A review by Alexander MacDonald
In Thomas Cranmer and ‘Of Faith in the Holy Trinity’, Latimer Trust 2024, Chris Young calls our attention to how a reformer of immense consequence (especially for the Church of England) approached a foundational point of Christian orthodoxy. Research on Cranmer tends to give little space to his treatment of the Trinity, while discussions of the Trinity pay little heed to Cranmer, and it is into that lacuna that Young offers this concise study. Young outlines the character of Cranmer’s approach to God as Trinity, exploring how that approach stands in relation to various theological perspectives and controversies both historic and modern, suggesting that Cranmer’s trinitarian theology has served, and may continue to serve, to defend and enrich the theology and worship of the church – especially the Anglican church that so bears the stamp of Cranmer’s influence.
After a short introduction (ch. 1), Young sketches Cranmer’s “Trinitarian Roots,” suggesting that on this issue, Cranmer’s outlook is influenced by, and stands in continuity not just with biblical revelation but also with the thought of patristic, medieval and other early reformed theologians (ch. 2). These prepare the way for an exposition of “Cranmer’s Trinitarian Theology” (ch. 3), an exposition which constitutes the heart of the book (and runs longer than the other four chapters combined). It is worth noting here that despite its title, this book and its central chapter are concerned with Cranmer’s trinitarian theology wherever it may be found, and not exclusively within the article ‘Of Faith in the Holy Trinity.’ Though that text does serve as the point of departure for the study, Young draws liberally from a range of sources from Cranmer – the Book of Common Prayer, homilies, polemical works and private letters included – and other authors.
In this central chapter, Young considers Cranmer’s trinitarian theology first by attending to Cranmer’s presentation of each person of the Trinity, then to their unity, before exploring how this trinitarian theology bears on salvation and worship and on doctrines of Scripture and the Lord’s Supper. Throughout his discussion, Young repeatedly highlights Cranmer’s commitment to the standard tenets of orthodox, Western and reformed doctrine. Despite commenting on Cranmer’s stance in relation to technical theological debate, this exposition is not lost in dry and technical abstraction. We owe this partly to the organisation of the discussion, but especially to the liturgical – prayerful and worshipful – character of much of the source material. It becomes clear that, for Cranmer, knowing God as Trinity bears major devotional and pastoral impact. Accordingly, Young’s exposition enables the reader to appreciate – and perhaps to emulate – the awed and worshipful posture of Cranmer’s trinitarian thought and expressions.
Before a very brief conclusion (ch. 5), chapter 4 explores “Cranmer’s Trinitarian Legacy.” If this title implies a focus on the tangible impact of Cranmer’s trinitarian theology on subsequent theology and churchmanship, that presents only part of the picture. Young does explore the legacy of Cranmer’s liturgical work, and thereby of the trinitarian theology “dissolved” (p. 11) throughout it. Yet the greater emphasis is on how Cranmer’s approach might fruitfully come to bear on the life of the church and the challenges it faces in the present day, from ecumenical conversations to liturgical revisions, our habits in prayer and corporate worship and beyond.
As may be expected of such a concise volume, there are points where a reader may wish for more depth and detail. Why exactly did Cranmer draw heavily on the Augsburg Confession in writing his own statement on the Trinity, and are there any meaningful differences between them? What specific arguments and commitments are at stake in the disagreement between East and West over the filioque clause (that the Spirit proceeds from the Son as well as the Father) – and beyond affirming the filioque how does Cranmer address those concerns? What is it about Augustine and Aquinas that puts their heirs at risk of Modalism – and if Cranmer’s trinitarian language forestalls that risk, is that because he consciously purposed to do so? And so on.
But there are good reasons why further exposition is not always forthcoming. In some of these cases we simply run up against the constraints of our sources: Cranmer simply did not address some things we might like him to address. In such cases, Young is upfront about the limits of the evidence even as he seeks to cautiously fill in some of the gaps by drawing on others Cranmer associated with. In other cases further exposition may be possible, but only at the cost of the efficiency and specific focus that distinguish this study. This would be a different and perhaps unwieldy book if it attempted to canvass thoroughly all the relevant historical and theological contexts. Where such background is crucial, Young outlines the essentials so any reader will be able to appreciate what he then unfolds from Cranmer. This, together with a clear an approachable style, makes this book accessible to those without specialist knowledge. Those readers (students and clergy, for example) already well-acquainted with such matters may be equipped to benefit still more readily and richly from this efficient and pastorally-minded exploration of Cranmer’s theology of the Trinity.
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