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In his important evaluation of the theological leader of the English Reformation, G.W. Bromiley charts Cranmer¿s doctrinal views, scriptural interpretation and liturgical composition. His nuanced position on various controversial issues of the day, not least baptism, is articulated with clarity and care, and his ecumenical sensitivity is foregrounded.
While arguably more adept as a scholar than as a creative theologian in his own right, Cranmer¿s writing nevertheless formed the cornerstone of future Anglican theology. Through his Articles of Religion (42, later reduced to 39) and the Book of Common Prayer, he set the parameters within which the Church of England was to operate. Perhaps most significantly, as Bromiley shows, his extensive citation of patristic sources established a precedent for his successors that continues today. Written by one of the great ecclesiastical historians of the twentieth century, Thomas Cranmer, Theologian is the essential starting point for understanding Cranmer¿s influence and legacy in the Anglican church.
About the author
Geoffrey W. Bromiley (1915-2009) was Professor of Church History and Historical Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary. He gained his MA at Cambridge and his PhD and Dlitt in Edinburgh, and was previously lecturer and vice principal at Tyndale Hall, Bristol, and Rector of St Thomas¿ Episcopal Church, Edinburgh. Among his substantial output are his Introduction to the Theology of Karl Barth; Historical Theology: An Introduction; and Baptism and the Anglican Reformers (James Clarke & Co.).
