Lutheran movement in england during the reigns of henry VIII. And edward VI

CHAPTER X. MORE ENGLISH LUTHERAN LITERATURE.

The First English Systematic Theology. Taverner’s Sarcerius. Its Significance and Purpose. Connection between Myconius and Sarcerius. Sarcerius and the Reformation of Nassau. Count William of Nassau. Sarcerius as an Organizer. His Examinations. His Skill as a Teacher. Relation to William of Orange. Henry VIII’s delight with the Book of Sarcerius. Letter of Sarcerius to Henry. The Wittenberg Faculty on Henry’s Study of Sarcerius. Coverdale’s Revision of Matthewe’s Bible (the Great or Crumwell’s Bible); of the Great Bible (Cranmer’s). Taverner’s Revision of Matthewe’s Bible.

While these negotiations were pending, (August 12th, 1538) the first English work on Systematic Theology appeared in a translation of “The Common Places” of Erasmus Sarcerius. Even the German language could not boast of a Lutheran system of theology as early as this, which appeared, first in Latin, and then, so soon afterwards, in English. The dedication to Henry VIII, by the translator, Richard Taverner, states that it was translated by order of Crumwell. “Now of late he hath impelled me to translate into English this book of Erasmus Sarcerius, a treasure inestimable unto Christian men.” “Whatsoever this book is, like as by the impulsion and commandment of my said old master, my Lord privy seal, I have translated it into our vulgar tongue; so his Lordship hath willed me to offer and dedicate the same unto your most noble and redoubted Majesty.” It is also stated that this treatise of Sarcerius was preferred to the “Common Places” of Melanchthon, in making the selection of the work to be translated, because “only in this they differ, that Melanchthon directeth his style to the [[@Page:141]]understanding only of the learned persons well exercised in Scriptures. This tempereth his pen also to the capacity of young students of scripture, and such as have not had much exercise in the same.”

We see, therefore, in this book, another provision made for the thorough reformation of the Church of England. It was hoped that entire harmony would be reached in the confessional basis adopted; that, not only the doctrinal articles of the Augsburg Confession, but also those on abuses, would be received; and that, then, since, in other Lutheran countries, the Church Orders contained a summary of doctrine, according to which the pastors were to conform their preaching, such a provision would be made in this translation of Sarcerius. Myconius, the theologian of the embassy, possibly had recommended this course to Cranmer or Crumwell. At the birth-place of Sarcerius, Annaberg in Saxony, Myconius had not only been educated, but had lived for years as a Franciscan monk. Although Sarcerius was ten years younger, they had both attended the same Latin school; and though scarcely cotemporary in school, the son of one of the most wealthy and influential citizens of the place could not have been unknown to the young monk even in the days of his subjection to the Papacy. Since both were now active in the same cause, the local attachments were not without their influence.

Just at that time, Sarcerius was engaged, at the call of Count William, father of the great William of Orange, Stadtholder of Holland, in re-organizing the church in Nassau upon an evangelical basis. He had been prepared for this work by studying at Wittenberg, under Luther and Melanchthon and by extensive experience as a teacher. He had left Wittenberg in 1530, and, from 1530–36, had been Subrector of a Gymnasium at Lübeck established, in 1530, by Bugenhagen, with the exception of several brief intervals during which he taught at Rostock, and at Gratz. Called as teacher to Nassau in 1536, when, in 1538, the time had come for a more thorough reformation of that country, he was appointed Superintendent and at once set vigorously to work. [[@Page:142]]

The story of the preparatory efforts at reformation in Nassau is exceedingly interesting. Count William and his family had always been on intimate terms with Charles V.; and personal considerations were, therefore, an obstacle to his acceptance of the purified Gospel. But Tetzel’s sale of indulgences in his realm had excited his opposition. He had heard Luther’s defence at Worms with admiration; and, on returning home, had sent to the Elector Frederick for Luther’s writings, which Frederick transmitted with the message: “By God’s help, I will make, through these, a good Christian of you.” Again at the Diet of Augsburg, he was impressed by the arguments of the reformers; but was so much under the influence of the Emperor, of whose retinue his brother was a member, that, after the diet, he accepted a commission to Wittenberg, for the purpose, if possible, of winning the young elector from the Lutheran cause. But his visit to Wittenberg, instead of changing the elector, brought Count William to a decision; and he returned in full sympathy with the reformers. Two evangelical preachers, Heilmann of Van Crombach, and Leonhard Mogner, were appointed by him to important positions, the former, as his chaplain, at Dillenburg, and the latter at Siegen, and entrusted with the work of preparing a new “Church Order,” which appeared in 1531, and abolished the grosser Papistical abuses. Entering the Smalcald League in 1534, at Dillenburg and Siegen the Brandenburg-Nürnberg Order was introduced. Sarcerius call as a teacher was to prepare for the more radical changes to be effected in 1538. His first work was to thoroughly instruct the pastors. He was still the accomplished teacher, who regarded it his first work to drill his new pupils, the clergy of Nassau, in fundamental definitions. Both at the Synods which he held, and in his visitations, the pastors were thoroughly examined, and were expected to show their familiarity with the definitions which their Superintendent had carefully wrought out and published for their use. We read in his report to Count William how he examined the pastors “Concerning God; the Trinity in general; the Father; [[@Page:143]]the Son; the Holy Ghost; the holy angels; the Wicked Angels; the Creation of man and his Fall; the promise to the Church; the Law, and its species; the Gospel and its revelation; Faith; Justification and Life Everlasting; Good Works; the Cross; the Sacraments; Prayer; the Magistracy and Ministers;” and, then, examined the people, to learn what their pastors had taught them on these topics. This was certainly far more thorough than even the excellent plan elsewhere pursued of attaching to the “Church Order” adopted, a simple outline of doctrine for the guidance of pastors. Besides as Gerdesius remarks,¹⁸⁷ the philosophical training of Sarcerius rendered him especially happy in his doctrinal statements. It was, therefore, one of these books prepared by Sarcerius for his clergy, that Taverner translated.

From the reprint of Taverner’s translation, published in 1577, when William of Orange was in the midst of his conflict with the Duke of Alva, the placid but determined features of this skilful teacher and organizer stand forth in an excellent engraving, which we find also precisely reproduced in the second volume of Gerdes’ Miscellanies. Underneath the engraving are the Latin lines connecting the work of Sarcerius in the reformation of Nassau, with the work of the son of his patron in the Netherlands.

Quam claram facis, haec eadem Nassavia clarum

Te facit; et Scriptis nobile nomen habes;

Romanum oppugnas; Magnus Guilielmus at ille

Hispanum, Factis nobile nomen habens.

“Nassau, which thou dost make renowned, this maketh thee renowned. By thy writings, thou hast a noble name; thou attackest the Roman; but the Great William, by his deeds, having a noble name, is attacking the Spaniards.”

This means simply that the work begun by Sarcerius was not understood in its full significance, until the great struggle in the Netherlands occurred. William of Orange, until his fifteenth year, was trained under the influences determined by [[@Page:144]]Sarcerius; his temporary Romanism was due to the attractions of the Imperial Court, and the confidence of Charles V., when, as a youth, he became his page; but his sound Lutheran early education at length gained the victory over the error in which he was bound. Nevertheless, not being a theologian, the form of Protestantism of which he was the champion in that terrific struggle, was that of Calvinism.

King Henry was at first greatly delighted with this book of Sarcerius. In March 1539, in a conference at Frankfort to be hereafter mentioned, his ambassadors met Sarcerius, and refering to the translation of his book, induced him to write a letter, to be carried by them to England. It is as follows:

“Grace and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ. Most Serene King: When a few days ago, by command of the illustrious prince, William of Nassau, my most clement lord, I came to Frankfort, I found that at the abode of Philip Melanchthon, the ambassadors of your Serenity, men of high repute both in doctrine and in integrity of life; who, since, among other things, they heard my name, asked whether I were that Erasmus Sarcerius, who had published ‘a method’ upon the chief articles of Scripture, I replied that I was he. Then they at once began to tell me, that, by the command of your Serenity, my method had been translated into the English language; and that I am now speaking English. Then they added that if I would please write to your Serenity, they would see to it that my letter would be delivered. Although disinclined to follow their advice, since I measured myself by my own rule, i. e., considering my inexperience and amount of learning inadequate to satisfy your Serenity, since you are endowed with talent unexcelled in acuteness and depth both of knowledge and judgment, yet when I heard of the kindness of your Serenity towards all zealous for, and lovers of the pure religion, I began to write in my unlearned style, commending myself humbly to your Serenity. If I see that my writings please you, I will see that you shortly receive my ‘Common Places, methodically arranged’ somewhat [[@Page:145]]enlarged, more topics being added, and also terms for vices, of which Scripture makes mention. Since also in the realm of your Serenity, the true religion is now being planted, to the glory of God and the benefit of men, I will send also Postils upon the Gospels for the Lord’s Days and the Festivals; as well as upon the Epistles for the Lord’s Days and Festivals, dedicated to your Serenity. The Lord keep your royal Majesty safe and secure, to the glory of the Gospel and the peace of the church. Frankfort, March 10th, 1539. Erasmus Sarcerius.”

A few months later, (October 22d, 1539), the Wittenberg Faculty, in a paper to be hereafter more fully described, declared that Henry, with respect to “The Six Articles,” was acting against his conscience, because “he himself has had a little book of Sarcerius translated and printed in his own language, which he has used as a prayer-book, wherein the matter is briefly presented.”¹⁸⁸

Steadily also the work of Bible revision and Bible circulation advanced. With Matthews or Rogers version, the English Bible was at last complete, but very unequal in the merits of its several parts, and requiring early revision. With remarkable self-abnegation, Coverdale undertook this work. That he had already prepared a translation, whose defects he thus acknowledged, was with him no consideration. He was content to make Matthews Bible the basis. Paris was determined upon as the place of publication, and thither he went, with his publisher Grafton, in May 1538. Obtaining a royal license from the French King, the work of printing continued until December 17th, when, by the interference of the French ecclesiastics it was prohibited, editor and publisher compelled to flee, and the sheets confiscated. Sold, however, for waste paper, instead of being burned, the most of them were saved; and the printing was completed in April 1539, the book being called from its size, (15 X 9 inches) the “Great Bible,” or Crumwell’s Bible, as it owed its origin to the “Lord Privy Seal,” Copies were [[@Page:146]]placed in every church where parishioners could always have access to them, and where the people would congregate in large numbers, as successive readers would take their turn in reading aloud from the Word of Life. Almost everyone who could command the means sought a copy for himself. “Even little boys flocked among the rest to hear portions of the Holy Scripture read.”¹⁸⁹

In making this revision, Coverdale omitted the polemical notes and prefaces of Rogers, doubtless in order to make the edition less offensive to those inclined to the old order. This is the edition from which the Psalter of “The Book of Common Prayer,” was taken.

Again, revising the “Great Bible” of 1539, in 1540 (April, July and November) and in 1541 (November and and December), Coverdale gave the public what is known as Cranmer’s Bible, making many changes in his previous work, and in some instances reverting to his older renderings. Dr. Eadie¹⁹⁰ has reached the conclusion that though it was a double revision of Matthew’s of 1537, the Great Bible is not only inferior as a translation, but has interspersed through it a great variety of paraphrastic and supplementary clauses from the Vulgate, some being preserved in the Bishops.”

The two editions which are known as Tonstal and Heath’s, are not revisions as they profess to be, but only Cranmer’s Bible with a deceiving title-page. The Romish power was in temporary sway, but the king and the people still demanded the Bible; hence these representatives of the hierarchical party, unable to prevent the demands, adopted this futile expedient.

Prior, however, to this, and almost cotemporaneous with the first appearance of the “Great Bible,” the revision of Matthews’ Bible by Richard Taverner, the learned translator of the Augsburg Confession and Sarcerius’ “Common Places,” was published. Taverner was a very accomplished Greek scholar, and [[@Page:147]]a number of his changes have been incorporated into our Authorized Version. His accuracy in the rendering of the Greek article has been especially noted. For this work, he was imprisoned after the death of his friend, Crumwell.

But we must not anticipate events too far. The political negotiations of 1539 have been already passed over. [[@Page:148]]