after Joseph asked Pilate for the body of the Christ and prepared the body with Nicodemus' help, Christ's body was delivered to a new tomb that Joseph had built for himself. In the Gospel of Nicodemus, the Jewish elders express anger at Joseph for burying the body of Christ, saying:<blockquote>And likewise Joseph also stepped out and said to them: Why are you angry against me because I begged the body of Jesus? Behold, I have put him in my new tomb, wrapping in clean linen; and I have rolled a stone to the door of the tomb. And you have acted not well against the just man, because you have not repented of crucifying him, but also have pierced him with a spear.</blockquote>— ''Gospel of Nicodemus''. Translated by Alexander Walker.

The Jewish elders then captured Joseph, imprisoned him, and placed a seal on the door to his cell after first posting a guard. Joseph warned the elders, "The Son of God whom you hanged upon the cross, is able to deliver me out of your hands. All your wickedness will return upon you."

Once the elders returned to the cell, the seal was still in place, but Joseph was gone. The elders later discover that Joseph had returned to Arimathea. Having a change in heart, the elders desired to have a more civil conversation with Joseph about his actions and sent a letter of apology to him by means of seven of his friends. Joseph travelled back from Arimathea to Jerusalem to meet with the elders, where they questioned him about his escape. He told them this story:<blockquote>On the day of the Preparation, about the tenth hour, you shut me in, and I remained there the whole Sabbath in full. And when midnight came, as I was standing and praying, the house where you shut me in was hung up by the four corners, and there was a flashing of light in mine eyes. And I fell to the ground trembling. Then some one lifted me up from the place where I had fallen, and poured over me an abundance of water from the head even to the feet, and put round my nostrils the odour of a wonderful ointment, and rubbed my face with the water itself, as if washing me, and kissed me, and said to me, Joseph, fear not; but open thine eyes, and see who it is that speaks to thee. And looking, I saw Jesus; and being terrified, I thought it was a phantom. And with prayer and the commandments I spoke to him, and he spoke with me. And I said to him: Art thou Rabbi Elias? And he said to me: I am not Elias. And I said: Who art thou, my Lord? And he said to me: I am Jesus, whose body thou didst beg from Pilate, and wrap in clean linen; and thou didst lay a napkin on my face, and didst lay me in thy new tomb, and roll a stone to the door of the tomb. Then I said to him that was speaking to me: Show me, Lord, where I laid thee. And he led me, and showed me the place where I laid him, and the linen which I had put on him, and the napkin which I had wrapped upon his face; and I knew that it was Jesus. And he took hold of me with his hand, and put me in the midst of my house though the gates were shut, and put me in my bed, and said to me: Peace to thee! And he kissed me, and said to me: For forty days go not out of thy house; for, lo, I go to my brethren into Galilee.</blockquote>— ''Gospel of Nicodemus''. Translated by Alexander Walker

According to the Gospel of Nicodemus, Joseph testified to the Jewish elders, and specifically to chief priests Caiaphas and Annas that Jesus had risen from the dead and ascended to heaven, and he indicated that others were raised from the dead at the resurrection of Christ (repeating Matt 27:52–53). He specifically identified the two sons of the high-priest Simeon (again in Luke 2:25–35). The elders Annas, Caiaphas, Nicodemus, and Joseph himself, along with Gamaliel under whom Paul of Tarsus studied, travelled to Arimathea to interview Simeon's sons Charinus and Lenthius.

Another legend, as recorded in ''Flores Historiarum'' (c. 1235), is that Joseph is in fact the Wandering Jew, a man cursed by Jesus to walk the Earth until the Second Coming.

=== Joseph of Arimathea in Britain ===
The legend that Joseph was given the responsibility of keeping the Holy Grail is first recorded in Robert de Boron's ''Joseph d'Arimathie'', written between 1190 and 1199. Joseph is imprisoned much as in the ''Gospel of Nicodemus'', but it is the Grail that sustains him during his captivity. Upon his release he founds his company of followers, who take the Grail to the "Vale of Avalon" in Britain, though Joseph does not go. In subsequent romances such as ''Perlesvaus'' (c. 1230–1240), Joseph travels to Britain, bringing relics with him. According to the story told in the Lancelot-Grail cycle (c. 1210–1235), it is not Joseph but his son, Josephus of Arimathea, who is considered the primary holy man of Britain. Tradition typically says that Philip the Apostle sent Joseph to Britain.

Medieval interest in genealogy raised claims that Joseph was a relative of Jesus; specifically, Mary's uncle, or according to some genealogies, Joseph's uncle. A genealogy for the family of Joseph of Arimathea and the history of his further adventures in the east provide material for the Lancelot-Grail cycle and ''Perlesvaus''. John of Glastonbury, who assembled a chronicle of the history of Glastonbury Abbey around 1350, claims that King Arthur was descended from Joseph, listing the following short pedigree through King Arthur's mother:

''Helaius, the grandson of Joseph, begat Joshua, Joshua begat Aminadab, Aminadab begat a son who begat Igraine, from whom King Pendragon begat the noble and famous King Arthur, by which it is evident that King Arthur descended from the stock of Joseph.''

Joseph's early arrival in Britain was used for political point-scoring by English theologians and diplomats during the late Middle Ages, and Richard Beere, Abbot of Glastonbury from 1493 to 1524, put the cult of Joseph at the heart of the abbey's legendary traditions. He was probably responsible for the drastic remodelling of the Lady Chapel at Glastonbury Abbey. A series of miraculous cures took place in 1502 which were attributed to the saint, and in 1520 the printer Richard Pynson published a ''Lyfe of Joseph of Armathia'', in which the Glastonbury Thorn is mentioned for the first time, where when Joseph and his followers arrived, weary, on Wearyall Hill outside Glastonbury, he set his walking staff on the ground and it miraculously took root and blossomed as the "Glastonbury Thorn".<ref>Stout, Adam (2020) ''Glastonbury Holy Thorn: Story of a Legend'' Green & Pleasant Publishing, pp. 13-16</ref> Joseph's importance increased exponentially with the English Reformation, since his early arrival far predated the Catholic conversion of AD 597. During the English Reformation, Joseph stood for pure and Protestant Christianity. In 1546, John Bale, Bishop of Ossory, claimed that the early date of Joseph's mission meant that original British Christianity was purer than that of Rome, an idea which was understandably popular with Anglicans, notably Queen Elizabeth I herself, who cited Joseph's missionary work in England when she told Roman Catholic bishops that the Church of England pre-dated the Roman Church in England.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20060504123437/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/elizabeth1.html Elizabeth's 1559 reply to the Catholic bishops]". ''fordham.edu''.</ref><ref>Stout, Adam (2020) ''Glastonbury Holy Thorn: Story of a Legend'' Green & Pleasant Publishing, pp. 23-24</ref>

In 1989, folklore scholar A. W. Smith critically examined the legends around Joseph of Arimathea. Often associated with William Blake's poem "And did those feet in ancient time" and its musical setting, widely known as the hymn "Jerusalem", the legend is commonly held as "an almost secret yet passionately held article of faith among certain otherwise quite orthodox Christians" and Smith concluded "that there was little reason to believe that an oral tradition concerning a visit made by Jesus to Britain existed before the early part of the twentieth century". Sabine Baring-Gould recounted a Cornish story how "Joseph of Arimathea came in a boat to Cornwall, and brought the child Jesus with him, and the latter taught him how to extract the tin and purge it of its wolfram. This story possibly grew out of the fact that the Jews under the Angevin kings farmed the tin of Cornwall."<ref>S. Baring-Gould, ''A Book of The West: Being An Introduction To Devon and Cornwall'' (2 Volumes, Methuen Publishing, 1899); ''A Book of Cornwall'', Second Edition 1902, New Edition, 1906, page 57.</ref> In its most developed version, Joseph, a tin merchant, visited Cornwall, accompanied by his nephew, the boy Jesus. Reverend C.C. Dobson (1879–1960) made a case for the authenticity of the Glastonbury ''legenda''.<ref>Dobson, ''Did Our Lord Visit Britain as they say in Cornwall and Somerset?'' (Glastonbury: Avalon Press) 1936.</ref> The case was argued more recently by the Church of Scotland minister Gordon Strachan (1934–2010),<ref>Strachan, Gordon (1998). ''Jesus, the Master Builder: Druid Mysteries and the Dawn of Christianity''. Edinburgh: Floris Books.</ref> and by the archaeologist Dennis Price.<ref>Dennis Price, ''The Missing Years of Jesus: The Greatest Story Never Told'' (Hay House Publishing, 2009).</ref>

== Veneration ==
Joseph of Arimathea is venerated as a saint in Anglicanism, Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and Lutheranism. Although legend ties Joseph to Britain as well as the Holy Grail, he is not currently on the liturgical calendar of the Church of England, although he is on the calendars of some churches of the Anglican Communion, such as the Episcopal Church and the [[Anglican Church in North America]], which commemorates him on 1 August.

== References ==

Joseph of Arimathea

2025-11-25T21:45:24Z

AnglicanAkatosh: New Page

'''Joseph of Arimathea''' (Ancient Greek: Ἰωσὴφ ὁ ἀπὸ Ἀριμαθαίας) is a Biblical figure who assumed responsibility for the burial of Jesus after his crucifixion. He was a member of the Sanhedrin<ref>Mark 15:43, Luke 23:50</ref>, and a rich disciple of Jesus<ref>Matthew 27:57, John 19:38</ref>. The historical location of Arimathea is uncertain, although it has been identified with several towns. According to Anglican tradition, Joseph, a tin merchant, visited Cornwall, accompanied by his nephew, the boy Jesus. He was sent, it was said, by Philip the Apostle to Britain. There he is credited with the founding the Church of Glastonbury; and the staff which he stuck into the ground took root and brought forth leaves and flowers, and became the parent of all the Glastonbury thorns from that day to this. He is typically identified as bringing the Holy Grail to Britain, although this deed is also attributed to his son, Josephus of Arimathea.

== Gospel Narratives ==

=== Gospel of Matthew ===
'''27:57''' ''When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:'' '''58''' ''He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.'' '''59''' ''And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,'' '''60''' ''And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.'' '''61''' ''And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.'' (KJV)

=== Gospel of Mark ===
'''15:42''' ''And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,'' '''43''' ''Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.'' '''44''' ''And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.'' '''45''' ''And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.'' '''46''' ''And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.'' '''47''' ''And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.'' (KJV)

=== Gospel of Luke ===
'''23:50''' ''And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just:'' '''51''' ''(The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God.'' '''52''' ''This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.'' '''53''' ''And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.'' '''54''' ''And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.'' '''55''' ''And the women also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.'' '''56''' ''And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.'' (KJV)

=== Gospel of John ===
'''19:38''' ''And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.'' '''39''' ''And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.'' '''40''' ''Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.'' '''41''' ''Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.'' '''42''' ''There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.'' (KJV)

== Arimathea ==
Arimathea or Arimathaea (Koine Greek: Ἀριμαθαία, ''Arimathaía'') was a city of Judea<ref>Luke 23:51</ref>, and home of Joseph. There is no external evidence for Arimathea, and some liberal scholars suggest that it may have been a literary device used in the Gospel narrative.<ref>O'Collins, Gerald; Kendall, Daniel (1994). "[https://www.jstor.org/stable/42611381 Did Joseph of Arimathea Exist?]". ''Biblica''. '''75''' (2). Peeters Publishers: 235–241.</ref> The Christian historian Eusebius of Caesarea, in his ''Onomasticon'' (144:28–29), identified it with Ramathaim-Zophim and wrote that it was near Diospolis (now Lod). Ramathaim-Zophim was a town in Ephraim, the birthplace of Samuel, where David came to him (1 Samuel 1). He briefly describes it as follows: "Armthem Seipha (Sofim). City of Elcana and Samuel. It is situated (in the region of Thamna) near Diospolis. The home of Joseph who was from Arimathea in the Gospels."<ref>Eusebius of Caesarea, ''[https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/eusebius_onomasticon_02_trans.htm Onomasticon]'' (1971), pp. 1–75. Translated by Carl Umhau Wolf.</ref> Scholars of the ''Onomasticon'' have identified the Greek name Arimathea as deriving from the Hebrew place name of Ramathaim-Zophim (Biblical Hebrew: רמתיים-צופים, romanized: ''Ramaṯayim-ṣop̄im''), which is attested in the Hebrew Bible and 1 Maccabees 11:34.<ref>Eusebius of Caesarea, ''[https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/eusebius_onomasticon_03_notes.htm#144 Onomasticon]'' (1971), pp. 1–75, note 144. Translated by Carl Umhau Wolf.</ref> It appeared in the Septuagint as ''Armathaim Sipha'' (Αρμαθαιμ Σιφα), in 1 Maccabees as ''Rathamin'' (Ραθαμιν), and in Josephus as ''Ramathan'' (Ῥαμαθὰν).

The town of Harmathemē (‘Αρμαθεμη) appears on the 6th-century Madaba Map. Casanowicz argues for its identification with Bani Zeid al-Gharbia in the West Bank.<ref>Casanowicz, I.M., ''A Colored Drawing of the Medeba Map of Palestine in the United States National Museum''</ref> The Crusaders seem to have identified Ramla with Ramathaim and Arimathea. Ramla was a medieval town founded around 705–715 by the Umayyad Caliphate, and located on land in what had once been the allotment of the Tribe of Dan.<ref>''Encyclopedia of Islam'', article "al-Ramla".</ref>

== Old Testament Prophecy ==
Anglicans have traditionally interpreted Joseph's role as fulfilling Isaiah's prediction that the grave of the Suffering Servant would be with a rich man, although others have raised difficulties with this interpretation:<ref>Charles John Ellicott, An Old Testament commentary for English readers (Volume 4), [https://archive.org/details/oldtestamentcomm04elli/page/550/mode/2up p. 550]</ref>

''And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.''<ref>Isaiah 53:9</ref>

== Legends ==

=== Early Legends ===
Since the 2nd century, a mass of legendary detail has accumulated around the figure of Joseph of Arimathea in addition to the New Testament references. Joseph is mentioned in the works of early church fathers such as Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Tertullian, and Eusebius, who added details not found in the canonical accounts. The Narrative of Joseph of Arimathea, a medieval work, is even purportedly written by him directly, although it adds more details on the robbers at Jesus's crucifixion than Joseph himself.<ref>Ehrman, Bart; Pleše, Zlatko (2011). ''The Apocryphal Gospels: Texts and Translations''. Oxford University Press. p. 305–312.</ref> He also appears in the 2nd-century non-canonical text the Gospel of Peter.<ref>Walter Richard (1894). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=vQtKAAAAMAAJ The Gospel According to Peter: A Study]''. Longmans, Green. p. 8.</ref> The Gospel of Nicodemus, a 4th or 5th century text, provides additional details about Joseph. For instance, after Joseph asked Pilate for the body of the Christ and prepared the body with Nicodemus' help, Christ's body was delivered to a new tomb that Joseph had built for himself. In the Gospel of Nicodemus, the Jewish elders express anger at Joseph for burying the body of Christ, saying:<blockquote>And likewise Joseph also stepped out and said to them: Why are you angry against me because I begged the body of Jesus? Behold, I have put him in my new tomb, wrapping in clean linen; and I have rolled a stone to the door of the tomb. And you have acted not well against the just man, because you have not repented of crucifying him, but also have pierced him with a spear.</blockquote>— ''Gospel of Nicodemus''. Translated by Alexander Walker.

The Jewish elders then captured Joseph, imprisoned him, and placed a seal on the door to his cell after first posting a guard. Joseph warned the elders, "The Son of God whom you hanged upon the cross, is able to deliver me out of your hands. All your wickedness will return upon you."

Once the elders returned to the cell, the seal was still in place, but Joseph was gone. The elders later discover that Joseph had returned to Arimathea. Having a change in heart, the elders desired to have a more civil conversation with Joseph about his actions and sent a letter of apology to him by means of seven of his friends. Joseph travelled back from Arimathea to Jerusalem to meet with the elders, where they questioned him about his escape. He told them this story:<blockquote>On the day of the Preparation, about the tenth hour, you shut me in, and I remained there the whole Sabbath in full. And when midnight came, as I was standing and praying, the house where you shut me in was hung up by the four corners, and there was a flashing of light in mine eyes. And I fell to the ground trembling. Then some one lifted me up from the place where I had fallen, and poured over me an abundance of water from the head even to the feet, and put round my nostrils the odour of a wonderful ointment, and rubbed my face with the water itself, as if washing me, and kissed me, and said to me, Joseph, fear not; but open thine eyes, and see who it is that speaks to thee. And looking, I saw Jesus; and being terrified, I thought it was a phantom. And with prayer and the commandments I spoke to him, and he spoke with me. And I said to him: Art thou Rabbi Elias? And he said to me: I am not Elias. And I said: Who art thou, my Lord? And he said to me: I am Jesus, whose body thou didst beg from Pilate, and wrap in clean linen; and thou didst lay a napkin on my face, and didst lay me in thy new tomb, and roll a stone to the door of the tomb. Then I said to him that was speaking to me: Show me, Lord, where I laid thee. And he led me, and showed me the place where I laid him, and the linen which I had put on him, and the napkin which I had wrapped upon his face; and I knew that it was Jesus. And he took hold of me with his hand, and put me in the midst of my house though the gates were shut, and put me in my bed, and said to me: Peace to thee! And he kissed me, and said to me: For forty days go not out of thy house; for, lo, I go to my brethren into Galilee.</blockquote>— ''Gospel of Nicodemus''. Translated by Alexander Walker

According to the Gospel of Nicodemus, Joseph testified to the Jewish elders, and specifically to chief priests Caiaphas and Annas that Jesus had risen from the dead and ascended to heaven, and he indicated that others were raised from the dead at the resurrection of Christ (repeating Matt 27:52–53). He specifically identified the two sons of the high-priest Simeon (again in Luke 2:25–35). The elders Annas, Caiaphas, Nicodemus, and Joseph himself, along with Gamaliel under whom Paul of Tarsus studied, travelled to Arimathea to interview Simeon's sons Charinus and Lenthius.

=== Joseph of Arimathea in Britain ===
The legend that Joseph was given the responsibility of keeping the Holy Grail is first recorded in Robert de Boron's ''Joseph d'Arimathie'', written between 1190 and 1199. Joseph is imprisoned much as in the ''Gospel of Nicodemus'', but it is the Grail that sustains him during his captivity. Upon his release he founds his company of followers, who take the Grail to the "Vale of Avalon" in Britain, though Joseph does not go. In subsequent romances such as ''Perlesvaus'' (c. 1230–1240), Joseph travels to Britain, bringing relics with him. The story in the Lancelot-Grail cycle (c. 1210–1235), it is not Joseph but his son, Josephus of Arimathea, who is considered the primary holy man of Britain. Tradition typically says that Philip the Apostle sent Joseph to Britain.

Medieval interest in genealogy raised claims that Joseph was a relative of Jesus; specifically, Mary's uncle, or according to some genealogies, Joseph's uncle. A genealogy for the family of Joseph of Arimathea and the history of his further adventures in the east provide material for the Lancelot-Grail cycle and ''Perlesvaus''. Another legend, as recorded in ''Flores Historiarum'' (c. 1235), is that Joseph is in fact the Wandering Jew, a man cursed by Jesus to walk the Earth until the Second Coming. John of Glastonbury, who assembled a chronicle of the history of Glastonbury Abbey around 1350, claims that King Arthur was descended from Joseph, listing the following short pedigree through King Arthur's mother:

''Helaius, the grandson of Joseph, begat Joshua, Joshua begat Aminadab, Aminadab begat a son who begat Igraine, from whom King Pendragon begat the noble and famous King Arthur, by which it is evident that King Arthur descended from the stock of Joseph.''

Joseph's early arrival in Britain was used for political point-scoring by English theologians and diplomats during the late Middle Ages, and Richard Beere, Abbot of Glastonbury from 1493 to 1524, put the cult of Joseph at the heart of the abbey's legendary traditions. He was probably responsible for the drastic remodelling of the Lady Chapel at Glastonbury Abbey. A series of miraculous cures took place in 1502 which were attributed to the saint, and in 1520 the printer Richard Pynson published a ''Lyfe of Joseph of Armathia'', in which the Glastonbury Thorn is mentioned for the first time, where when Joseph and his followers arrived, weary, on Wearyall Hill outside Glastonbury, he set his walking staff on the ground and it miraculously took root and blossomed as the "Glastonbury Thorn".<ref>Stout, Adam (2020) ''Glastonbury Holy Thorn: Story of a Legend'' Green & Pleasant Publishing, pp. 13-16</ref> Joseph's importance increased exponentially with the English Reformation, since his early arrival far predated the Catholic conversion of AD 597. In the English Reformation, Joseph stood for pure and Protestant Christianity. In 1546, John Bale, Bishop of Ossory, claimed that the early date of Joseph's mission meant that original British Christianity was purer than that of Rome, an idea which was understandably popular with Anglicans, notably Queen Elizabeth I herself, who cited Joseph's missionary work in England when she told Roman Catholic bishops that the Church of England pre-dated the Roman Church in England.<ref>"[https://web.archive.org/web/20060504123437/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/elizabeth1.html Elizabeth's 1559 reply to the Catholic bishops]". ''fordham.edu''.</ref><ref>Stout, Adam (2020) ''Glastonbury Holy Thorn: Story of a Legend'' Green & Pleasant Publishing, pp. 23-24</ref>

In 1989, folklore scholar A. W. Smith critically examined the legends around Joseph of Arimathea. Often associated with William Blake's poem "And did those feet in ancient time" and its musical setting, widely known as the hymn "Jerusalem", the legend is commonly held as "an almost secret yet passionately held article of faith among certain otherwise quite orthodox Christians" and Smith concluded "that there was little reason to believe that an oral tradition concerning a visit made by Jesus to Britain existed before the early part of the twentieth century". Sabine Baring-Gould recounted a Cornish story how "Joseph of Arimathea came in a boat to Cornwall, and brought the child Jesus with him, and the latter taught him how to extract the tin and purge it of its wolfram. This story possibly grew out of the fact that the Jews under the Angevin kings farmed the tin of Cornwall."<ref>S. Baring-Gould, ''A Book of The West: Being An Introduction To Devon and Cornwall'' (2 Volumes, Methuen Publishing, 1899); ''A Book of Cornwall'', Second Edition 1902, New Edition, 1906, page 57.</ref> In its most developed version, Joseph, a tin merchant, visited Cornwall, accompanied by his nephew, the boy Jesus. Reverend C.C. Dobson (1879–1960) made a case for the authenticity of the Glastonbury ''legenda''.<ref>Dobson, ''Did Our Lord Visit Britain as they say in Cornwall and Somerset?'' (Glastonbury: Avalon Press) 1936.</ref> The case was argued more recently by the Church of Scotland minister Gordon Strachan (1934–2010),<ref>Strachan, Gordon (1998). ''Jesus, the Master Builder: Druid Mysteries and the Dawn of Christianity''. Edinburgh: Floris Books.</ref> and by the archaeologist Dennis Price.<ref>Dennis Price, ''The Missing Years of Jesus: The Greatest Story Never Told'' (Hay House Publishing, 2009).</ref>

== Veneration ==
Joseph of Arimathea is venerated as a saint in Anglicanism, Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and Lutheranism. Although legend ties Joseph to Britain as well as the Holy Grail, he is not currently on the liturgical calendar of the Church of England, although he is on the calendars of some churches of the Anglican Communion, such as the Episcopal Church and the [[Anglican Church in North America]], which commemorates him on 1 August.

== References ==

King James Version

2025-11-25T02:45:51Z

AnglicanAkatosh: I know this is only a placeholder page but I felt the insatiable need to further fix some more style edits

'''The King James Version''' ('''KJV'''), also known as the '''King James Bible''' or the '''Authorized Version''', is the 1611 English translation of the Holy Scriptures for use in the Church of England. Commissioned in 1604 by King James VI and I and completed in 1611, it has become one of the most influential works in the English-speaking world.

The KJV includes 80 books: 39 of the Old Testament, 14 in the Apocrypha, and 27 in the New Testament.

Noted for its "majesty of style," the KJV has shaped Anglican liturgy, hymnody, English literature, and the devotional life of the English-speaking church for more than four centuries. Its turns of phrase have passed into everyday speech and continue to influence Christian theology and preaching.

== Overview ==
The translation was produced by teams of scholars working at Oxford, Cambridge, and Westminster. They were instructed to revise existing English translations, especially the Bishops' Bible, while retaining traditional ecclesiastical terms and conforming to the doctrine and polity of the Church of England.

The translators relied primarily on:
* Ben Hayyim's ''Mikraot Gedolot'' (Masoretic Text) – Old Testament
* Stephanus' ''Editio Regia'' (Textus Receptus) – New Testament
* Septuagint and Vulgate – Apocrypha

The result is an English Bible intentionally crafted for public reading in worship, marked by rhythm, clarity, and stately language.

== Historical Context ==
The KJV was preceded by the ''Great Bible'' (1535) and ''Bishops' Bible'' (1568), while the ''Geneva Bible'' (1560) remained popular among the laity. Puritan objections to the ''Bishops' Bible'' and marginal notes in the ''Geneva Bible'' led to the Hampton Court Conference (1604), where the proposal for a new translation was formally presented.

King James gave instructions to the translators that ensured:
* Consistency with Anglican ecclesiology
* Removal of partisan marginal notes
* Retention of words such as "church" rather than "congregation"
* Use of earlier English translations where appropriate

== Publication ==
The first edition appeared in 1611, printed by Robert Barker, the King’s Printer. Two versions, commonly called the "He Bible" and the "She Bible", differed in a single verse (Ruth 3:15).

Throughout the following centuries, several corrected editions were released, including the Oxford Edition of 1769, which became the standard text reproduced in most modern printings.

== Influence ==
The King James Version profoundly shaped:
* Anglican worship, especially the lectionary and homiletics
* English-language liturgy, notably in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer
* English literature, influencing poets, dramatists, and novelists
* Christian thought and doctrine across denominations

It remains widely used in Anglican churches and retains official status in many parts of the Anglican Communion.

== Sample Verses ==
*Genesis 1:1–3: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light."
*John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

== See Also ==
* [[Book of Common Prayer]]
* [[English Bible]]
* [[Textus Receptus]]
* [[Anglican Doctrine]]

[[index.php?title=Category:Bible Translations]]
[[index.php?title=Category:Anglican History]]
[[index.php?title=Category:Scripture]]

King James Version

2025-11-25T02:38:48Z

AnglicanAkatosh: Minor style fixes

== King James Version ==
'''The King James Version''' ('''KJV'''), also known as the '''King James Bible''' or the '''Authorized Version''', is the 1611 English translation of the Holy Scriptures for use in the Church of England. Commissioned in 1604 by King James VI and I and completed in 1611, it has become one of the most influential works in the English-speaking world.

The KJV includes 80 books: 39 of the Old Testament, 14 in the Apocrypha, and 27 in the New Testament.

Noted for its "majesty of style," the KJV has shaped Anglican liturgy, hymnody, English literature, and the devotional life of the English-speaking church for more than four centuries. Its turns of phrase have passed into everyday speech and continue to influence Christian theology and preaching.

== Overview ==
The translation was produced by teams of scholars working at Oxford, Cambridge, and Westminster. They were instructed to revise existing English translations—especially the Bishops’ Bible—while retaining traditional ecclesiastical terms and conforming to the doctrine and polity of the Church of England.

The translators relied primarily on:
* Ben Hayyim's ''Mikraot Gedolot'' (Masoretic Text) – Old Testament
* Stephanus' ''Editio Regia'' (Textus Receptus) – New Testament
* Septuagint and Vulgate – Apocrypha

The result is an English Bible intentionally crafted for public reading in worship, marked by rhythm, clarity, and stately language.

== Historical Context ==
The KJV was preceded by the ''Great Bible'' (1535) and ''Bishops' Bible'' (1568), while the ''Geneva Bible'' (1560) remained popular among the laity. Puritan objections to the ''Bishops' Bible'' and marginal notes in the ''Geneva Bible'' led to the Hampton Court Conference (1604), where the proposal for a new translation was formally presented.

King James gave instructions to the translators that ensured:
* Consistency with Anglican ecclesiology
* Removal of partisan marginal notes
* Retention of words such as "church" rather than "congregation"
* Use of earlier English translations where appropriate

== Publication ==
The first edition appeared in 1611, printed by Robert Barker, the King’s Printer. Two versions, commonly called the "He Bible" and the "She Bible", differed in a single verse (Ruth 3:15).

Throughout the following centuries, several corrected editions were released, including the Oxford Edition of 1769, which became the standard text reproduced in most modern printings.

== Influence ==
The King James Version profoundly shaped:
* Anglican worship, especially the lectionary and homiletics
* English-language liturgy, notably in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer
* English literature, influencing poets, dramatists, and novelists
* Christian thought and doctrine across denominations

It remains widely used in Anglican churches and retains official status in many parts of the Anglican Communion.

== Sample Verses ==
*Genesis 1:1–3: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

== See Also ==
* [[Book of Common Prayer]]
* [[English Bible]]
* [[Textus Receptus]]
* [[Anglican Doctrine]]

[[index.php?title=Category:Bible Translations]]
[[index.php?title=Category:Anglican History]]
[[index.php?title=Category:Scripture]]

User:AnglicanAkatosh

2025-11-25T00:29:22Z

AnglicanAkatosh: Createeeed

'''Item #:''' SCP-[Redacted]

'''Object Class:''' Euclid (pending O5 review for possible Keter reclassification)

== Special Containment Procedures ==
SCP-[Redacted] is currently uncontained and operates openly in the ACNA under the handle "AnglicanAkatosh". Direct interaction is restricted to SCP Foundation webcrawlers and personnel with Level 4 hazard clearance. All attempts at amnestic deployment via DM have failed; subject responds only with animated GIFs of Henry VIII wielding a turkey leg as a sacramental object and the phrase "Cope and seethe, Papist." Mobile Task Force Mu-9 ("Book of Common Prayer Enjoyers") is authorized to monitor the subject's associated Substack for potential reality-deviation events. Should subscriber count exceed 10 or the phrase "Co-Redemptrix" appear in any post, immediate deployment of Class-B mnemonics is to be enacted. Physical manifestation has been reported in the dreams of at least twelve Anglican clergy. Affected individuals wake with an irresistible urge to defend the Thirty-Nine Articles in comment sections.

== Description ==
SCP-[Redacted] is a non-corporeal entity claiming to be Akatosh, Chief Deity of the Aedra in the fictional Elder Scrolls universe, who has inexplicably converted to high-church Anglicanism (Oxford Movement, 39 Articles, 1928 BCP only). The entity exhibits perfect fluency in both Tamrielic dragon language and 17th-century Caroline divinity, often posting in a mixture of the two. Notable anomalous properties include:

* Ability to induce existential despair in Roman Catholics and low-church evangelicals within a 50 meter radius of any device displaying its posts.
* Temporal distortion effect: reading more than three consecutive threads causes the reader to perceive the entire Anglican Communion schism spectrum as a single ontological terror.SCP-[Redacted] maintains a Twitter follower count that fluctuates exactly between 358 and 360 regardless of blocks, reports, or platform-wide purges, suggesting a minor Type-Green reality stabilization anchored to the concept of "the via media."

== Addendum [Redacted]-B: Incident Report ==
On 2025-11-23, SCP-[Redacted] posted a 47-tweet thread arguing that St. Christopher was historically a cynocephalus and that this proves the Anglican doctrine of saints is superior because "we have cryptid saints and you don’t." Thread reached 1.2 million impressions before Twitter's servers briefly displayed the Book of Common Prayer (1928) as the only readable text worldwide for 9 minutes. O5 vote pending on whether to classify this as an NK-class "Gray Swan" ecclesiastical event or simply "Tuesday for the ACNA."

== About AnglicanAkatosh ==
He's been near Sheogorath a bit too long. He's going insane. Also he likes tea. And Dr. Pepper.

'''Motto:''' ''Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi'' (Latin: "the law of what is prayed [is] what is believed [is] the law of what is lived")

== Work and Interests ==

* TRUE and HONEST (i.e. Anglican) theology
* History of church architecture
* Forgotten history & legends
* Writing Substack posts on James Ussher and Greek mythology
* Dr. Pepper

== External Links ==

* Website: https://anglicanakatosh.substack.com/
* Twitter (X): https://x.com/AnglicanAkatosh

== Contact ==
Just use my User talk or email me or DM me on Twitter, I don't care. Send a carrier pigeon to my front door if need be. I have all day.

King Lucius

2025-11-24T22:24:07Z

AnglicanAkatosh: Minor fixes

'''Lucius''' ('''Welsh''': Lles map Coel, Lleirwg, Lleufer or Lleufer Mawr), according to Anglican tradition, was a legendary 2nd-century king of the Britons who is said to have requested baptism and Christian doctrine from Pope Eleutherius in Rome.

== Historical Sources ==

=== Papal Catalogues ===
The earliest reference to Lucius appears in the ''Catalogus Felicianus'', a collection of papal biographies compiled c. AD 530.<ref>1. History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene Christianity. A.D. 100-325, Philip Schaff, Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, [https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc2/hcc2.v.v p166]</ref> In the life of Pope Eleutherius (r. 174-189), the text records:

"He received a letter from Lucius, king of Britain, asking him to appoint a way by which Lucius might become a Christian."<ref>The Book of Popes, Louise Ropes Loomis, Columbia, (1916) in Records of Civilization, Sources & Studies, edited by James T Shotwell [https://ia601309.us.archive.org/11/items/bookofpopesliber00loom/bookofpopesliber00loom.pdf p17]</ref>

The ''Catalogus Felicianus'' is an update of earlier lists. The first known version, (and probably based on a still earlier catalogue) the ''Liber Generationis'' (235 AD) is completely lost. Copies of the second version, the Liberian Catalogue, contained within the ''Chronograph'' (354 AD) are in circulation, but the key period covering Lucius and Pope Eleutherus (174-189 AD), which occurs between Pope Soter (166–174) and Pope Victor (189–199) is incomplete and mentions neither person.<ref>The Chronography of 354 AD. Part 13: Bishops of Rome (The Liberian Catalogue). MGH Chronica Minora I (1892), [https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/chronography_of_354_13_bishops_of_rome.htm pp.73-6]</ref>

=== Historia Regum Britanniae ===
Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' (History of the Kings of Britain), written around 1136, recorded a greatly expanded version of the Lucius tradition. According to Geoffrey, Lucius was the son of King Coillus and ruled Britain peacefully. During his reign, Lucius sent a formal request to Pope Eleutherius for instruction in the Christian faith. Reports of miracles performed by the disciples of Christ in various countries prompted his interest in adopting Christianity. Pope Eleutherius responded by dispatching two learned teachers, Faganus and Duvanus, who preached the doctrine of the Incarnation, baptized Lucius, and received him into the Christian faith.

After the king's baptism, people from across Britain gathered to follow his example, receiving baptism and entering the Christian community. Faganus and Duvanus rededicated existing temples, originally built for the worship of many gods, to the service of the one God and His saints, and organized Christian congregations within them.

The religious structure of Britain at the time, according to Geoffrey, consisted of twenty-eight flamens and three archflamens, who held jurisdiction over various officials and religious practitioners. These figures were converted. Flamens became bishops, and archflamens became archbishops. The three archiepiscopal sees were located at London, York, and Caerleon. Twenty-eight bishops, each with a defined diocese, were placed under these metropolitan sees. York held authority over Deira and Scotland, divided from Lloegyr by the Humber; London held authority over Lloegyr and Cornwall; and Caerleon oversaw Wales.<ref>Geoffrey of Monmouth. Historia Regum Britanniae, [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Six_Old_English_Chronicles/Geoffrey%27s_British_History/Book_4 Book IV], Chapter 19.</ref>

When their reformation was complete, Faganus and Duvanus returned to Rome to obtain papal confirmation of their actions. After receiving approval, they returned to Britain with many others, whose efforts strengthened the Christian faith throughout Britain. According to Geoffrey, their names and deeds were recorded in a work attributed to Gildas concerning the victory of Ambrose Aurelian, though no such work survives to us today.<ref>Geoffrey of Monmouth. Historia Regum Britanniae, Book IV, Chapter 20.</ref> Geoffrey says that Lucius died in AD 156, in the city of Gloucester.<ref>Geoffrey of Monmouth. Historia Regum Britanniae, [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Six_Old_English_Chronicles/Geoffrey%27s_British_History/Book_5 Book V], Chapter 1.</ref>

=== King Lucius Tablet ===
The London historian John Stow, writing at the end of the 16th century, reported about St Peter upon Cornhill: "there remaineth in this church a table whereon is written, I know not by what authority, but of a late hand, that King Lucius founded the same church to be an archbishop's see metropolitan, and chief church of his kingdom, and that it so endured for four hundred years".<ref>Stow, John (1842). A Survey of London, Written in the Year 1598. London: Whittaker & Co. [https://archive.org/stream/asurveylondon06stowgoog#page/n95/ p. 73.]</ref> The "table" (tablet) seen by Stow was destroyed when the medieval church was burnt in the Great Fire of London in 1666,<ref name=":0">Newcourt, Richard (1708). Repertorium Ecclesiasticum Parochiale Londinense: An Ecclesiastical Parochial History of the Diocese of London. Vol. I. London: C. Bateman. p. 522.</ref> but before this time a number of writers had recorded what it said. The text of the original tablet as printed by John Weever in 1631 began:

"Be hit known to al men, that the yeerys of our Lord God an clxxix [AD 179]. Lucius the fyrst christen kyng of this lond, then callyd Brytayne, fowndyd the fyrst chyrch in London, that is to sey, the Chyrch of Sent Peter apon Cornhyl, and he fowndyd ther an Archbishoppys See, and made that Chirch the Metropolitant, and cheef Chirch of this kingdom..."<ref>Weever, John (1631). Ancient Funerall Monuments. London. [https://archive.org/details/ancientfunerallm00weev/page/413 p. 413].</ref>

A replacement, in the form of an inscribed brass plate, was set up after the Great Fire<ref name=":0" /> and still hangs in the church vestry.

== Church of St Peter upon Cornhill ==
There is a long-standing tradition in London that St Peter upon Cornhill church was founded by King Lucius. The church altar is sited directly above the potential location of a pagan shrine room, of the great Roman London basilica. Two other facts give credence to a Roman past. The first is that London sent a bishop, Restitutus, to the Council of Arles in 314 AD. Restitutus must have had a church base. Secondly, in 1417, during a discussion about the order of precedence in a Whit Monday procession, the Mayor of London confirmed that St Peter's was the first church founded in London. Given that St Paul's Cathedral was founded in 604, this clearly implies that St Peter's was considered in 1417 to be founded pre-600.<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/6553953/The_King_Lucius_tabula_in_St_Peter_Upon_Cornhill_church_London The King Lucius Tabula], John Clark (2014), p7</ref><ref>'King Lucius of Britain', David J. Knight, Tempus Publishing, 2008, p83</ref>

== Reception of the Story ==
During the English Reformation, the story of Lucius was invoked to demonstrate that British Christianity predated Augustine of Canterbury's mission in 597 and was originally established through direct Roman authority rather than through later papal jurisdiction. This supported arguments for the Church of England's claim to be a continuation of an ancient, independent British church that had merely been reformed, not newly created.<ref>Parker, Matthew. De Antiquitate Britannicae Ecclesiae (1572), [https://www.anglican.net/works/matthew-parker-on-the-antiquity-of-the-church-in-britain-de-antiquitate-britannicae-ecclesiae-1572/#p2 Quando & quomodo Rex Britanniae Lucius Evangelio credens baptizatus fuit] (in Latin).</ref><ref>Foxe, John. The Actes and Monuments (1583), [https://www.dhi.ac.uk/foxe/index.php?realm=text&edition=1583&pageid=129&gototype=modern pp. 106-7]</ref>

Modern scholarship has approached the Lucius tradition with historical caution. Harnack suggests that in the document which the compiler of the ''Catalogus Felicianus'' drew his information, the name found was not Britanio (Britain), but Britio, a fortress of Edessa. The king in question is, therefore, Lucius Ælius Septimus Megas Abgar VIII, of Edessa, a Christian king as is well known. The original statement of the ''Catalogus Felicianus'', in this hypothesis, had nothing to do with Britain; the compiler of the ''Catalogus Felicianus'' changed Britio to Brittanio, and in this way made a British king of the Syrian Lucius.<ref>Williams, Hugh. Christianity in Early Britain (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1912), [https://archive.org/details/christianityinea0000unse_v4x7/page/60/mode/2up pp. 60-66]</ref><ref>von Harnack, Adolf (1904). Sitzungsberichte der Berliner Akademie. Vol. I. pp. 906–916.</ref>

Harnack's proposal has been more recently challenged by British archaeologist David J. Knight. In his book ''King Lucius of Britain'', Knight argues that Abgar of Edessa was never called Lucius of Britio in contemporary sources, and that to call Lucius king of a 'fortress' (Britio) is non-sensical. Furthermore, Agbar was only granted his additional Latin names (Lucius Ælius Septimius) sometime after AD 193, several years after Lucius' conversion. Knight therefore argues for accepting the traditional identification of Lucius as a British ruler.<ref>'King Lucius of Britain', David J. Knight, Tempus Publishing, 2008, p25</ref>

Lucius of Britain is sometimes identified with Lucius of Chur who was active in Switzerland in the late 2nd century. Lucius, a noble of the Pritanni (a Gaulish tribe located in modern Prättigau), became a missionary to Gaul and became the first bishop of Chur, where he preached the gospel with great success, until he was martyred in AD 176.<ref>Catholic Encyclopedia, [https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03743b.htm Chur]</ref><ref>"[https://www2.bistum-augsburg.de/heilige-des-tages/kalender/lucius-von-chur_id754419 Lucius von Chur]". Diocese of Augsburg (in German).</ref>

== References ==

King Lucius

2025-11-24T19:40:17Z

AnglicanAkatosh: Attempted to fix the references, minor style fixes

'''Lucius''' ('''Welsh''': Lles map Coel, Lleirwg, Lleufer or Lleufer Mawr), according to Anglican tradition, was a legendary 2nd-century king of the Britons who is said to have requested baptism and Christian doctrine from Pope Eleutherius in Rome.

== Historical Sources ==

=== Papal Catalogues ===
The earliest reference to Lucius appears in the ''Catalogus Felicianus'', a collection of papal biographies compiled c. AD 530.<ref>1. History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene Christianity. A.D. 100-325, Philip Schaff, Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, [https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc2/hcc2.v.v p166]</ref> In the life of Pope Eleutherius (r. 174-189), the text records:

"He received a letter from Lucius, king of Britain, asking him to appoint a way by which Lucius might become a Christian."<ref>The Book of Popes, Louise Ropes Loomis, Columbia, (1916) in Records of Civilization, Sources & Studies, edited by James T Shotwell [https://ia601309.us.archive.org/11/items/bookofpopesliber00loom/bookofpopesliber00loom.pdf p17]</ref>

The ''Catalogus Felicianus'' is an update of earlier lists. The first known version, (and probably based on a still earlier catalogue) the ''Liber Generationis'' (235 AD) is completely lost. Copies of the second version, the Liberian Catalogue, contained within the ''Chronograph'' (354 AD) are in circulation, but the key period covering Lucius and Pope Eleutherus (174-189 AD), which occurs between Pope Soter (166–174) and Pope Victor (189–199) is incomplete and mentions neither person.<ref>The Chronography of 354 AD. Part 13: Bishops of Rome (The Liberian Catalogue). MGH Chronica Minora I (1892), [https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/chronography_of_354_13_bishops_of_rome.htm pp.73-6]</ref>

=== Historia Regum Britanniae ===
Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' (History of the Kings of Britain), written around 1136, recorded a greatly expanded version of the Lucius tradition. According to Geoffrey, Lucius was the son of King Coillus and ruled Britain peacefully. During his reign, Lucius sent a formal request to Pope Eleutherius for instruction in the Christian faith. Reports of miracles performed by the disciples of Christ in various countries prompted his interest in adopting Christianity. Pope Eleutherius responded by dispatching two learned teachers, Faganus and Duvanus, who preached the doctrine of the Incarnation, baptized Lucius, and received him into the Christian faith.

After the king's baptism, people from across Britain gathered to follow his example, receiving baptism and entering the Christian community. Faganus and Duvanus rededicated existing temples, originally built for the worship of many gods, to the service of the one God and His saints, and organized Christian congregations within them.

The religious structure of Britain at the time, according to Geoffrey, consisted of twenty-eight flamens and three archflamens, who held jurisdiction over various officials and religious practitioners. These figures were converted. Flamens became bishops, and archflamens became archbishops. The three archiepiscopal sees were located at London, York, and Caerleon. Twenty-eight bishops, each with a defined diocese, were placed under these metropolitan sees. York held authority over Deira and Scotland, divided from Lloegyr by the Humber; London held authority over Lloegyr and Cornwall; and Caerleon oversaw Wales.<ref>Geoffrey of Monmouth. Historia Regum Britanniae, [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Six_Old_English_Chronicles/Geoffrey%27s_British_History/Book_4 Book IV], Chapter 19.</ref>

When their reformation was complete, Faganus and Duvanus returned to Rome to obtain papal confirmation of their actions. After receiving approval, they returned to Britain with many others, whose efforts strengthened the Christian faith throughout Britain. According to Geoffrey, their names and deeds were recorded in a work attributed to Gildas concerning the victory of Ambrose Aurelian, though no such work survives to us today.<ref>Geoffrey of Monmouth. Historia Regum Britanniae, Book IV, Chapter 20.</ref> Geoffrey says that Lucius died in AD 156, in the city of Gloucester.<ref>Geoffrey of Monmouth. Historia Regum Britanniae, [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Six_Old_English_Chronicles/Geoffrey%27s_British_History/Book_5 Book V], Chapter 1.</ref>

=== King Lucius Tablet ===
The London historian John Stow, writing at the end of the 16th century, reported "there remaineth in this church a table whereon is written, I know not by what authority, but of a late hand, that King Lucius founded the same church to be an archbishop's see metropolitan, and chief church of his kingdom, and that it so endured for four hundred years".<ref>Stow, John (1842). A Survey of London, Written in the Year 1598. London: Whittaker & Co. [https://archive.org/stream/asurveylondon06stowgoog#page/n95/ p. 73.]</ref> The "table" (tablet) seen by Stow was destroyed when the medieval church was burnt in the Great Fire of London in 1666,<ref name=":0">Newcourt, Richard (1708). Repertorium Ecclesiasticum Parochiale Londinense: An Ecclesiastical Parochial History of the Diocese of London. Vol. I. London: C. Bateman. p. 522.</ref> but before this time a number of writers had recorded what it said. The text of the original tablet as printed by John Weever in 1631 began:

"Be hit known to al men, that the yeerys of our Lord God an clxxix [AD 179]. Lucius the fyrst christen kyng of this lond, then callyd Brytayne, fowndyd the fyrst chyrch in London, that is to sey, the Chyrch of Sent Peter apon Cornhyl, and he fowndyd ther an Archbishoppys See, and made that Chirch the Metropolitant, and cheef Chirch of this kingdom..."<ref>Weever, John (1631). Ancient Funerall Monuments. London. [https://archive.org/details/ancientfunerallm00weev/page/413 p. 413].</ref>

A replacement, in the form of an inscribed brass plate, was set up after the Great Fire<ref name=":0" /> and still hangs in the church vestry.

== Church of St Peter upon Cornhill ==
There is a long-standing tradition in London that St Peter upon Cornhill church was founded by King Lucius. The church altar is sited directly above the potential location of a pagan shrine room, of the great Roman London basilica. Two other facts give credence to a Roman past. The first is that London sent a bishop, Restitutus, to the Council of Arles in 314 AD. Restitutus must have had a church base. Secondly, in 1417, during a discussion about the order of precedence in a Whit Monday procession, the Mayor of London confirmed that St Peter's was the first church founded in London. Given that St Paul's Cathedral was founded in 604, this clearly implies that St Peter's was considered in 1417 to be founded pre-600.<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/6553953/The_King_Lucius_tabula_in_St_Peter_Upon_Cornhill_church_London The King Lucius Tabula], John Clark (2014), p7</ref><ref>'King Lucius of Britain', David J. Knight, Tempus Publishing, 2008, p83</ref>

== Reception of the Story ==
During the English Reformation, the story of Lucius was invoked to demonstrate that British Christianity predated Augustine of Canterbury's mission in 597 and was originally established through direct Roman authority rather than through later papal jurisdiction. This supported arguments for the Church of England's claim to be a continuation of an ancient, independent British church that had merely been reformed, not newly created.<ref>Parker, Matthew. De Antiquitate Britannicae Ecclesiae (1572), [https://www.anglican.net/works/matthew-parker-on-the-antiquity-of-the-church-in-britain-de-antiquitate-britannicae-ecclesiae-1572/#p2 Quando & quomodo Rex Britanniae Lucius Evangelio credens baptizatus fuit] (in Latin).</ref><ref>Foxe, John. The Actes and Monuments (1583), [https://www.dhi.ac.uk/foxe/index.php?realm=text&edition=1583&pageid=129&gototype=modern pp. 106-7]</ref>

Modern scholarship has approached the Lucius tradition with historical caution. Harnack suggests that in the document which the compiler of the Catalogus Felicianus drew his information, the name found was not Britanio (Britain), but Britio, a fortress of Edessa. The king in question is, therefore, Lucius Ælius Septimus Megas Abgar VIII, of Edessa, a Christian king as is well known. The original statement of the ''Catalogus Felicianus'', in this hypothesis, had nothing to do with Britain; the compiler of the ''Catalogus Felicianus'' changed Britio to Brittanio, and in this way made a British king of the Syrian Lucius.<ref>Williams, Hugh. Christianity in Early Britain (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1912), [https://archive.org/details/christianityinea0000unse_v4x7/page/60/mode/2up pp. 60-66]</ref><ref>von Harnack, Adolf (1904). Sitzungsberichte der Berliner Akademie. Vol. I. pp. 906–916.</ref>

Harnack's proposal has been more recently challenged by British archaeologist David J. Knight. In his book ''King Lucius of Britain'', Knight argues that Abgar of Edessa was never called Lucius of Britio in contemporary sources, and that to call Lucius king of a 'fortress' (Britio) is non-sensical. Furthermore, Agbar was only granted his additional Latin names (Lucius Ælius Septimius) sometime after AD 193, several years after Lucius' conversion. Knight therefore argues for accepting the traditional identification of Lucius as a British ruler.<ref>'King Lucius of Britain', David J. Knight, Tempus Publishing, 2008, p25</ref>

Lucius of Britain is sometimes identified with Lucius of Chur who was active in Switzerland in the late 2nd century. Lucius, a noble of the Pritanni (a Gaulish tribe located in modern Prättigau), became a missionary to Gaul and became the first bishop of Chur, where he preached the gospel with great success, until he was martyred in AD 176.<ref>Catholic Encyclopedia, [https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03743b.htm Chur]</ref><ref>"[https://www2.bistum-augsburg.de/heilige-des-tages/kalender/lucius-von-chur_id754419 Lucius von Chur]". Diocese of Augsburg (in German).</ref>

== References ==

King Lucius

2025-11-24T19:36:40Z

AnglicanAkatosh: Made the page

'''Lucius''' ('''Welsh''': Lles map Coel, Lleirwg, Lleufer or Lleufer Mawr), according to Anglican tradition, was a legendary 2nd-century king of the Britons who is said to have requested baptism and Christian doctrine from Pope Eleutherius in Rome.

== Historical Sources ==

=== Papal Catalogues ===
The earliest reference to Lucius appears in the ''Catalogus Felicianus'', a collection of papal biographies compiled c. AD 530.<ref>1. History of the Christian Church, Volume II: Ante-Nicene Christianity. A.D. 100-325, Philip Schaff, Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library, [https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/hcc2/hcc2.v.v p166]</ref> In the life of Pope Eleutherius (r. 174-189), the text records:

"He received a letter from Lucius, king of Britain, asking him to appoint a way by which Lucius might become a Christian."<ref>The Book of Popes, Louise Ropes Loomis, Columbia, (1916) in Records of Civilization, Sources & Studies, edited by James T Shotwell [https://ia601309.us.archive.org/11/items/bookofpopesliber00loom/bookofpopesliber00loom.pdf p17]</ref>

The ''Catalogus Felicianus'' is an update of earlier lists. The first known version, (and probably based on a still earlier catalogue) the ''Liber Generationis'' (235 AD) is completely lost. Copies of the second version, the Liberian Catalogue, contained within the ''Chronograph'' (354 AD) are in circulation, but the key period covering Lucius and Pope Eleutherus (174-189 AD), which occurs between Pope Soter (166–174) and Pope Victor (189–199) is incomplete and mentions neither person.<ref>The Chronography of 354 AD. Part 13: Bishops of Rome (The Liberian Catalogue). MGH Chronica Minora I (1892), [https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/chronography_of_354_13_bishops_of_rome.htm pp.73-6]</ref>

=== Historia Regum Britanniae ===
Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae'' (History of the Kings of Britain), written around 1136, recorded a greatly expanded version of the Lucius tradition. According to Geoffrey, Lucius was the son of King Coillus and ruled Britain peacefully. During his reign, Lucius sent a formal request to Pope Eleutherius for instruction in the Christian faith. Reports of miracles performed by the disciples of Christ in various countries prompted his interest in adopting Christianity. Pope Eleutherius responded by dispatching two learned teachers, Faganus and Duvanus, who preached the doctrine of the Incarnation, baptized Lucius, and received him into the Christian faith.

After the king's baptism, people from across Britain gathered to follow his example, receiving baptism and entering the Christian community. Faganus and Duvanus rededicated existing temples, originally built for the worship of many gods, to the service of the one God and His saints, and organized Christian congregations within them.

The religious structure of Britain at the time, according to Geoffrey, consisted of twenty-eight flamens and three archflamens, who held jurisdiction over various officials and religious practitioners. These figures were converted. Flamens became bishops, and archflamens became archbishops. The three archiepiscopal sees were located at London, York, and Caerleon. Twenty-eight bishops, each with a defined diocese, were placed under these metropolitan sees. York held authority over Deira and Scotland, divided from Lloegyr by the Humber; London held authority over Lloegyr and Cornwall; and Caerleon oversaw Wales.<ref>Geoffrey of Monmouth. Historia Regum Britanniae, [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Six_Old_English_Chronicles/Geoffrey%27s_British_History/Book_4 Book IV], Chapter 19.</ref>

When their reformation was complete, Faganus and Duvanus returned to Rome to obtain papal confirmation of their actions. After receiving approval, they returned to Britain with many others, whose efforts strengthened the Christian faith throughout Britain. According to Geoffrey, their names and deeds were recorded in a work attributed to Gildas concerning the victory of Ambrose Aurelian, though no such work survives to us today.<ref>Geoffrey of Monmouth. Historia Regum Britanniae, Book IV, Chapter 20.</ref> Geoffrey says that Lucius died in AD 156, in the city of Gloucester.<ref>Geoffrey of Monmouth. Historia Regum Britanniae, [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Six_Old_English_Chronicles/Geoffrey%27s_British_History/Book_5 Book V], Chapter 1.</ref>

=== King Lucius Tablet ===
The London historian John Stow, writing at the end of the 16th century, reported "there remaineth in this church a table whereon is written, I know not by what authority, but of a late hand, that King Lucius founded the same church to be an archbishop's see metropolitan, and chief church of his kingdom, and that it so endured for four hundred years".<ref>Stow, John (1842). A Survey of London, Written in the Year 1598. London: Whittaker & Co. [https://archive.org/stream/asurveylondon06stowgoog#page/n95/ p. 73.]</ref> The "table" (tablet) seen by Stow was destroyed when the medieval church was burnt in the Great Fire of London in 1666,<ref name=":0">Newcourt, Richard (1708). Repertorium Ecclesiasticum Parochiale Londinense: An Ecclesiastical Parochial History of the Diocese of London. Vol. I. London: C. Bateman. p. 522.</ref> but before this time a number of writers had recorded what it said. The text of the original tablet as printed by John Weever in 1631 began:

"Be hit known to al men, that the yeerys of our Lord God an clxxix [AD 179]. Lucius the fyrst christen kyng of this lond, then callyd Brytayne, fowndyd the fyrst chyrch in London, that is to sey, the Chyrch of Sent Peter apon Cornhyl, and he fowndyd ther an Archbishoppys See, and made that Chirch the Metropolitant, and cheef Chirch of this kingdom..."<ref>Weever, John (1631). Ancient Funerall Monuments. London. [https://archive.org/details/ancientfunerallm00weev/page/413 p. 413].</ref>

A replacement, in the form of an inscribed brass plate, was set up after the Great Fire<ref name=":0" /> and still hangs in the church vestry.

== Church of St Peter upon Cornhill ==
There is a long-standing tradition in London that St Peter upon Cornhill church was founded by King Lucius. The church altar is sited directly above the potential location of a pagan shrine room, of the great Roman London basilica. Two other facts give credence to a Roman past. The first is that London sent a bishop, Restitutus, to the Council of Arles in 314 AD. Restitutus must have had a church base. Secondly, in 1417, during a discussion about the order of precedence in a Whit Monday procession, the Mayor of London confirmed that St Peter's was the first church founded in London. Given that St Paul's Cathedral was founded in 604, this clearly implies that St Peter's was considered in 1417 to be founded pre-600.<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/6553953/The_King_Lucius_tabula_in_St_Peter_Upon_Cornhill_church_London The King Lucius Tabula], John Clark (2014), p7</ref><ref>'King Lucius of Britain', David J. Knight, Tempus Publishing, 2008, p83</ref>

== Reception of the Story ==
During the English Reformation, the story of Lucius was invoked to demonstrate that British Christianity predated Augustine of Canterbury's mission in 597 and was originally established through direct Roman authority rather than through later papal jurisdiction. This supported arguments for the Church of England's claim to be a continuation of an ancient, independent British church that had merely been reformed, not newly created.<ref>Parker, Matthew. De Antiquitate Britannicae Ecclesiae (1572), [https://www.anglican.net/works/matthew-parker-on-the-antiquity-of-the-church-in-britain-de-antiquitate-britannicae-ecclesiae-1572/#p2 Quando & quomodo Rex Britanniae Lucius Evangelio credens baptizatus fuit] (in Latin).</ref><ref>Foxe, John. The Actes and Monuments (1583), [https://www.dhi.ac.uk/foxe/index.php?realm=text&edition=1583&pageid=129&gototype=modern pp. 106-7]</ref>

Modern scholarship has approached the Lucius tradition with historical caution. Harnack suggests that in the document which the compiler of the Catalogus Felicianus drew his information, the name found was not Britanio (Britain), but Britio, a fortress of Edessa. The king in question is, therefore, Lucius Ælius Septimus Megas Abgar VIII, of Edessa, a Christian king as is well known. The original statement of the Catalogus Felicianus, in this hypothesis, had nothing to do with Britain; the compiler of the Catalogus Felicianus changed Britio to Brittanio, and in this way made a British king of the Syrian Lucius.<ref>Williams, Hugh. Christianity in Early Britain (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1912), [https://archive.org/details/christianityinea0000unse_v4x7/page/60/mode/2up pp. 60-66]</ref><ref>von Harnack, Adolf (1904). Sitzungsberichte der Berliner Akademie. Vol. I. pp. 906–916.</ref>

Harnack's proposal has been more recently challenged by British archaeologist David J. Knight. In his book King Lucius of Britain, Knight argues that Abgar of Edessa was never called Lucius of Britio in contemporary sources, and that to call Lucius king of a 'fortress' (Britio) is non-sensical. Furthermore, Agbar was only granted his additional Latin names (Lucius Ælius Septimius) sometime after AD 193, several years after Lucius' conversion. Knight therefore argues for accepting the traditional identification of Lucius as a British ruler.<ref>'King Lucius of Britain', David J. Knight, Tempus Publishing, 2008, p25</ref>

Lucius of Britain is sometimes identified with Lucius of Chur who was active in Switzerland in the late 2nd century. Lucius, a noble of the Pritanni (a Gaulish tribe located in modern Prättigau), became a missionary to Gaul and became the first bishop of Chur, where he preached the gospel with great success, until he was martyred in AD 176.<ref>Catholic Encyclopedia, [https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03743b.htm Chur]</ref><ref>"[https://www2.bistum-augsburg.de/heilige-des-tages/kalender/lucius-von-chur_id754419 Lucius von Chur]". Diocese of Augsburg (in German).</ref>