Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume VI.djvu/639

CHUECH OF ENGLAND 627 of the 3d century St. Alban suffered martyr- dom during Diocletian's persecution. In the middle of the 5th century the Saxons arrived, and in the course of the century following they had nearly exterminated Christianity except in Wales and Cornwall. In 596 the monk Augustin came as a missionary from Gregory I., bishop of Rome, and found Bertha, the queen of Efrhelbert, a Christian; and with the help of the remnant of the church still in the west and in Wales, Christianity was soon reestablished. Augustin found seven bishops in Wales, with whom he held conferences in the effort to bring them into conformity to the church of Rome. The British Christians, however, like ' the Greeks, celebrated Easter on the third day after the 14th of the Jewish month Nisan, whatever day of the week that might be (see EASTER), and practised baptism by trine affusion, and could not be induced to conform their practice to that of the Latin church at that date. These facts are em- phasized by those who hold that the Anglican church was always really independent of Rome, and at the reformation simply resumed her position as a free national church. In the course of a few generations, however, the Roman supremacy prevailed, and secured a general conformity of doctrine and usage. Monastic houses were established, exempt from local- ecclesiastical jurisdiction, and sub- ject only and directly to the pope. The Nor- man conquest also contributed largely to the influence of Rome. The contests between the conquering Normans and the conquered Saxons continued until they were settled by the acces- sion of Henry I. and Matilda of Scotland ; and after that the struggle between the king and his barons contributed to the same result, as both parties appealed to the powerful help of the bishop of Rome. The papal supremacy was most complete when King John resigned his crown into the hands of the pope, and received it back to be held by him on condition of an an- nual payment. From this period there was no absolute rejection of the papal authority, al- though there were occasional disturbances and protests, growing stronger and more influential until the opinions of Wycliffe had leavened the Anglican church. Henry VIII. had married Catharine of Aragon, the widow of his brother " ur, but began to question the legality of marriage. The nation was also anxious out the succession to the throne, and Henry wished to prepare the way for a union with Anne Boleyn, and requested the pope to de- clare his first marriage null db initio, or to grant a divorce. The pope not complying, he referred the matter, by the advice of Thomas Cranmer, to his own clergy, among whom, as well as from some foreign universities, he re- ceived opinions favorable to his wishes. Cran- mer, who had been made archbishop of Canter- bury, now proclaimed the king's marriage with Catharine void, and confirmed his union with Anne Boleyn, whom he had privately wedded Cath; Arth his n aboui a few months before. The pope threatened the king with his heaviest censures, but Henry resolved to throw off the papal supremacy and measures were at once taken to subject the clergy exclusively to the crown. A blow had already been struck at the old ecclesiastical system by the indictment of the English clergy in 1531 for supporting Wolsey in his powers as legate before receiving the royal sanction ; and in the convocation held immediately after, in which a sum of money was voted to the crown by way of buying immunity from the conse- quences of conviction on this charge, the king was acknowledged to be "the one protector of the English church, its only and supreme lord, and, as far as might be by the law of Christ, its supreme head." By the same assem- blage his marriage with Catharine was declared null, and in 1532 the parliament passed an act against paying to the pope the annates, or year's revenue of all bishoprics that fell vacant, which had formerly been paid to Rome as a tax on bulls issued to new prelates. At the same time it was ordained that no regard should be paid to censures which the pope might pass on account of this law, and that mass should be said and the sacraments ad- ministered as usual. In 1534 still more im- portant measures were enacted. All payments made to the apostolic chamber, all bulls and dispensations were abolished ; monasteries were subjected to royal government and visitation, and exempted from all other ; the right to sum- mon convocations, approve or reject canons, and hear appeals from the bishops, was vested in the king alone ; and sentence of deposition was passed upon Campeggio and Ghinucci, bishops of Salisbury and Worcester. Though now honored with the title of supreme head of the church on earth, Henry contemplated no change in the doctrines of the church as then held, and no setting up of a rival community. Indeed, it was not until 30 years or more after these steps that the Roman Catholics and the reformers were looked upon as separate bodies, or had separate ministrations and sepa- rate places of worship. Throughout Henry's reign much less was done toward a change in creed or ritual than during the short reign of his son, Edward VI. The fundamental prin- ciple avowed from the first to the last, how- ever, was that, besides retaining the ministry and the creeds of the primitive church, they must in all points of doctrine and discipline also accept its authority. In this view the offices of devotion were expurgated of what were deemed errors and innovations, and translated into English (having been previously used in Latin), and brought together as a "Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments," in 1548-'9. A "Book of Homi- lies" was prepared in 1540 and 154 7, to be read in all the churches for the instruction of the people ; the Bible also was translated, and not only read in public worship by the clergy, but copies were placed at the public expense in