What are the Articles
of Religion (within the "Historical Documents" section, Book of Common
Prayer, pp. 867-876)? In 1536 in England a "Ten Articles" document was
approved "to stablish Christian quietness and unity." Subsequent revisions
preceded the thirty-nine in our Prayer Book. "The Articles of Religion were
adopted and established by the General Convention of 1801 and are made a part
of the Prayer Book... Although subscription to them was required of clergy in
the Church of England until 1975, it was not thought necessary in the American
Church. ... The Articles express the mind of the Church of England on questions
under dispute at the time of the Reformation and do not claim to be a final or
complete system of theology. ... They were considered as a guide rather than as
a binding criterion or the basis of correct doctrinal testing."(1) "In some parts of the Anglican Communion today the
articles enjoy no standing, while in others they are printed (often with the
Prayer Book), but without assent being required."(2) The
Articles were a significant element in the evolving tradition of the
Anglican Communion and are no longer mentioned in the Episcopal Church's
Constitution and Canons.
(1)
Owen C. Thomas, Introduction to Theology,
pp. 55f. [Dr. Thomas was on the faculty of the Episcopal Divinity
School, Cambridge, Mass. from 1952 until his 1993 retirement.]
(2) Henry Chadwick, "The Context of
Faith and Theology in Anglicanism" in Theology in Anglicanism, ed. A.A.
Vogel, pp. 29 and 31. Dr. Chadwick was on the faculty of the University of
Cambridge.