Thomas Cranmer as a theological and liturgical Reformer of the Church of England: A long-sought "missing link" in English Reformation Research
Final Report Abstract
The project focused on the theological development of Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556), the first Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury and the magisterial reformer of England. We examined Cranmer’s doctrinal research on Scripture and the Lord’s Supper which was recorded in parts of his massive 'Great Commonplaces' as well as other notebooks and his markings in the books of his personal library. Unlike Calvin and Luther, Cranmer did not leave bookshelves full of his original writings behind after he was burned at the stake for his religious beliefs. Hence, at more than 1100 folio pages of quotations written in abbreviated Latin, 'Cranmer’s Great Commonplaces', are a key, although hitherto largely untapped, source for his theological development under Henry VIII when his position changed under the influence of the continental Reformation. For although Cranmer was committed to outwardly conforming to Henry VIII’s theological settlement these notebooks show his clear private commitment to key Protestant tenets such as "sola Scriptura", which he would only be able to incorporate clearly in the formularies of the Church of England in the next reign under Edward VI. Thus, our research is not only of major significance for understanding Cranmer the man but also has given fresh insights into the theological origins of the English Reformation. Specifically, we were able to show that Cranmer’s commitment to the Reformation principle of "sola Scriptura" as the basis of doctrine was blended with the late medieval English and Erasmian humanist emphasis on Scripture’s power to transform human affections. As regarding the Lord’s Supper, we made truly stunning discoveries which could not have been anticipated at the time of the first application. Since he identified several additional Cranmer notebooks on the Eucharist from Edward’s reign which had been completely unknown to scholars, we were able to chart Cranmer’s development from a 'Lutheran-like' real presence position under Henry to a clearly reformed spiritual presence in his Edwardian prayer books for the Church of England. Oxford University Press is in the process of making these research results available in two volumes, one on Scripture and the other on sacraments under Henry VIII, both of which will include a full transcription of unabbreviated Latin, an English translation, footnote references to these passages in Cranmer’s library books, further references to the appearance of the passages in his writings as well as finally an extensive introductory commentary making use of all the preceding material.
