Anglican Homilies

The Anglican Homilies (1547, 1562, and 1571) are two books of thirty-three sermons developing the Reformed doctrines of the Anglican Communion in greater depth and detail than in the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion.

The longer title of the collection is Certain Sermons or Homilies Appointed to Be Read in Churches.

During the reign of Edward VI and later during the reign of Elizabeth I, Thomas Cranmer and other English Reformers saw the need for local to be taught Christian theology and practice. Before the Reformation, church services were conducted entirely in Latin to which the common people listened passively except twice a year during communion, when only the bread was administered; sermons in English were not given. Since parsons, vicars, and curates lacked the education and experience needed to write sermons and were often unfamiliar with Reformed doctrine, scholars and bishops wrote out a collection of sermons for them, which were appointed to be read each Sunday and holiday. The reading of the homilies in church is still mandated under Article XXXV of the Thirty-Nine Articles.

Many of the sermons are straightforward exhortations to read Scripture daily and lead a life of prayer and faith in Jesus Christ; others are rather lengthy scholarly treatises apparently directed at academic audiences on theology, church history, the fall of the Byzantine Empire, and the heresies of Rome. Each homily is heavily annotated with references to holy Scripture, the church fathers, and other primary sources.

The longest homily is the second of the second book, "On Peril of Idolatry." Running some 120 printed pages, in several parts, it describes the history of what are deemed to be false religious practices, each of which ultimately led to idolatrous observances. First among these was the Iconoclastic Controversy which caused the schism of the West church from the East, and ultimately the hostility of Rome to those parts of Christendom not under papal influence.

The homilies are also noteworthy for their beautiful, magisterial phrasing, which are still completely readable in the third millennium, nearly five hundred years after their first publication. The homilies also contain many historical spellings, based on the Vulgate and Septuagint, of Biblical names such as Noe for Noah and Esay for Isaiah; they also contain many amusing instances of historical terms, such as "mummish massing," meaning "ridiculous charade" to characterise the lengthy all-Latin service which the people watched but could not participate in.

Former Book of Homilies

The Former¹ Book of Homilies contains twelve sermons and was written mainly by Cranmer. They focus strongly upon the character of God and Justification by Faith and were fully published by 1547.

The homilies are:

I. A Fruitful exhortation to the reading of holy Scripture.

II. Of the misery of all mankind.

III. Of the salvation of all mankind.

IV. Of the true and lively faith.

V. Of good works.

VI. Of Christian love and charity.

VII. Against swearing and perjury.

VIII. Of the declining from GOD.

IX. An exhortation against the fear of death.

X. An exhortation to obedience.

XI. Against whoredom and adultery.

XII. Against strife and contention.

^1. "Former" here means "first of two".

econd Book of Homilies

life.

This volume includes:

I. Of the right use of the Church.

II. Against peril of Idolatry.

III. For repairing and keeping clean the Church.

IIII. Of good works. And first of Fasting.

V. Against gluttony and drunkenness.

VI. Against excess of apparel.

VII. An homily of Prayer.

VIII. Of the place and time of Prayer.

IX. Of Common Prayer and Sacraments

X. An information of them which take offence at certain places of holy Scripture.

XI. Of alms deeds.

XII. Of the Nativity.

XIII. Of the Passion for good Friday.

XIIII. Of the Resurrection for Easter day.

XV. Of the worthy receiving of the Sacrament.

XVI. An Homily concerning the coming down of the holy Ghost, for Whitsunday.

XVII. An Homily for Rogation week.

XVIII. Of the state of Matrimony.

XIX. Against Idleness.

XX. Of Repentance and true Reconciliation unto God.

XXI. An Homily against disobedience and wilful rebellion.

ee also

*Anglican doctrine
*Tract 90
*Postil

External links

* [http://allsaintsgreenville.org/Faith/Homilies/ Anglican Homilies] - The complete text of both books in modern spelling, punctuation, and formatting; reader-friendly, with outlines and summaries. (Html and PDF)
* [http://www.anglicanlibrary.org/homilies/index.htm Anglican Library] - The homilies in Elizabethan spelling, punctuation, and formatting. (PDF only)