Our Inheritance of Faith: A Commentary on the Thirty Nine Articles

by Martin Davie

The Thirty Nine Articles are key part of the Anglican theological tradition. Since 1571 they have shaped the way in which Anglicans have understood and proclaimed the Christian faith and the way in which they have related to Christians of other traditions. Today, however, the Articles are not well understood. Our Inheritance of Faith addresses this problem. It begins by providing a clear and comprehensive introduction to the development of the Articles and their subsequent history within Anglicanism. It then goes on to look at each of the Articles individually, explaining in detail how each Article reached its present form, what its original purpose was and what it teaches. Points of theological difficulty raised by the teaching in the Articles are explored and there are additional notes explaining how the Articles relate to subsequent developments in the Church of England and the wider Church. This book provides anyone who is interested in the Articles with all the tools they need to understand them and to think in an informed way about how to apply their teaching today.

664 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2013

Reviews

[Mike Bright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Davie gives a pretty thorough background and history of each of the 39 articles that are a foundational document for Anglican Christians. The meaning and nuances of each article are explored in depth. The historical and theological context for each proclamation are explained.

This book was very helpful for me as a Presbyterian learning more about Anglicanism. My only nitpick is that there is a lot of text describing the precise textual variants of each article in their first 50 years of existence. The creed went through a variety of transformations as the Reformation and subsequent movements refined their understanding of various topics and their reaction to Roman Catholic adjustments.