Course:History 344 Nasty Families/Religion/Church of England
The Church of England Before 1625
Born out of the English Reformation and King Henry VIII’s break with the Roman Catholic Church in Rome, the English Church was Protestant in nature [1] . In the early Stuart era, the Church of England had matured considerably to form the Church of England complete with its own assemblies, courts, properties, and theologians [2].
James I was the Supreme Governor of the Church which he ruled with the help of bishops, which was an element kept from the old Catholic Church [3]. The Church of the early Stuarts was based on the ideas of popular acceptance, education of clergy, sermons with a centrality of the Bible, a lack of images and icons, and the idea of predestination. The Church was seen as a tool to bind together a society with a common set of beliefs, and held popular acceptance in the country [4]. There was a belief in the English Church that education should be sought especially in the clergy, which led to an increase of laymen seeking education because of opportunities [5]. Preaching was an important and popular feature of the early Stuart Church. Lecturers were licence by the Bishops for a fee, and in turn would preach to audiences [6]. It is estimated that in 1610 that in London 1/3rd of parishes had a lecturer [7]. The Book of the Common Prayer and the Bible were central to Church life [8]. The Churches, following in Protestant traditions, were usually bare and distrusted images and icons. The Church prior to 1625 was very Calvinist in nature, particularly in respect to the idea of predestination and justification through faith alone [9]. This was seen in the belief put forth by Archbishop John Whitgift that “God from eternity predestined certain men to life and condemned others to death” and that it was the pleasure of God alone, not because of good works or faith [10].
With the death of James I in 1625, the Church of England moved towards a more Arminian direction, which was a move away from the Calvinist predestination [11]. This had different interpretations and consequences.
The Authorized King James Bible
Shortly after James I came into power, he attempted to unify the Church of England by having a new translation of the Bible created. It was hoped that this would cut down on the influence of Calvinists and Papists. This would be done through the English translation and interpretation of the Bible which would follow the doctrines of the Church of England [12]. The process took place from 1604 to 1611 and resulted in this bible being used throughout the Church of England [13].
BN: Probably the best places for expansion are Predestination, Arminianism, Parish Churches, Sermons, Laudianism.
- ↑ G. W. Bernard, “The Church Of England c. 1529-c. 1642” History 75, No. 244( 1990): 184.
- ↑ Kenneth Fincham, “Introduction” in Problems in Focus: The Early Stuart Church 1603 – 1642 ed. Kenneth Fincham, 1 (London: The Macmillan Press Ltd., 1993).
- ↑ Claire Cross, Church and People: England 1450 – 1660, 2nd Ed.(London: Blackwell Publishers Ltd., 1999):133.
- ↑ Fincham, 1.
- ↑ Cross, 141.
- ↑ Cross, 137.
- ↑ Ibid.
- ↑ Judith Maltby, “’By this Book’: Parishioners, the Prayer Book and the Established Church.” in Problems in Focus: The Early Stuart Church 1603 – 1642 ed. Kenneth Fincham, 119(London: The Macmillan Press Ltd., 1993).
- ↑ Fincham, 5
- ↑ Cross, 140
- ↑ Cross, 155
- ↑ Bernard, 189
- ↑ Kenneth Fincham, and Peter Lake. “The Ecclesiastical Policies of James I and Charles I.” in Problems in Focus: The Early Stuart Church 1603 – 1642 ed. Kenneth Fincham, 27 (London: The Macmillan Press Ltd., 1993).