Reformation in England - Edward VI

Edward - the Boy King

Edward, when he ascended to the throne in 1547, was only 10 years old! He had a genuinely religious turn of mind and, having been educated mainly by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, his faith was that of the reformers. With help from his Protestant advisors, he dismantled much of the oppressive legislation of the past and allowed considerable freedom for people to form their own views. There was still, of course, no alternative church to that of the Church of England but there was latitude within that Church. Services were now in English, the Lord's Supper in the Protestant style had replaced the Mass and clergy were allowed to marry. In 1549 Edward published his first Prayer Book to be used in every church.

The Return of the Refugees

During Henry's reign many Protestants had fled to those countries in Europe where it was safer to practice their faith. Men like Hooper and Ridley had come under the influence of such reformers as Zwingli and Bullinger. These refugees now began to return to England due to the changes happening there. Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, and by this time a fully convinced Protestant, helped the refugees to resettle. Miles Coverdale, Hooper, Ridley and others were ordained as Bishops.

However, it was not only Englishmen who returned to England. A Catholic victory in Germany in 1547 made life unsafe for many of the German reformers. Among those were Martin Bucer, a close friend of Calvin and Paul Buchlin, a brilliant Hebrew scholar. From Italy came Bernardino Ochino and Peter Martyr. From Poland came John Laski. These refugees to our coasts greatly strengthened the reformation in England.

Puritanism

Many reformers believed that the Church of England was still only partially reformed. There was still too much of the ritual, ceremony and clericalism of Rome for their liking and they began to work for a simplification and purification of the Church to make it more like the model found in Geneva. These reformers soon became known as Puritans and they became a driving force for reform within the Anglican Church for generations.

Another Prayer Book

In 1552, Edward published his second prayer book which was much more Protestant in tone than that of three years earlier. The word "Altar" was dropped in favour of "Table", although the word "Priest" was still used it was interchangeable with "Minister", and the complicated vestments of the Catholic Church were forbidden. Within the Prayer Book itself were the clear teachings that salvation was by grace, justification by faith and forgiveness of sins may be sought from Christ alone without the mediation of priest or pope, confessional or mass. It must be added that the majority of the work on this prayer book was that of Thomas Cranmer, whose mastery of the English language, along with his deep and sincere love for Christ, shows through at every stage. This prayer book is substantially the same as the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, which is still in use in many Churches today.

Despite the brevity of Edward's reign - a mere six years - it saw incredible changes in the life of the Church. In those few years the Church of England had progressed from a Catholic Church without a Pope to a thoroughly Protestant Church.