The ThirtyNine Articles: 6-8, Holy Scripture and the Creeds

In this next section, the 39 articles turn to scripture as the sole volume of information sufficient for salvation.  A very important distinction should be made at this point.  The scripture is not intended to reveal all things about all subjects.  God does keep some of His secrets to Himself.  What it does mean is that all of the information required for salvation is contained within scripture.

VI. Of the sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for salvation.

Holy Scripture  contains  all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the faith, or be thought requisite as necessary to salvation.

   In the name of Holy Scripture, we do understand those Canonical books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church. 

   Of the names and number of the Canonical Books. 

Genesis.  Exodus.  Leviticus.  Numbers.  Deuteronomy.  Joshua.  Judges.  Ruth. 
The .1. book of Samuel.  The .2. book of Samuel.
The .1. book of Kings.  The .2. book of Kings.
The .1. book of Chronicles.  The .2. book of Chronicles.
The .1. book of Esdras.  The .2. book of Esdras.
The book of Hester.  The book of  Job.  The Psalms.  The Proverbs.
Ecclesiastes. or preacher.  Cantica, or songs of Solomon.
4. Prophets the greater.  12. Prophets the lesser. 

   And the other books, (as Jerome said) the Church does read for example of life and instruction of manners: but yet does it not apply them to establish any doctrine. Such are these following. 

The third book of Esdras. The fourth book of Esdras. The book of Tobias. The book of Judith. The rest of the book of Hester. The book of Wisdom. Jesus the son of Sarah. Baruch, the prophet. Song of the .3. Children. The stone of Susanna. Of Bel and the Dragon. The prayer of Manasses. The .1. book of Machab. The .2. book of Macha. 

   All the books of the New Testament, as they are commonly received, we do receive and accept them for Canonical. 

It is not my purpose to review the arguments for the Canon.  There are a couple of basic principles that can be applied.  First, the author of a particular New Testament book must either be within the original twelve, or a first circle around those twelve, such were Luke and Paul.  Clearly, other documents existed from these same sources that are not included in the Canon for whatever reason.  Some were lost to antiquity.  Some were deemed to be superfluous duplications of other Canonical material.  Still others were felt to be of dubious authorship and authority.  The point for me is that there is a specific Canon spelled out here. 

VII. Of the Old Testament.

The Old Testament is not contrary to the New, for both in the Old and New Testament, everlasting life is offered to mankind by Christ, who is the only mediator between God and man, being both God and man. Wherefore they are not to be heard in a manner that the old fathers did look only for transitory promises. Although the law given from God by Moses, as touching ceremonies and rites, do not bind Christian men, nor the civil precepts thereof, ought of necessity to be received in any commonwealth:  yet notwithstanding, no Christian man whatsoever, is free from the obedience of the commandments, which are called moral.

The first sentence here is absolutely huge.  The Church of England states unequivocally an adherence to a Christocentric hermeneutic.  It goes on to say that the rabbinical law does not apply, but that the Decalogue, which is moral law, is absolutely binding.  While there is nothing particularly earth shattering about the second portion, there is our first infusion of the political structure of man in this section.  The idea of commonwealth is a worldly discussion of manmade political divisions.  While no distinction is drawn in this article, it is interesting that there is being made a distinction between the theocracy of ancient Israel and the absence of rabbinical law under the New Covenant of Grace.  And at the same time, the Old Testament still informs us about Jesus.  This is truly remarkable and a good lesson for dispensationalists who came to prominence three to four centuries hence. 

VIII. Of the three Creeds.

The three Creeds: Nicene Creed, Athanasius Creed, and that which is commonly called the Apostles' Creed, ought thoroughly to be received and believed; for they may be proved by most certain warrants of Holy Scripture.

Going back to the previous post on the issue of the Creeds and article 3, we have to question whether Holy Scripture does in fact support all of the components of the Creeds.  Certainly, the Nicene Creed seems to hold up better from our first inspection, but what of the rest of these creeds.  On the right column near the bottom are my favorite reference websites.  CRTA contains all of the creeds in a link on the left column of its home page called Historic Church Documents.  On that page, the creeds are at the top.

The first 27 points of the Athanasian Creed have to do with the Trinity.  The next several through 39 have to do with Christ.  40-42 are much to discuss.  40 talks about rising with our bodies.  I’ve often wondered about this section.  First, we know that some of the early martyrs were dismembered and taken asunder.  Others were burned at the stake.  Surely, this resurrection body can account for this dishonoring of the body.  When we say that we believe in a resurrected body, and the first example is an empty tomb, these parts must be gathered and reunited and healed.  I’m not taking issue with this, but rather I’m pointing out the extent of what this must mean.

However, 41-42 are more controversial.  These sound on the surface as a statement of works righteousness.  I don’t think that anyone would argue that righteousness at Judgment is based upon works, only it is the works of Jesus that matter to us, His elect.  But, this is the end of the creed.  Dangling the works righteousness theology at the end of the creed without any grounding in the vicarious nature of the atonement seems at odds with the next section of the 39 articles, wherein the Pelagian heresy is directly confronted.  This is a particularly difficult section and it would be of interest to hear where thoughts on this creed went during the Reformation.  It’s inclusion in so many of the Reformation documents remains incredible to me based upon this last section.

In the next post, we will be tackling articles 9-14, concerning sin, free will, justification and works.  In other words, the next post will cover the meat of the Gospel.

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