Reformed Churchmen

We are Confessional Calvinists and a Prayer Book Church-people. In 2012, we remembered the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; also, we remembered the 450th anniversary of John Jewel's sober, scholarly, and Reformed "An Apology of the Church of England." In 2013, we remembered the publication of the "Heidelberg Catechism" and the influence of Reformed theologians in England, including Heinrich Bullinger's Decades. For 2014: Tyndale's NT translation. For 2015, John Roger, Rowland Taylor and Bishop John Hooper's martyrdom, burned at the stakes. Books of the month. December 2014: Alan Jacob's "Book of Common Prayer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Common-Prayer-Biography-Religious/dp/0691154813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417814005&sr=8-1&keywords=jacobs+book+of+common+prayer. January 2015: A.F. Pollard's "Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation: 1489-1556" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-English-Reformation-1489-1556/dp/1592448658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420055574&sr=8-1&keywords=A.F.+Pollard+Cranmer. February 2015: Jaspar Ridley's "Thomas Cranmer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-Jasper-Ridley/dp/0198212879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422892154&sr=8-1&keywords=jasper+ridley+cranmer&pebp=1422892151110&peasin=198212879

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

1523: Mr. (Bishop) John Fisher and Thomas Cranmer, (then) Master of Arts

Fisher, John. The English Works of John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester (1469–1535): Sermons and other Writings, 1520–1535, edited by Cecilia A. Hatt, Oxford University Press, 2002. 

It’s a bit pricey, but we believe it will give insights: specifically, how does one summarize Mr. Cranmer's views of Mr. Fisher's attacks on Mr. Martin Luther? 

Mr. Fisher was an international scholar, a Chancellor of Mr. (Canterbury) Cranmer's Cambridge, a Bishop, a devoted student of Aquinas and Scotus, and, later, a victim of Mr. (Henry VIII) Tudor's policies. Er, degradation and then, in Henrician fashion, death.

Mr. Fisher was vigorously combatting Luther and Oecolampadius in the 1520s. We now have evidence that Mr. (Canterbury) Cranmer was vigourously studying Mr. Fisher's works Assertionis Lutheranae Confutatio published in Antwerp, 1523. While Mr. Cranmer gently chides some of the over-the-top rhetoric and arguments by Mr. Fisher, he does not warm to Bruder Martin. Also, there may be evidence that Mr. Cranmer was not a participant at the infamous White Horse Inn. There is further evidence that Mr. Cranmer was "hostile" to Bruder Martin and was a good Papal Romanist Anglican (1.0). The 1520s on Mr. Cranmer are dicey. But, he's working away as a scholar. Again, 1503 to 1529, nearwise 26ish direct years at Cambridge, ages 14 to 40.

Available at:
http://www.amazon.com/English-Fisher-Bishop-Rochester-1469-1535/dp/0198270119/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376193120&sr=8-1&keywords=english+works+of+john+fisher 


Another edition of Ms. Hatt’s is available at: http://www.amazon.com/English-Fisher-Bishop-Rochester-1469-1535/dp/0198270119/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376193120&sr=8-1&keywords=english+works+of+john+fisher

Also, available online, an 1877 edition of Fisher’s Works, is at:
http://books.google.com/books?id=qV4Yv8RxRkEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=bishop+john+fisher&hl=en&sa=X&ei=3GUmUtj0GtC4sASb4oCYBg&ved=0CE4Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=bishop%20john%20fisher&f=false

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