David Loades: "Thomas Cranmer and John Dudley: An Uneasy Alliance, 1549-...

The Erastian Rooster that Dr. Cranmer had helped create

would come home to roost. The Royal Rooster would order

roasts.

By the end of 1549, there was pressure for a public Confession of Faith. Bucer’s Censura had urged such. The Forty-Two Articles were circulated to the episcopal bench. Finally, the Articles had the official promulgation on 2 May 1552. Of note, Dr. Loades does not comment on that rascally catechism of Justas Jonas that later caused heartburn for Dr. Cranmer from the Reformed over the Eucharist. But that mistake is for another day and Dr. Cranmer had to do some jockeying. Cranmer had retreated from attendance at the Council and the favorites, John Knox and Robert Horne, among others, were carrying the day, bandying about the Articles about, first 45 then trimmed back to 42. Was Dr. Cranmer in some sort of theological doghouse? Diminished power? A further standoff between Warwick, the Council and Dr. Cranmer? The final product of Forty-Two Articles finally passed on 9 Jun 1553, a mere month before Edwards’ departure to the next life. A Royal missive was sent to the Archbishops and Bishops requiring doctrinal uniformity for preachers and teachers. By July 1553, Edward is gone and Warwick’s plan to crown Jane Grey collapsed. Even Dr. Ridley in London and Bishop Hooper in Gloucester declared for Mary, while Cranmer followed Edward’s “device” to crown Jane as Queen. But, as noted, that scheme collapsed. By August 1553, Dr. Cranmer was looking at Mary, the new Tudor Queen. The “Erastian rooster that he, Cranmer, had helped to create would come home to roost.” The Royal Rooster would order roasts. On 21 May 1556, Dr. Cranmer roasted in the flames.