Bishop Gilbert Burnet: History of the Reformation of the Church of Engla...

Part III—Book 1. Matters comprehended in Burnet’s first volume with some of the larger backstory—a brief tour of Rome’s Papes and French/Imperial matters, e.g. the backstory to Francis 1’s “Concordat” or “pragmatic sanction.” Pape Gregory VII—big ego. Ape-n-Pape Boniface VIII-bigger ego. “The progress the papacy had made from pope Gregory the Seventh to pope Bonifaco the Eighth's time, in little more than two hundred and thirty years, is an amazing thing. 1300. He began the pretension to depose kings; the other, in the jubilee that he first opened, went in procession through Rome, the first day attired as pope, and the next day attired as emperor, declaring, that all power, both spiritual and temporal, was in him, and derived from him: and he cried out with a loud voice, ‘I am pope and emperor, and have both the earthly and heavenly empire;’ and he made a solemn decree in these words. ‘We say, define, and pronounce, that it is absolutely necessary to salvation for every human creature to be subject to the bishop of Rome’” (56). A holy (or unholy) war ensues. Avignon comes online with the “Papal schism,” called the Babylonian Captivity of about 1309-1380--a Pape in Avignon, France, and a Pape in Rome. A church split with hard feelings. The Council of Constance (1414)—the church will be safer with decennial Councils to sort out affairs—whether a Pope likes it or not—than solitary rule with Romanist controls. We would interject that Hardwick's 39 Articles has a salutary section on the declension and dirt of this period. The 1431 Council of Basle dealt with episcopal elections, that is, local controls by money, simony and favoritism rather than Rome’s exaction-machine. Keep it "in-house" rather than the Pape's "out-house." It's about power and money (again). Annates and bulls of appointment—vast and numerous—needed to be pulled in rather than spent for Rome's luxuriances. One sees this conflict long before Henry VIII boots Rome. A promised “Cardinal’s hat” could go a long way to buy a lackey-sycophant’s influence in a foreign nation. C'mere Cardinal Wolsey. You too Bishop Fisher, we have a red hat for you. Reginald Pole, yes, you'll like that red cap. Philadelphia's Penguin and Dallas's Shifty, we think you'll like those red caps too. Groovy! Stayed tuned for more Conciliarism v. the Lil’ Man of Rome: egos, money, controls. Dr. Cranmer knew the history of the 14th-15th centuries. "SGT-at-Arms: Escort the Pope to the brig. He's been cancelled. We're woked. That will be all."