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An Exposition of the Thirty-Nine Articles: Historical and Doctrinal
Excerpt from An Exposition of the Thirty-Nine Articles
While this state of things was pending, and whilst the spirit of inquiry was at least as much alive in England as on the Continent, Henry VIII. Was drawn into a difference with the Papal see on the subject of his divorce with Catharine of Aragon. The merits of the question may be debated elsewhere. This much alone we may observe, that Henry, if he acted from principle, not from passion, might have suffered his scruples to weigh with him when his wife was young and well-favoured, not when she had grown old and care-worn; when she brought him a rich dowry, not when he had absorbed and spent it; when he had hopes of a male heir to his throne, not when those hopes had been disappointed, the lady Maryvbeing the sole issue of his alliance. But, whatever the moving cause, he was in hostility to the see of Rome; and his only chance of making head against it was to call up and give strength to the spirit of reformation.
While this state of things was pending, and whilst the spirit of inquiry was at least as much alive in England as on the Continent, Henry VIII. Was drawn into a difference with the Papal see on the subject of his divorce with Catharine of Aragon. The merits of the question may be debated elsewhere. This much alone we may observe, that Henry, if he acted from principle, not from passion, might have suffered his scruples to weigh with him when his wife was young and well-favoured, not when she had grown old and care-worn; when she brought him a rich dowry, not when he had absorbed and spent it; when he had hopes of a male heir to his throne, not when those hopes had been disappointed, the lady Maryvbeing the sole issue of his alliance. But, whatever the moving cause, he was in hostility to the see of Rome; and his only chance of making head against it was to call up and give strength to the spirit of reformation.
875 pages, Paperback
Published August 24, 2018
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About the author
Edward Harold Browne
36 books1 followerEdward Harold Browne (usually called Harold Browne; 6 March 1811 – 18 December 1891) was a bishop of the Church of England.
Source: Wikipedia
Source: Wikipedia
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November 6, 2019
A near exhaustive treatment. This commentary offers the most excellent possible focus areas for each Article. Most notably, Browne differentiates between the reign of Edward VI and Elizabeth in how their respective formularies impacted finalization. Browne highlights were the 39 Articles intersect or even take cues from the Continental and Lutheran confessions. He also takes a positive-positive interpretation of Jean Chauvin on predestination which he then frowns upon along with the various divines that clashed on the subject prior to the 1571 finalization. Browne also pegs the English Reformation as a restatement of the sacramentology of the Reformed real presence with great detail in light of the Council of Trent's anathemas. To do his commentary properly, Browne explains the history leading up to each of the formularies and his historical basis is the greatest contribution of the entire exposition. There are few better commentaries available on the 39 Articles and I would suggest any serious student to begin with Browne's commentary first as a great starting point. Even though it would only take a few days for a reader to go through the 39 Articles by themselves, there is a great deal of history that led up to the 1552-1571 revisions that Browne cites and comments on. Although not the presentation of a systematician, Browne finds systematics unavoidable in explaining how the 39 Articles came to be.
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