doctrines

• Henry's first doctrine: 'The people should be fed with wholesome doctrine not seduced with filthy and corrupt abominations of the bishop of Rome or the getting forth of novelties'
• A letter was circulated to all the bishops about contentious preaching

  7 January 1536
• 10 Articles - 1536


  First official doctrine change: highlighted the struggle between radicals and traditionalists
• Changes in 10 Articles


  • 3 not 7 sacraments
  • Veneration images but representers of virtued
  • Warned against idolatry
  • Justification was by faith, but good works necessary
  • It was good and charitable to pray for the dead however the doctrine of purgatory is biblically uncertain
  • Abuses related to purgatory: papal indulgences or masses for the dead could deliver immediately from the purgatory were to be rejected
• Protestant


  • Denial of the existence of 4 of the sacraments
  • Transubstantiation and purgatory not mentioned by name
  • Deliberate emphasis on the authority of scripture
• Catholic


  • Prayers for the dead and saints
  • Real presence of Christ reaffirmed in Eucharist
  • Good works helped attain salvation
• Royal Injunctions - 1536


  1. Insisted on clerical obedience to the Act of Supremacy

  2. Clergy preached on the 10 Articles

  3. Incumbents provide a Bible in Latin and in English

  4. Catechise the Creed, Lord's Prayer and 10 Commandments in English

  5. Abolished superfluous holy days and cult of saints
• Before: People went to church and then celebrated on holy days
• Complaints about holy days


  • Excessive number growing out of superstition not devotion
  • Decay industry, crops were being lost
  • Encouraged sloth and idleness and the sins of excess and riot
• Impact - holy days and saints


  • First overt attack on traditional pattern of religious observance
  • Decimated the ritual year by wiping out local festivals and landmarks
  • Attack the cult of saints as superstition of hypocrisy
  • Money for the pilgrimage should be spent on own family or for aims for the poor
• 1537 bishops book


  Restored the four sacrements omitted from the ten articles but they were given a lesser status then those in the Ten articles
• 1537 bishops book


  • More drastic about images
  • Showed henry enthroned handing out copies of the bible to his bishops, who in turn hand them on to the clergy and people
• It was forbidden to produce the bible in english

  Before 1536
• They salute henry and shout vivat rex
• Cromwell issued an injunction ordering every parish to buy a copy of an english bible and place it in some convenient place for all to see and read

  1538
• Six articles


  1539
• Henry had been excommunicated by Pope Paul III

  1538
• Conservative ascendency


  • Norfolk and gardiner
  • Henry considering his own morality
  • Wanted to end division
• Six articles

  • Transubstantiation
  • Clerical celibacy
  • Private masses
  • Confession
• Kings book - 1543

  • Revised the bishops book
  • Some lutheran hints: prayer for the dead and purgatory critisesed
  • More firmly catholic: re emphasised catholic sacrements and images
• The act for the advancement of true religion-1543

  • Concern over people reading and interpreting the bible for themselves
  • Relieved people needed to be guided to the right message
  • Forbade reading of scripture in public and private by women and yeoman and below
  • Noble and gentlewomen may read in private
• 1545- chantries act


  • All chantries and their property would belong to the king
  • However, few chantries were closed or given over to henry as henry did not live far beyond the passing of the act
• • Continuity: The parish church was still the centre of worship for the majority of the church goers with the preist the key focus of religious practise
  • The teachings of the church were still rooted in the seven sacraments with the primary of the eucharist and the belief in transupstantiation
  • The majority of the service were still conducted in latin. Only limited attempts had been made to translate prayers into the vernacular for example the 1544 litany
  • Whilst there had been an attempt to challenge idolatry, most churches werelittle changed with statutes, multiple side alters with candles wall paintings rood screens
  • Whilst there was an attempt in the 1535 injunction to remove the concept of purgatory by not teaching the belief and the passing of the Chantry act, there was still a popular emphasis on the purgatory with prayers and masses for the Dead
• • Change: the break from Rome was significant in the Remove the Pope and his replacement by Henry as head of the church. this was most significant for the Gentry and those involved in government both central and local who were expected to swear the oath
  • The dissolution of the monasteries what have changed the focus of worship for many. the dissolution increased the educated clergy available in Paris churches but there was a greater Demand on the parish churches for relief of the Poor
  • the placement of the great bible in English parish churches were significant change but more significant for the literary and especially the Gentry after restrictions placed on reading the Bible
  • changes in religious practice where most of obvious in cities such as London and areas such as East angler where there were links with new religious teachings decemberated through Antwerp. there is evidence of inconclasm in these areas
  • beliefs had become more diverse and doctrine a paid to be negotiable rather than ordained. this can be evidence by 10 articles / 6 articles. Bishops book/king book