http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer (2 July 1489 – 21 March 1556)
Born 1489 in Nottinghamshire, Cranmer
followed a typical career of younger brother. Since his brother John inherited
the family estate, Cranmer and his younger brother were prepared for lives as
clerics. Fourteen years old, he came to Jesus College,
Cambridge,
where he took some eight years to earn his Bachelor of Arts. In 1515 he received his MA and became a
fellow of Jesus College.
He lost his fellowship after marrying, but regained it after his wife
died. He received his Doctorate in
Divinity in 1526, having gained Holy Orders in 1520. In June 1527 he met the king, whom he
described as the kindest of princes.
From 1527 he became involved with the
King’s divorce. During these
proceedings, he met some of the continental reformers in 1531. In 1532 he was appointed ambassador to the Holy Roman Empire, and in travelling with the Emperor
from area to area was able to see the reformation in action. In addition to meeting several reformers, he
ended up marrying Ossiander’s niece.
Sadly for him, he was unable to convince the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles
to support King Henry’s annulment from Catherine (Catherine was Charles’ aunt).
In 1532, he was notified that he would be
the next Archbishop of Canterbury and was so consecrated on the 30th of March of 1532. He continued to work on the king’s divorce,
with the affair becoming more complicate due to Anne Bolyn’s pregnancy and her
secret marriage to Henry VIII. Cranmer
declared Henry’s marriage void, and the Pope excommunicated Henry and his
advisors. Life was difficult for Cranmer
as many of his bishops did not support him in this new role. His life also continued to be made difficult
because of the King’s urgent desire for a male heir. He was also not particularly astute in
dealing with the bishops.
Fifteen thirty six saw the publishing of
the 10 Articles of religion which pleased and annoyed both sides of the
debate. The Institution of a Christian Man
was printed in response, but the
king insisted on changes. Cranmer was
the most vigorous in fighting against the King’s changes, especially relating
to faith alone and predestination. From
1536 to 1544 there were many ups and downs involving Cranmer which he
survived. In 1544 he printed the first
legal services in English, being the Exhortation and the Great Litany, which is
still found in many Anglican prayer books today (and indeed in the liturgy used
by the diocese of La Porte,
Christian Church, Synod of St. Timothy).
Fifteen forty-seven saw the introduction of the Book of Homilies to all
parishes (4 written by Cranmer). As many
of the reformers were suffering persecution, Cranmer invited them to England
and put them to work training clergy.
(Reina and Valera
who composed the first Bible in Spanish were among these).
It is
unknown just how much Cranmer actually wrote in the Book of Common Prayer of
1549. His sources include the Sarum
Rite, Hermann von Wied, Ossiander, Justus Jonas (and several other Lutherans), and
Quiñones. What we do know is that he was
the final editor of this and the 1552 Book of Common Prayer (not used because of
Mary accession to the throne. In 1550 he
printed an Ordinal, and in the same year: Defence of the True and Catholic Doctrine of the
Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ , the only book
actually printed in his own name. In
1552 he came out with the Articles of Religion.
After
Mary took power, Cranmer was imprisoned and during the course of his
imprisonment, recanted his Protestant faith.
On the day of his death however, he recanted his recantations, and was
burned at the stake, placing his right hand in the centre of the fire as a sign
of repentance regarding the written recantations.
Cranmer’s
greatest influence on the church was the Book of Common Prayer, which was the
basis of all Anglican Books of Common Prayer into the 1960’s. His Eucharist also found its way into the
Methodist liturgy, and his marriage and burial services are the base services
of many denominations. The English used
in his BCP has affected the English language as much as the language of the
King James Bible and Shakespeare. His
second work of genius was transforming morning prayer and evening prayer into
something that could be used by any family or by individuals. His third act of genius was slow
transformation, which produced a book which has lasted over 450 years.
Collect: Heavenly Father, you
granted to your Bishop Thomas Cranmer great gifts in ordering the worship and
prayer life of the English people, and though he slipped, you led him to repent
of his recantations. Grant that we would
truly seek to worship you in the spirit of holiness, and be ready to give up
our lives for you. This we ask through
Yeshuah, who lives and reins and is worshipped with you and the Ruach haKodesh,
one God in glory everlasting. Amen. (red)
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