The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (574 page)
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Covenant, Book of
:
:
Covenanters
.
.
Scottish
Presbyterians
who expressed their convictions through the signing of covenants. In particular they signed the National Covenant of 1638 and the Solemn League and Covenant of 1643, defending the Reformed faith and in effect rejecting the imposition of
episcopacy
.
Presbyterians
who expressed their convictions through the signing of covenants. In particular they signed the National Covenant of 1638 and the Solemn League and Covenant of 1643, defending the Reformed faith and in effect rejecting the imposition of
episcopacy
.
Covenant Service
.
.
Coverdale, Miles
(1488–1568).
Translator of the Bible. The English Bible of 1539, known as the ‘Great Bible’, was his work, based mainly on earlier translations rather than on the Heb. and Gk. The Psalms in the
Book of Common Prayer
derive from this version.
Translator of the Bible. The English Bible of 1539, known as the ‘Great Bible’, was his work, based mainly on earlier translations rather than on the Heb. and Gk. The Psalms in the
Book of Common Prayer
derive from this version.
Cow, sacred
:
:
Cranach, Lucas, ‘the Elder’
(1472–1553).
German artist whose altar-pieces, drawings, woodcuts, and portraits of leading Reformers gained him wide recognition. Once attracted to the
Reformation
cause, he became
Luther's
protector and close friend.
German artist whose altar-pieces, drawings, woodcuts, and portraits of leading Reformers gained him wide recognition. Once attracted to the
Reformation
cause, he became
Luther's
protector and close friend.
Cranmer, Thomas
(1489–1556).
Archbishop
of
Canterbury
,
Protestant
reformer, scholar, and liturgist. Cranmer played a crucial part in the Henrician
Reformation
in England and in shaping the English
catechism
,
prayer
books and Articles (see
THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES
). A fellowship at Jesus College, Cambridge, and ordination allowed him to study for his doctorate in Divinity (1526) and to evaluate the work of Biblical scholars, including
Fisher
,
Luther
, and both Catholic and other Reformers. Asked by Henry VIII to put his views on the King's proposed divorce into book-form, he was subsequently used by the king to argue for the divorce at Bologna, Rome, and eventually Ratisbon and Nuremberg. There he encountered German Lutherans, and also met and married Margaret, the niece of Andreas Osiander (a Reformation theologian) in 1532. This unusual and uncanonical step was thrown into high relief when he was summoned from these Lutheran circles to become archbishop of Canterbury in 1533.
His belief in the scriptural warrant for the authority of the prince and not the
pope
as head of the Church guaranteed a measure of protection from Henry VIII and Edward VI, to whom he acted as spiritual guide and tutor. This in turn enabled Cranmer to advance some reformed views, especially on the desirability of vernacular scriptures, the abolition of superfluous
saints'
days, and the translation of the
liturgy
and catechism into English. The limits of his loyalty to the Crown were tested by the accession of Queen Mary in 1553, who required his allegiance to the crown to be transferred to the papacy. He wavered and recanted at first, but finally came to the view that loyalty to the monarch had to be subordinate to loyalty to the word of God. He was accordingly burnt as a heretic on 21 Mar. 1556.
Archbishop
of
Canterbury
,
Protestant
reformer, scholar, and liturgist. Cranmer played a crucial part in the Henrician
Reformation
in England and in shaping the English
catechism
,
prayer
books and Articles (see
THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES
). A fellowship at Jesus College, Cambridge, and ordination allowed him to study for his doctorate in Divinity (1526) and to evaluate the work of Biblical scholars, including
Fisher
,
Luther
, and both Catholic and other Reformers. Asked by Henry VIII to put his views on the King's proposed divorce into book-form, he was subsequently used by the king to argue for the divorce at Bologna, Rome, and eventually Ratisbon and Nuremberg. There he encountered German Lutherans, and also met and married Margaret, the niece of Andreas Osiander (a Reformation theologian) in 1532. This unusual and uncanonical step was thrown into high relief when he was summoned from these Lutheran circles to become archbishop of Canterbury in 1533.
His belief in the scriptural warrant for the authority of the prince and not the
pope
as head of the Church guaranteed a measure of protection from Henry VIII and Edward VI, to whom he acted as spiritual guide and tutor. This in turn enabled Cranmer to advance some reformed views, especially on the desirability of vernacular scriptures, the abolition of superfluous
saints'
days, and the translation of the
liturgy
and catechism into English. The limits of his loyalty to the Crown were tested by the accession of Queen Mary in 1553, who required his allegiance to the crown to be transferred to the papacy. He wavered and recanted at first, but finally came to the view that loyalty to the monarch had to be subordinate to loyalty to the word of God. He was accordingly burnt as a heretic on 21 Mar. 1556.
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