English Reformation Research Articles

John Bale, Imperial Monarchy, and the Reformation in Sixteenth-Century Ireland

Abstract The episcopal mission of Englishman John Bale to Ireland in 1553 provides historians with a unique window into the interconnected British and Irish histories of the early English Reformation. Scholarship on Bale has long explored his life and theology in all European theatres of the Reformation in which he was involved. Yet, key features of his mission and theology remain underappreciated. Building on recent work that has contextualized Bale’s Irish mission and ecclesiology within the imperial outlook of the Edwardian regime and Reformation, the article examines Bale’s mission against the worlds of English evangelical and continental Protestant political theology he inhabited, and the mingling of Henrician and Edwardian ‘reformist’ energies in Ireland with which it intersected and clashed. It argues that, under conditions of English colonial rule and empire in Ireland, Bale expressed a political theology that, imperial by circumstance and implication, turned his spiritual vocation modelled on Christ into a receptacle for divine and princely sovereignty that set rival conceptions of royal authority, idolatry, and Anglo-Irish constitutional relations against each other. Evangelical political theology thus acquired different hues on either side of the Irish Sea, with important implications for how we understand the early English Reformation across England and Ireland.

:Devotional Experience and Erotic Knowledge in the Literary Culture of the English Reformation: Poetry, Public Worship, and Popular Divinity

:<i>Devotional Experience and Erotic Knowledge in the Literary Culture of the English Reformation: Poetry, Public Worship, and Popular Divinity</i>

How the English Reformation was Named: The Politics of History, c.1400–1700, by Benjamin M. Guyer

<i>How the English Reformation was Named: The Politics of History, c.1400–1700</i>, by Benjamin M. Guyer

Hypocrisy and Humour in the English Reformation

This article examines jokes about religion, particularly religious hypocrisy, in early modern English jestbooks, from the 1520s to the 1740s. It argues that over the course of England's Long Reformation, we find more and more jokes in which the solution, or alternative, to hypocrisy is not a more robust faith, making the inward heart correspond to one's outward show of religion, but rather a more profane Christianity, making one's outward face correspond to an all-too-human and worldly heart. Jokes about religious hypocrisy thus betray both a deep anxiety about piety, and the emergence of a profane species of Protestantism.

How the English Reformation was named: The Politics of History, written by Benjamin Guyer

How the English Reformation was named: The Politics of History, written by Benjamin Guyer

Balaam's Ass: Vernacular Theology before the English Reformation. Volume 1: Frameworks, Arguments, English to 1250

Balaam's Ass: Vernacular Theology before the English Reformation. Volume 1: Frameworks, Arguments, English to 1250

Intercession and Anamnesis in the Eucharist

Abstract Examining intercession and anamnesis in the Anglican Eucharist first, a theology of the world in which its brokenness as embraced by the compassion of Christ, is seen to undergird intercession, whereby a ‘natural’ link is found with the anamnesis. Turning to the historical background of relationship between these two topics – in the Early Church, noted are two particular forms as recorded by Justin Martyr and Cyril of Jerusalem; in the English Reformation, it is seen that intercession was maintained as a part of the canon (and therefore had some connection with the anamnesis), and then, the modern period displays a departure in Anglican provinces from the Reformation order with only a loose principle, or none, maintained in its position between Word and Sacrament. The retrieval of Christ overcoming the powers of evil in his redemptive work, as recorded in Hippolytus’ liturgical form, has made its way into the modern liturgy, providing implications for the connection between anamnesis and intercession. The liturgiology of the Orthodox Church strengthens the theme. Present concerns regarding the Anglican practice of Eucharistic intercession are raised and improvements are suggested. It is concluded that, theologically, intercession and anamnesis hold an intimate connection in the Eucharist.

Titus Andronicus and the wicked streets of Rome

Titus Andronicus is full of dichotomies: Black/white, good/bad, men/women, Goths/Romans, educated/uneducated (is a verse in Horace just a verse in Horace, or ought we to look for a deeper meaning?), whole/mutilated, alive/dead. The way in which the play represents the tensions between inside and outside is however particularly provocative. This essay explores how Titus Andronicus disturbs and undermines the distinction between inside and outside through its use of stage space, its evocation of early modern ideas about Roman architecture, and its deployment of coded reminders of the effects of the English Reformation.

The English Reformation in the Spanish Imagination: Rewriting Nero, Jezebel, and the Dragon by Deborah R Forteza (review)

The English Reformation in the Spanish Imagination: Rewriting Nero, Jezebel, and the Dragon by Deborah R Forteza (review)

Luther in Early Modern English

Abstract: This article surveys and examines the translations into English of Luther's works during the early modern period. Certain themes emerge, with anti-Catholicism, devotion, and consolation particularly noted as safe and unobjectionable Lutheran topics for English audiences. English reformers chose to integrate certain divines from the European mainland at certain points, with Luther playing key roles. The reign of Elizabeth (1558–1603) was a highpoint for English translations of Luther, and these coincided with other efforts by some in England as well as Germany to emphasize unity among Protestants while downplaying divisions. A flexible and contingent deployment of Luther in English continued into the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when developments such as the Civil Wars, the Restoration, and German immigration provided moments of relevance for Luther. The article draws on and points to the considerable scholarship that has reshaped English Reformation studies over the past few decades, and it offers reflections on how the particularity of early modern England can be seen in relation to the heterogeneity of Reformation Europe.

:Reformation Reputations: The Power of the Individual in English Reformation History

:<i>Reformation Reputations: The Power of the Individual in English Reformation History</i>

Reformation Reputations: The Power of the Individual in English Reformation History ed. by David J. Crankshaw and George W. C. Gross (review)

Reformation Reputations: The Power of the Individual in English Reformation History ed. by David J. Crankshaw and George W. C. Gross (review)

Deborah R. Forteza. The English Reformation in the Spanish Imagination: Rewriting Nero, Jezebel, and the Dragon. Toronto Iberic 69. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2022. Pp. 248. $65.00 (cloth).

Deborah R. Forteza. The English Reformation in the Spanish Imagination: Rewriting Nero, Jezebel, and the Dragon. Toronto Iberic 69. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2022. Pp. 248. $65.00 (cloth).

Гемптон-корт палац і «тисяча днів королеви Анни».

This year marks the 500th anniversary of the coronation of Anne Boleyn as Queen of England , on 1 June 1533. In Tudor history, 7th September 1533, Queen Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, gave birth to Queen Elizabeth I. And this year marks the 500th anniversary of Elizabeth I’s birth. In 2022, on the March 4 marked 500 years to the day of Anne’s first recorded appearance at the English court in 1522. On September 1, 1532, Henry VIII had taken an unprecedented step: He had elevated a woman into England’s hereditary nobility. It was both a gift of love and compensation for enduring years of frustration while Henry tried to put an end to his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. The article devoted to Hampton Court Palace and Anne Boleyn the Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of King Henrich VIII. Anne Boleyn is called 'Anne of the Thousand Days' because Henrich VIII replaced her after roughly three years. Anne who waited seven years to marry the King was dismissed and disgraced within a third of that time. Despite ruling for just three years during the Tudor dynasty, Anne Boleyn is one of the most famous queens in British History. She played a major role in the English Reformation along with Henry VIII. The author presents the events of Tudor history before Anne Boleyn’s coronation, which will be described in the next article.

:The English Reformation in the Spanish Imagination: Rewriting Nero, Jezebel, and the Dragon

:<i>The English Reformation in the Spanish Imagination: Rewriting Nero, Jezebel, and the Dragon</i>

"ДОСТОВЕРНЫЙ ЗНАК, ЧТО ПАПА – АНТИХРИСТ"

Публикуется перевод одной из глав полемического сочинения английского реформатора Уильяма Тиндела (1494–1536) «Ответ на Диалог сэра Томаса Мора». Перевод выполнен по изданию: Tyndale W. An Answere into Sir Thomas More’s Dualogue // The Whole works of W. Tyndall, John Frith and Doct. Barnes, three worthy Martyrs and principall teachers of this Church of England collected and compiled in one tome together, being before scattered now in in print here exhibiten to the Church / Ed. by J. Foxe. L.: Printed by J. Daye, 1573. P. 247–339. Комментарии и предисловие переводчика. This publication is one of the most important chapters of the polemical work of the XVI –th century English reformer William Tyndale (1494–1536) «An Answer into Sir Thomas More’s Dualogue» (1531) translated by T.G. Chougounova from English with comments. The translation is based on the edition: Tyndale W. An Answere into Sir Thomas More’s Dualogue // The Whole works of W. Tyndall, John Frith and Doct. Barnes, three worthy Martyrs and principall teachers of this Church of England collected and compiled in one tome together, being before scattered now in in print here exhibiten to the Church / Ed. by J. Foxe. London: Printed by J. Daye, 1573. P. 247–339. The comments and preface are made by the translator.

Anglican Confirmation: an Unfinished Reform

AbstractConfirmation, one of the seven sacraments in Lombard’s schedule, was retained by the English Reformers, but not as a sacrament and without any distinctive quasi-sacramental grace attributed to it. It became a ceremony to complete the catechizing process for children who, having been baptized as infants, were at the age of discretion now to come to holy communion. The reformers thought that a post-baptismal laying on of hands had been practised from apostolic times, and so commended the ceremony for their church practice. This requirement enabled later generations, such as Gregory Dix, to bid up its significance, teaching that confirmation completes baptism, and thus that water-baptism is of itself incomplete. The underlying premise has been that from the apostles onwards a requisite second initiatory ceremony invariably followed baptism. Both Bible and early church history contradict this thesis, not least the eight post-apostolic authors of the first two centuries who mention baptism. All eight testify to the use of water without any further ceremony. Thus, any insistence upon a two-stage sacramental initiation today lacks historical foundations; Anglicans ought to review residual texts and practices which reflect such a pattern.

Religion-Market Theory: A Qualitative Theory Testing

Despite industrialization and modernization, religion still has a significant impact on society and politics. Many theories compete to answer questions about religion, yet this paper argues that religion-market theory has superiority in explaining the failure of secularization to diminish religion even in the most developed nations such as the United States, while it succeeded in others. Relying on Mill’s method of difference, this study qualitatively compares the two cases of the United States and the United Kingdom, relying on the history of religion and the economic structures of religious institutions. This study proves that Americans are far more religious than the British because since the foundation of the republic, the U.S. has not adopted any state religion while the UK has Christianity as the religion of the state since the English Reformation. Hence, religion-market theory that links between state’s regulations of religion and religiosity proves its superiority again.

Hampton Court Palace and 'Anne of the Thousand Days'

This year marks the 500th anniversary of the coronation of Anne Boleyn as Queen of England , on 1 June 1533. In Tudor history, 7th September 1533, Queen Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, gave birth to Queen Elizabeth I. And this year marks the 500th anniversary of Elizabeth I’s birth. In 2022, on the March 4 marked 500 years to the day of Anne’s first recorded appearance at the English court in 1522. On September 1, 1532, Henry VIII had taken an unprecedented step: He had elevated a woman into England’s hereditary nobility. It was both a gift of love and compensation for enduring years of frustration while Henry tried to put an end to his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. The article devoted to Hampton Court Palace and Anne Boleyn the Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of King Henrich VIII. Anne Boleyn is called 'Anne of the Thousand Days' because Henrich VIII replaced her after roughly three years. Anne who waited seven years to marry the King was dismissed and disgraced within a third of that time. Despite ruling for just three years during the Tudor dynasty, Anne Boleyn is one of the most famous queens in British History. She played a major role in the English Reformation along with Henry VIII. The author presents Hampton Court Palace in London and its History, its historic landscape gardens features elements that illustrate significant periods of the art of gardens.

Not a Bare Permission

Abstract How does God ordain creaturely evil while preserving their freedom? In this article, I compare Calvin’s views on God’s relationship to evil with those of the English Reformed. I survey Calvin’s views from his commentaries and the Institutes, arguing that they share several salient features with the views of the English Reformed. However, I also note that the English Reformed more readily use the language of “contingency” and “divine permission” with respect to creaturely evil; this difference is reflected in the language of Westminster, which more closely reflects the language of the English Reformed instead of Calvin.