The ''Defence of the True and Catholic Doctrine of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ'' is a book by
Thomas Cranmer,
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...
. It was published in July 1550, and was Cranmer's first full-length book, but at his trial in September 1555, he said that it had been written seven years earlier, in 1548.
Purpose
Although Cranmer is concerned that "very simple and unlearned people" would understand and be edified by his book, the ''Defence'' is largely a polemic work, in which Cranmer attacked the
Roman Catholic doctrine of his opponents, particularly Bishop
Stephen Gardiner. In the preface he compares "beads, pardons, pilgrimages, and such other like popery" with weeds, but says the roots of the weeds are transubstantiation, the doctrine of the corporeal presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and the sacrificial nature of the Roman Catholic mass.
Contents
The book itself is divided into five parts. Focusing mainly on using arguments based on reason, Cranmer quotes frequently from
Scripture and
patristic
Patristics or patrology is the study of the early Christian writers who are designated Church Fathers. The names derive from the combined forms of Latin ''pater'' and Greek ''patḗr'' (father). The period is generally considered to run from ...
texts, structuring his argument in a lucid manner. Cranmer deals with the following topics:
*The true use of the
Lord's Supper (
Eucharist
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...
)
*The error of
transubstantiation
*The nature of Christ's presence in the bread and wine
*The reception of the body and blood of Christ
*The nature of the sacrifice
Cranmer argues that for someone to eat the body and drink the blood of Jesus Christ means for that person to "dwell in Christ and to have Christ dwelling in him." To truly partake in the sacrament requires faith.
Cranmer distinguishes Christ's ''spiritual'' presence from his ''sacramental'' presence. Avoiding the
Lutheran doctrine of
Sacramental union, he argues that the spiritual presence occurs only through Christ's divine nature, he being in heaven in regards to his human nature. Cranmer follows a symbolic reading of the phrase "This is my body", and develops a view "remarkably close to that developed by
Zwingli and
Oecolampadius."
Reception
During the summer and autumn of 1550, during which Gardiner was in the
Tower of London, he wrote a retort which was presented to Cranmer at the conclusion of his trial in 1551. Gardiner was severely critical of Cranmer's arguments and cited a range of sources that he believed supported the doctrine of the corporeal presence of Christ in the elements of the Eucharist. Among these sources, were the
Book of Common Prayer,
Martin Luther, Cranmer's own catechism, and other Lutheran writers.
Cranmer's use of the
Church Fathers
The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...
has drawn criticism. At his trial, he was charged with corrupting patristic texts and falsifying their meaning by "evil translating." Cyril Richardson argues that "as a keen controversialist who wants the Fathers on his side," Cranmer "is not above purposely leaving them unclear in order to win a point in a debate."
Geoffrey Bromiley has suggested that in the ''Defence'', Cranmer becomes "so enmeshed in the detailed refutation of a false teaching that he cannot work out the implications of his positive statements."
[G. W. Bromiley, ''Thomas Cranmer: Theologian'' (London: Lutterworth, 1956), 81.]
References
External links
* {{Internet Archive, defenceoftruecat00cran
1550 books
Books about Christianity
English Reformation