The reformation in England took on a different character than that of Germany, Switzerland, or even France. There were no Luthers, Zwingles, or Calvins. From the time of Wycliffe (1324-1384) England had the Bible in English, although in limited quantities. However, it was against the law to own a copy. In 1400, the burning of heretics became a statute law in England, and in 1408 a council in Oxford forbade the translation of the Bible into English and threatened persons who read it with excommunication.
William Tyndale
After Wycliffe, we find that the next distinguished individual of the reformation in England was another translator, William Tyndale. It appears that Tyndale was born in the County of Gloucester in the West of England. He studied at Oxford and then Cambridge, where he may have been in contact with other reformers of the period. In 1520 he accepted the post of chaplain at the house of Sir John Walsh. Just prior to this, Erasmus’ Greek and Latin New Testament had been published. It appears that the study of the Greek New Testament lead to Tyndale’s conversion. About this time a priest told Tyndale, “People were better without God’s laws than the Pope’s,” and he responded with the oft-repeated statement, “If God spare my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plough to know more of the Scripture than thou doest.” Tyndale began the work of translating the Scriptures in England, but soon had to flee, never to return. In 1525 William Tyndale completed a translation of the New Testament from the Greek. He issued a revised edition in 1535; but was soon arrested, and after spending over a year in jail, he was strangled and burned at the stake near Brussels on October 6th, 1536. Miles Coverdale, an assistant to Tyndale, completed his work and published his first English Bible in 1535. In 1543, the English parliament passed a law forbidding the use of any English translation. It was a crime for any unlicensed person to read or explain the Scriptures in public.
Henry VIII
It is necessary in considering the reformation in England to dwell a little on King Henry VIII. It was Henry VIII that broke the Pope’s power over the church in England, but his motivation for doing so was purely selfish. Henry was not a Protestant. In fact, it was because of an article that he supposedly authored, written against Luther, that he had received from the Pope the title Defender of the Faith. During his reign the Bible was no more welcome in the realm than at any time previous. In fact, Henry, in taking for himself the power once held by the Pope, forged a deal of the worst kind with the clergy. Henry gave the clergy the authority to imprison and burn heretics. In 1540, with the passing of the Six Articles, the clergy found plenty of reason to use their new power. These articles condemned to death all those who opposed the doctrine of transubstantiation, auricular confession, vows of chastity, private masses, marriage of the clergy, and the giving of the cup to the laity — that is to say, any reformer. Henry became the Supreme Head of the Church of England, a church that lacked any real confession of faith, though retaining pretty much the doctrines of the Church of Rome. Under Henry VIII, Protestants were burnt at the stake under the Six Articles, while Catholics were burnt for refusing to accept Henry as the Supreme Head of the Church of England.
Edward VI
Henry VIII was succeeded by his son Edward, a sickly lad not yet 10, but a true Christian. Upon his coronation those imprisoned for their beliefs were released and the Six Articles were abolished. During his short reign, eleven editions of the Bible and six of the New Testament were published. In 1549, an English Prayer Book was issued, a result largely of the work of Thomas Cranmer. The work was revised and re-revised and was duly ratified by the king and Parliament in 1552. The images were removed from the churches. Prayers were no longer offered for the dead. Transubstantiation was declared to be unscriptural, and the Lord’s supper was considered commemorative. Likewise, auricular confession was abolished, and the clergy was permitted to marry. Unfortunately, Edward only lived until the age of 16. The year before his death, changes to the succession of the kingdom had been made and the throne was to pass to Lady Jane Grey, a defender of the Reformation and by all accounts a true believer in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Though Lady Jane Grey was declared queen, the country accepted Mary instead, allowing succession to take its historic course. Lady Jane Grey and her husband were both executed; she was only 17 years old.
Latimer
Latimer is an example of the power of God working in grace. Latimer was the son of a farmer, though his father had no lands of his own. He received a good education and went on to study at Cambridge where he received a Bachelor of Divinity. He was a “bigoted Papist.” The sermon he preached to obtain his degree was against Philip Melancthon, Luther’s associate. Was it possible Luther had met his match in Latimer? However, a certain Dr. Bliney, by a clever means, managed to reach Latimer — through the confessional! Through listening to Dr. Bliney’s ‘confessions,’ Latimer was converted, and just as he had been a zealous papist, he now became a bold and zealous Protestant. With the passing of the Six Articles, Latimer was imprisoned and remained there until the death of Henry VIII.
Cranmer
We do not find that Thomas Cranmer had the same strength of character as that with Latimer, though Cranmer exceeded him in learning. In 1523 Cranmer received his Doctor of Divinity at Cambridge, though, it is not until 1529 that Cranmer came to the public notice. In that year, he advised King Henry VIII to seek the opinion of the universities of Europe regarding The Great Matter, the possibility of divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, of whom he had grown tired. It was Cranmer that ultimately pronounced the opinion of the court in favor of the divorce. Cranmer’s favor with the king was such that he was appointed to the See of Canterbury. Though Cranmer risked much in speaking out against the Six Articles, he put away his own wife and did not suffer the same fate as Latimer. In his favor, he did what he could to protect Latimer and the reformers. On the death of Henry and again at the Coronation of Edward, we finally see something of Cranmer’s true faith. In his sermon he spoke of the king as “a new Josiah who was to reform the worship of God, destroy idolatry, banish the Bishop of Rome and remove images from the land.” During the short reign of Edward we find Cranmer busy with the work of preparing a new liturgy for the Church of England. In 1550, the “altars” were abolished from the churches.
Mary I
In July 1553, Princess Mary, Henry VIII’s daughter by his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, ascended the throne. Mary, like her Spanish mother, was a confirmed Catholic. Her marriage to Philip I of Spain, another Catholic, delighted Mary but alarmed many Englishman. The marriage brought no children for Mary, and her husband Philip, to his displeasure, was never crowned “King of England” — Parliament refused to do so. Mary, childless and deserted by her husband, attributed her ill fortunes to the sins of the country, and in February 1555 the burnings of heretics began again.
The Martyrdom of Ridley, Latimer and Cranmer
Mary had not reigned long before we find Latimer, Cranmer (the Archbishop of Canterbury), Ridley (the Bishop of London), and, as Latimer calls him, holy Mr. Bradford, imprisoned in the tower of London for heresy. In October 1555, the order finally came for the execution of Ridley and Latimer. Latimer was by now an old man of 84 years. The flames were set to Ridley first, at which time Latimer addressed to him the well-documented words: “Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”
Cranmer, in his old age and under pressure from the Catholic party, recanted and signed a declaration renouncing his former teachings. Though promised liberty, preparations were made for his execution. On the 21st of March, 1556, he was brought to Oxford to be burnt at the stake. Before his execution he was given the liberty to make a public confession to free himself of all suspicion, and that he did ... but much to the astonishment of his persecutors, he denounced the Doctrines of Rome and stated his firm belief in the principles of the Protestant faith. Declaring, “as my hand offended, writing contrary to my heart, my hand shall therefore first be punished; for, may I come to the fire, it shall be first burned,” he was promptly dragged to the stake. And there with noble resolve, he held his right hand in the flame, allowing it to be burnt first as he had just stated. Cranmer’s firm stand at the end differed markedly from the middle of the road walk he had pursued most of his life.
Elizabeth I
Between 1555 and 1558, 284 martyrs perished by fire. On the 17th of November 1558, Mary died, and with her the gloom of that miserable period. The ascension of Elizabeth to the throne was greeted with great joy. The laws to restore popery were repealed and the English service was again introduced. Elizabeth was very much the people’s queen, but alas, she could be everything to everybody. Under her rule, Protestantism was established in the land, but only because she permitted it. Elizabeth rather enjoyed the finery of the Roman Catholic ceremonies and required exact uniformity to be maintained in all external rites and ceremonies. Elizabeth’s policies lead to divisions among the English Protestants, and in particular, resulted in the separation of the Puritans, or Nonconformists, from the Church of England.