P038 A Short History of the English Bible.

P038 A Short History of the English Bible. In 1528 an opinion which he had expressed concerning the proposed divorce between Henry VIII. and Catherine of Arragon came to the ears of the king, who sent for him and made him write it down, as it suggested a plan by which the desired divorce might be obtained.

He was appointed chaplain to the king, and in 1529 was one of the embassadors from the king to the Pope. He attached himself closely to the fortunes of the king, and in 1533 was consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury.

He seems to have coincided with the royal views in reference to the numerous matrimonial alliances in which the king indulged. He took a prominent part in all the movements which culminated in the separation of England from the Church of Rome. At the death of Henry, in 1547, Cranmer was made one of the regents. In 1548 he was at the head of a commission of twelve divines who were appointed to prepare a liturgy for the Church of England. The work was finished in 1552. On the death of King Edward VI, in 1553, Cranmer swore allegiance to Lady Jane Grey, as queen, and when Mary attained to the throne he was arraigned, with many other prelates and ministers, on charges of treason and heresy.

Refusing to subscribe to the papal dogmas, he was excommunicated in November, 1554, and in February, 1555, was formally degraded. His courage failing him in view of certain death he wrote six recantations, but these did not save his life. On the day of his execution, March 21, 1555, his fortitude returned to him, and in the presence of an immense crowd he expressed regret for his recantations, and reaffirmed his opposition to the papacy.

He was led to the stake, where he displayed remarkable firmness, holding out his right hand for the flames to consume, because with that he had written what was contrary to his heart. He cried out, "This unworthy hand! Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

Cranmer has been called the Melanchthon of the English Reformation. He was learned, mild, and amiable, but lacked firmness and courage to keep him steadfast in the midst of opposition and of danger.

Cranmer early identified himself with movements for the translation of the Scriptures. In December, 1534, nearly a year before the appearance of Coverdale’s Bible, he proposed to Convocation a plan for the translation of the Bible, and the work was actually divided among nine or ten of the bishops and other learned men, but the project for some reason was never pushed to completion.