ANGLICANISM: HISTORY, CHARACTERISTICS AND DIVISIONS - HISTORY - 2024

The Anglicanism is a doctrine and Protestant religion current following the statements of Christian faith from their own perspective. It was founded by King Henry VIII of England in 1534.

However, Henry VIII is not considered as a religious reformer - unlike Luther or Calvin, who did propose collective reforms to religion - since his break with the Catholic Church was due to personal conflicts and political reasons.

Henry VIII of England was the founder of Anglicanism. Source: wikipedia.org

Mainly, the reason for Henry VIII's break with the Church was due to the fact that the monarch did not wish to share his achievements and riches with the holy institution; Furthermore, Enrique wanted to obtain a divorce from his wife so that he could marry another who would beget a male heir.

At that historical moment, divorce was seen as a sin within the parameters of the Catholic Church; Therefore, before making a decision that would change the history of England forever, Enrique had asked the pope to grant him a divorce from Catherine of Aragon, his wife at the time, because she had not borne him male children.

The pope resolutely refused this request, so the king had to order the English Parliament - which played a very important role in all legislative issues in the country - to appoint him head of the Church.

Despite the ideological differences between the king and the Church, the Anglican Church resembles in many ways the Holy Institution of Rome. For example, they hold the same belief about what pertains to salvation and sin; Similarly, Anglicans believe that original sin can be erased through baptism.

However, Anglicanism also maintains similarities with Protestant ideas; as in Lutheranism, Anglicans were in favor of justification through faith. This means that to access heaven all you needed was to believe in God and repent of all your sins.

History

Background

Thanks to the Protestant Reformation - which took place during the 16th century - the functions of the pope as head of the universal Catholic Church were called into question. This allowed the beginning of the increase in the power of the German princes through Protestantism, as they managed to disengage from Roman supremacy.

Following this line, the schism of the Church of England took place, giving way to the construction of Anglicanism; However, the dogma of this current managed to establish itself in a concrete way forty years after the separation.

The late Middle Ages was a very turbulent period in the history not only of England, but of the entire West, as there was a lot of political instability. In the case of England, there was instability due to the War of the Two Roses and the appearance of the first heretical movement known as Wycliff.

Popes as temporary kings

This instability dragged on for two more reigns, thus reaching the Tudor monarchy. The father of Enrique VIII (Enrique VII) decided to base his reign on authoritarianism in order to solve the growing rebellions.

From this moment on, the English Parliament maintained its obligations but always from the direct tutelage of the monarch, so that this parliament became a place to express monarchical wishes.

While this was happening, religious turbulence was brewing throughout the European continent: first the headquarters were moved to Avignon and shortly afterwards the Western Schism developed.

Back then the popes acted as temporary kings; However, the rise of nationalist currents motivated the rejection in these circumstances. This is how Henry VII's conflict with the Catholic Church began.

The decisions of Henry VIII

Henry VIII was the second ruler from the authoritarian Tudor dynasty and is considered one of the most important kings in the history of monarchies. He is known primarily for his authoritarianism and for creating the Anglican Church, establishing himself as the head of that institution.

In addition to this, he chose to destroy several monasteries and to condemn anyone who decided to go against him. Curiously, Enrique decided to fight against the reformist ideas of Luther, despite the chronological similarities that both currents presented.

The monarch had been romantically infatuated with a woman named Anne Boleyn. For this reason, he decided to divorce Catalina de Aragón, who years before had been married to his late brother.

Given the Church's refusal to petition for divorce, Henry VIII took into account the advice of Thomas Cromwell and Thomas Cranmer - very important thinkers of the time - and decided to end his relations with the Roman institution.

characteristics

The word "Anglicanism" comes from the adjective "Anglican", which is used to refer to everything that is English; in other words, it functions as a synonym for the adjective "English."

Therefore, when speaking of the Anglican Church, it is being specified that it is the English Church. The first time this expression was used was in 1838.

Aspects in common with the Roman Catholic Church

As for their doctrine, Anglicans believe in the existence of only one God; However, this deity can be divided into three main figures: the father -all powerful-, the son -Christ- and the holy spirit. Anglicans consider those who do not believe in this God to be condemned for sin.

Like the Catholics of the Roman Church, Anglicans consider that the son of God came to this earth to save people and to reconcile them to the omnipotent God. Likewise, they also agree with the Bible and consider it the most important text of humanity.

Additionally, Anglicans also attend Masses and have a duty to perform prayers both in public and in private, especially on Sundays. In the same way, to be an Anglican it is necessary to carry out baptism.

In contrast to Orthodox Christianity, the Anglican Church is considered to be much more tolerant of those who maintain other lifestyles. Consequently, Anglicanism can have its variations depending on the culture of the place in which this religion is professed.

So, it can be established that the Anglican faith maintains many more similarities with Christianity than with other Protestant aspects such as Calvinism.

Anglican Church divisions

The Anglican Church can be divided into three types, which differ in their perspective on some biblical doctrines. These divisions are known by the following names: High church, Low church, and Liberals.

High church

In the first case, it is about the most conservative perspective of this doctrine, since it is more linked to the power and the aristocracy of the English.

The High Church accepts all sacraments, as well as iconic images of Catholics. Because of this closeness to the Catholic Church, the members of this branch are known as Anglo-Catholics.

Low church

For its part, the Low church refers to the most reformed perspective within the Anglican Church; therefore, they are considered the most puritanical. From this division the well-known Episcopal Churches were born in the United States.

The members of this division do not like to interact with Catholics and tend to emphasize the Protestant character of their religion. In addition, they are of a Calvinist tendency, since they base their beliefs on the five points from this other Protestant current.

Liberals

As for the liberals, these are not properly considered as a branch of the Anglican Church; however, those English groups that have carried out a series of modifications in the main precepts of Anglicanism are known by this name.

These openings have revolved mainly around female participation within the Church -they are in favor of women being archbishops and pastors-, they also approve the marriage of homosexuals and their ideology has a left tendency (they maintain socialist thoughts).

Differences with Lutheranism and Calvinism

Calvinism and Lutheranism share with Anglicanism the fact that all three views are derivatives of Christianity; therefore, they maintain the same cultural roots.

In turn, these three currents were born from the Protestant reform that was unleashed in the West; in other words, all three arose thanks to the schism experienced by the Roman Church during the 16th century.

Peculiarities

Anglicanism developed its own criteria from the political and social context of England. For example, the Anglican Church decided to preserve all the Catholic sacraments, as well as most of the structure of Christianity.

On the contrary, Lutheranism and Calvinism decided to develop a series of discrepancies around the holy scriptures.

In addition, Anglicanism decided to maintain the same hierarchy as the Catholic Church in terms of authorities; the only difference is that the figure of the pope was eradicated to place the English monarch.

Instead, Lutheranism chose to change that hierarchy and follow a horizontal structure. For its part, Calvinism decided to follow a modular structure, which means that power is distributed through nuclei.

References

1. (SA) (nd.) The three roots: a brief introduction to Anglicanism. Retrieved on March 25, 2019 from Organización Anglicana: anglicana.org.ar
2. Cowley, P. (nd) The Bible and Anglicanism. Retrieved on March 25, 2019 from UPSA: summa.upsa.es
3. Harbor, B. (1998) Division in the Anglican Church. Retrieved on March 25, 2019 from El País: elpais.com
4. Jiménez, M. (2016) The construction of Anglicanism in Tudor England. Retrieved on March 25, 2019 from the University of La Rioja: publications.unirioja.es
5. Martí, M. (2007) The origin of the Anglican Church. Retrieved on March 26, 2019 from About England: sobreinglaterra.com
6. Orombi, A. (2007) What is Anglicanism? Retrieved on March 25, 2019 from Gafcon: gafcon.org