c1700s ORIGINAL SIGNIFICANT HANDWRITTEN MANUSCRIPT RELIC OF ANGLICAN DOGMA BEING THE 'THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES OF RELIGION', A DEFINITIVE STATEMENT OF DOCTRINE BY THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND

On offer is an exemplary and rare Latin copy of the “Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion,” the defining statements of doctrines and practices of the Church of England and one of the most important religious documents of history. While the Articles themselves were formulated in the mid-1500s, this particular book dates back to c.1700. The Articles were issued in both Latin and English. The entirety of this book is written in Latin. There is a vellum cover still fully intact though there are small tears at the ends and discoloration due to age. Written on the front cover, and continued on the back, are a table of contents for all 39 articles. They begin with “I. De Fide in sacrosanctam Trinitatem.” and ending with “XXIX. De Christiani Juramento.” The writing is still extremely clear. Smudging or discoloration of the text throughout the entire book is non-existent. The book is roughly 160 pages long. It has been sewed together using a 3-hole pamphlet stitching. There are also some anomalies throughout. Many pages contain tiny pieces of paper sewn in that have extra writing on them. One of them reads, “Christ a true sacrifice vide Eph: 20” which translates to “Christ’s sacrifice see: Ephesians: 20”. Another reads “vide Art: XXI. Prop: V.” These little notes seem to be addendums and cross-references that the owner most probably put in himself. While most pages are fully filled with text, a few pages are mostly blank, with some writing on the top (“De sexta propositione”) and a blank space under which the owner meant to continue writing but did not. [History: When Henry VIII broke with the Roman Catholic Church and was excommunicated in 1538, he formed a new Church of England, which would be headed by the monarch (himself) rather than the pope. The Thirty-nine Articles of Religion were initiated by the Convocation of 1563, under the direction of Matthew Parker, the Archbishop of Canterbury. The articles pulled back from some of the more extreme Calvinist thinking and created the peculiar English reformed doctrine. Adherence to the Articles was made a legal requirement by the English Parliament in 1571 and incorporated into the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Although not the end of the struggle between Catholic and Protestant monarchs and citizens, the book helped to standardize the English language, and was to have a lasting effect on religion in the United Kingdom, and elsewhere through its wide use]. ; Manuscript; 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF, THIRTY-NINE ARTICLES OF RELIGION, 39 ARTICLES, XXXIX ARTICLES, ANGLICAN CHURCH, CHURCH OF ENGLAND, LATIN BOOK, HENRY VIII, THOMAS CRANMER, EXCOMMUNICATION, NON VERNACULAR, RELIGION, RELIGIOUS DOCUMENT, PROTESTANT, REFORMATION, UNITED