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The Early Success and Gradual Decline of Lutheranism in England, 1520-1600 BASIL HALL

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The Early Success and Gradual Decline of Lutheranism in England, 1520-1600 BASIL HALL CONCORDIA THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY The Treasure of the Church WALTER R. BOUMAN The Early Success and Gradual Decline of Lutheranism in England, 1520-1600 BASIL HALL A Marxist De-Lutheranization of the German Reformation DOUGLAS C. STANGE Brief Studies Homiletics Theological Observer Book Review 01. xxxvrn October 1967 No.9 The Early Success and Gradual Decline of Lutheranism in England, 1520 -1600 BASIL HALL n a new calendar associated with the But this calendar was an unofficial enter­ I Book of Common Prayer in 1578 there prise intended to oppose the names of are four days of some interest to those con­ "Protestant saints" to those of "Popish cerned with English attitudes to Lutheran­ saints" in the traditional calendars in Eliza­ ism in the 16th century: bethan use, and it cannot be taken to mean "February 16 the learned clerk Philip that a deep or ready sympathy existed for Melanchthon as upon this Lutheran doctrine and religious practices day was born. at that time. In fact it would be difficult to February 18 Martin Luther the servant find an Elizabethan writer approving of of God died as upon this Lutheran teachings and methods of wor­ day. ship and advocating them apart from those February 22 Martin Luther his body as subjects which had become common to upon this day was trans­ lated to Witemberg and Protestantism, including justification by buried in the chapel of the faith. Castle there. For example, in the controversy between October 31 This day in the yeere of the Puritan Thomas Cartwright and Arch­ our Lord God 1517 and bishop Whitgift, Cartwright, in seeking 101 yeeres after ye death suppOrt for his criticism of the state of the of John Hus, Martin Lu­ Church of England, cited Peter Martyr: ther gave his propositions who upon the tenth chapter of II Book of in ye universitie of Wit­ Kings saith: The Lutherans must take heed emberg against ye Pope's lest whilst they cut off many popish errors, pardons." 1 they follow Jehu by retaining also many 1 Liturgies and Occasional Forms of Prayer popish things. For they defend still the Set Forth in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth real presence in the bread of the Supper, (Parker Society, 1847) 445 and 453. and images and vestments, and saith that religion must be wholly reformed to the Basil Hall is University Lecturer in Eccle­ siastical History at the University of Cam­ quick. bridge (England) and Nivison Professor of Archbishop Whitgift replied: Church History at Westminster College, M. Martyr nameth the popish things which Cambridge. The accompanying article was originally presented as a lecture at Luther­ the Lutherans observe to be the real pres­ Tyndale Church in London at a convocation ence, images, all the popish apparel which commemorating Martin Luther's posting of they used in their mass (for so doth he the Ninety-five Theses. The article outlines mean) and this Church ri. e., the Church the main areas of Lutheran influence on the of England] hath refused.2 EngBish Reformation and suggests reasons why Lutheranism failed to achieve lasting 2 The Works of fohn Whitgift (Parker success in England. Society, 1853), III, 549-50. 576 SUCCESS AND DECLINE OF LUTHERANISM IN ENGLAND 577 Again, it is surprising to find Richard continuation of certain "Popish" practices, Hooker, the carefully irenic apologist of which must be totally rejected. the "Ecclesia Anglicana," writing in his But would an observer of the religious Second Sermon on Justification, Works, changes among Englishmen in the reign and HoUl the Foundation of Faith Is Over­ of Henry VIII have been able to predict throUln in 1585 that the Church of Rome the probability of this rejection of Lu­ in its teachings "in spite of their confessing theranism in the reign of Elizabeth I? Pro­ remission of sins through Christ over­ fessor A. G. Dickens can go so far as to threw the very foundation of faith by con­ write, in the epilog to his excellent study, sequent: doth not that so likewise which The Englisb Reformation, "If Henry had the Lutheran churches do at this day so foreseen the ultimate political dangers of stiffly and so fiercely maintain?" He then Calvinist Protestantism, he might have adds: "For mine own part, I dare not been prompted to thrust aside his scruples hereupon deny the possibility of their sal­ and adopt as his state religion a fully­ vation, which have been the chiefest in­ fledged Lutheranism, with its veneration struments of ours albeit they carried to for the godly prince. Yet whether this step their grave a persuasion so greatly repug­ would have exorcized more radical creeds nant to the truth." 3 The Elizabethan atti­ or merely paved the way for their advent, tude to Lutheranism can also be seen at the we can only conjecture." 5 Nevertheless, popular level in a doggerel rhyme against the more one reflects upon Henry's attitude a Romanist: to Luther himself and his obtuse and ill­ Till Luther's time you say that we informed dislike of Lutheran doctrines, Heard not of Christ: but you shall see upon his hostility to foreign influences in That we, not you, have heard of him England, and upon his obtaining all that As only pardoner of our sinne; the doctrine of the godly prince could Thrise happy Luther, and the rest, convey both in fact through his own polit­ (Except some faults which we detest).4 ical action and in theory through the strong In sum, the majority of Elizabethan advocacy on the one hand of Archbishop Protestant Englishmen, almost without ex­ Cranmer, who profoundly believed in it, ception, were willing to admire Martin and on the other through the cautious but Luther for his stand against the pope, and powerful support of Bishop Gardiner's authoritarian legalism in his De vera for his great insight in rediscovering the obedientia, the more one doubts that Henry truth of justification by faith alone, but would have allowed the Church of England they believed that he and his followers to become Lutheran.s It is true that Henry allowed in the Lutheran churches the de­ chose Latimer and Cranmer for bishops and velopment of dangerous doctrines and the 5 A. G. Dickens, The English Reformation 3 The Works of Richard Hooker, ed. J. (1964), 328-29. Keble, 3d ed. (1845), III, 503. 6 P. Janelle, Obedience in Church and State, 4 Select Poetry Chiefly Devotional of the gives a reprint of Bishop Gardiner's De vera Reign of Queen Elizabeth (Parker Society, obedientia. Gardiner's book was printed at 1845), II, 288. An Answere to a Romish Rime Hamburg for presentation to Lutheran princes Lately Printed, 1602. and divines. 578 SUCCESS AND DECLINE OF LUTHERANISM IN ENGLAND that both of these men were influenced by Zwingli and Oecolampadius about the Sup­ Lutheran doctrines, especially Cranmer, per grew warm, he did violence to many who had been closely associated at first­ passages of Scripture." 8 Hooper himself hand with German Lutheranism. But nei­ was on this point as on others an adherent ther of them was a wholehearted Lutheran, of Zurich theology. The Marian martyr in the sense of accepting the full range of John Bradford, before he was burned at Lutheran theology. At his trial, in Mary's Smithfield market in 1555, said under ex­ reign, Cranmer denied that he had ever amination in prison: "My faith is not held the Lutheran doctrine of the Real builded on Luther, Zwingli or Oecolam­ Presence. Latimer in a sermon before Ed­ padius on this point [the Real Presence}, ward VI in 1549 said: "Oh Luther when and indeed to tell you truly, I never read he came into the world first and disputed any of their works on this matter." 9 While against the Decretals and the Canon Law, from the beginning of the Reformation in what ado had he! But ye will say perad­ England most English Protestants accepted venture he was deceived in some things. Luther's teaching on justification and I will not take it upon me to defend him works, some to the extent of almost slav­ in all points. I will not stand to it that ishly repeating his words, yet his doctrine all that he wrote was true." 7 When Lati­ of the Lord's Supper made almost all of mer went to his death at the stake in 1553, them uneasy. This hesitation about, and in he was to be burned, as was his younger fact rejection of, Luther's doctrine of the friend Cranmer, who saw his death agony sacraments taken together with the power­ from the roof of the Oxford prison Bo­ ful influence of a South German and cardo, for denying the Real Presence Zurich-centered Biblicalism containing a transl~bstantialitet'} and their own belief moral legalism based on the covenant prin­ on the Eucharistic Presence could not be ciple so alien to Luther's doctrinal method, described in terms acceptable to their Lu­ and taken together with Henry's refusal to theran contemporaries. In fact, it would be accept Lutheran formularies and the lu­ difficult to determine who in England theran agenda for cleansing abuses in the maintained consistently through his Prot­ church, decisively prevented England from estant career and in writing, from Tyndale becoming a Lutheran land. onwards, the Lutheran doctrine of the The unwillingness of Englishmen to ac­ Lord's Supper. cept Luther's sacramental theology no This was indeed to be the chief hin­ doubt was due to influences opposed to it drance to the advance of Lutheranism in from both within England and from England.
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