The Church of England and Christian Antiquity: The Construction of a Confessional Identity in the 17th Century

Abstract

Jean-Louis Quantin shows how the appeal to Christian antiquity played a key role in the construction of a new confessional identity, 'Anglicanism', maintaining that theologians of the Church of England came to consider that their Church occupied a unique position, because it alone was faithful to the beliefs and practices of the Church Fathers. - ;Today, the statement that Anglicans are fond of the Fathers and keen on patristic studies looks like a platitude. Like many platitudes, it is much less obvious than one might think. Indeed, it has a long and complex history. Jean-Louis Quantin shows. Contents; Abbreviations; Introduction; 1. The English Reformation and the Protestant View of Antiquity; 2. Becoming Traditional? The Appeal to Antiquity in Jacobean Controversies; 3. Arminianism, Laudianism, and the Fathers; 4. The Fathers Assaulted; 5. A Patristic Identity; 6. The Case for Tradition; Conclusion; Chronology; Bibliography; Index.