John Jewel and the Roman Church

Introduction to Anglican Theology

(Lesson Seven)
In this lesson we will be reading a portion of John Jewel’s Apology in defense of the Church of England. He was commissioned to write this apology by Queen Elizabeth I. As mentioned in the previous lesson, Elizabeth became queen of England in 1559 after the short reign of Queen Mary. Mary was a Roman Catholic who quickly turned England toward Rome, but when Elizabeth became queen, she returned the Church of England to the Protestant fold.

The Apology was composed of six parts followed by a recapitulation at the very end. In the first part Jewel describes how those who live by faith have always been maligned and slandered, and in this regard, the Roman Church has claimed that the Protestants are heretics and innovators. Against this charge Jewel will write an apology, that is, a defense of the Anglican position. He will show that what Anglicans believe is founded upon Scripture and the life of the church of the first few centuries. At the same time he will show that the Roman Church had adopted a number of beliefs and practices that have no foundation in Scripture or the ancient church.

In the second part of the Apology, Jewel describes the fundamental beliefs of Anglicans, showing that these beliefs are rooted in Scripture and ancient teaching.

In the third part, Jewel refutes the Roman accusation that the Protestants have splintered into divisive sects who disagree with each other, thereby shattering the unity of Christendom that once held when Rome was the mother church. Jewel recognizes that there were divisions, but among the Protestants groups there is unity in essential matters, and second, even when Rome ruled the church, there were often sects and groups which did not adhere to her teaching. Further, he asserts that Truth, in the final analysis, is of greater import than unity. Rome had also accused the Protestants of rank immorality. Jewel admits that there was a degree of immorality among the Protestants, but claims that in a church which conforms to Christian Truth this evil is easily seen and corrected.

In the fourth part, Jewel presents a rather devastating expose of the immorality of the Roman Church, such things as the whoredom openly seen and even legally accepted by the Roman Church. This part also includes a number of other matters such as the tyranny of the Roman Bishops, their failure to meet biblical standards, and their contempt for the Scriptures.

Part five shows that the Roman Church has not been obedient to Scripture, nor to the example of the early Church. He does this in considerable detail, quoting from Scripture, the church fathers, and the early councils of the church. In other words, he shows that the Roman Church over the course of centuries had wandered from the original faith.

The Apology was first published in 1662, and just prior to that, the Roman pope had called a general council, the Council of Trent, to decide the issues brought to the fore by the Protestant Reformation. The pope insisted, however, that only those who affirmed his supreme authority were allowed to speak at this council. The Anglicans were then shut out from the deliberations, and once the council issued its decrees, a number of these were not accepted by the Anglicans as well as other Protestants. Given these events, the Roman Church accused the Anglicans of not accepting the authority of general councils. Part six was written to refute this charge.

We are going to be reading three portions from Jewel’s Apology. The first are selections from Part One, the second, selections from Part Two, and the third, selections from Part Five. Prior to that, however, we will look briefly at an introduction to Jewel’s Apology. This will help us to know a little bit about Jewel the man, and something more of the circumstances of his writing. At this time, let me ask you to open the file entitled The Apology by John Jewel. I will, as is often the case, comment on the readings as we go. I will also number the paragraphs we read in Jewel for the sake of easy reference. Also, let me suggest that you do the review questions at the same time as we read Jewel and Lesson Seven since its questions appear in the same order as their answers are given in these two texts. I will number my comments so as to refer to them. We begin with the Introduction.

Comments on the Introduction to the Apology
1. In paragraph [1] the phrase “Innovation was imputed,” means that the Roman Church had imputed or accused the Anglican Church of innovations, believing and practicing things not held by the church in general. By appealing to the ancient church, Jewel will show that Rome is the innovator.

2. Paragraph [3] states that Jewel “bowed to the royal authority,” and that he “repenting of his assent to the new sovereign's authority in matters of religion, followed his friend Peter Martyr across the water, …” This understates the matter. Jewel was a well known Protestant, and with the ascension of Roman Catholic Queen Mary, he witnessed the burnings of Cranmer and Ridley. At that point, hoping to save his life, he signed articles affirming the Roman position on the sacrament. He soon learned, however, that he was still under suspicion and likely to be killed. Then, fearing for his life, he fled across the water to Strasburg.(1)

Comments on the Selections from Part One
1. Paragraph [1]. The Anglicans and the Protestants were accused by the Roman Church of heresy, a serious allegation. Jewel claims this must be demonstrated by plain and strong arguments. He notes that in the recent past (due to the fact that Scripture and other ancient sources were not translated and printed) only the Roman Bishops had access to the sources for establishing Christian Truth. Now, however, these sources were widely available.

2. Paragraph [2]. This is a very important paragraph as Jewel is showing that ancient church authorities affirmed Scripture as the norm of faith and morals. Notice that Jewel refers to a number of ancient authors such as the apostle Paul, Augustine, Hierom, and Ambrose. These latter three are church fathers, that is, the great proponents of the Christian faith whose writings set forth Christian Truth in the first few centuries. The point here is that the church, for centuries, affirmed the supremacy of Scripture for faith and morals. For Rome, however, Scripture was a norm alongside tradition, and by tradition they meant truths they claimed were kept by the Roman church. These truths were not found in Scripture, but they were binding by the authority of the Roman pontiff. Here is a quotation from Anglican scholar Stephen Neill:

For years the Protestants had been committing their cause to a General Counsel of the Church. At last, after endless delays, the Pope's Counsel was opened at Trent on 13 December 1545. On 8 April 1546, a small group of about 30 bishops, almost all Italians, changed the whole course of the history of the church. They affirmed that the church receives with equal veneration (pari veneratione) the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, and the traditions written and unwritten, which have been preserved in the church since the time of the apostles. This was new doctrine, and involved a rejection of the whole Catholic tradition of the church from the beginning. … At the time of the Council of Trent some of the bishops asked for a clear definition of these traditions. What are they, and where they are to be found? No clear answer was given then; no clear answer has ever been given.

This is the one central point of division between the church of England and the Church of Rome. … The Church of England stands simply and uncompromisingly for the Catholic position held by the church through the centuries: “Holy Scripture contains all things necessary for salvation; … From this standard the Church of Rome has departed, with disastrous consequences to itself. The Tridentine church is not the great historic Church of the West.(2)

When Stephen Neill speaks of the “Catholic position held by the church through the centuries,” he is not referring to the Roman Catholic Church. He is referring to the universal church, the church of the centuries. The “Tridentine church” is the Roman Church, the Church which adopted the decrees of the Council of Trent.

The Roman Church still claims revealed truths not found in Scripture. Here is a quotation from the Roman Catechism.

As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, “does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.”(3)

3. Paragraph [5]. Jewel now says he will set forth the faith that Anglicans believe, and he does this in the next portion of his Apology, Part Two.

Comments on Selections from Part Two
1. In Part Two of the Apology, Jewel describes Anglican beliefs. He begins with God, the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. His next step is to discuss the church which is where our readings begin.

2. Paragraph [2]. In this paragraph Jewel quotes several church fathers, as well as two early church councils, which state that no bishop, such as the bishop of Rome (that is, the pope), has authority over other bishops. If this be true, than Rome is departing from the ancient faith by claiming the pope has authority over all.

3. Paragraph [4]. This is an important paragraph as it addressed the Roman belief that Matthew 16:18-19 validates the Roman claim that ruling authority in the church was first given by Christ to Peter, that he then became the first bishop of Rome, and that he passed the authority given to him by Christ to all the bishops of Rome that came after him. These bishops became known as the popes, claiming authority over the entire church including all bishops. Since Rome believed the pope the successor of Peter, only the pope had the keys, the authority to bind and loose, as described in Matthew 16:18-19. Make sure you read Matthew16:18-19.

4. Paragraph [5]. Given the absolute importance of Scripture as the norm of Truth, I have included a second selection from Jewel on Scripture. Why is this so important? Christians are saved by the Lord Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, which is to say, without Truth one cannot be saved. If a church believes that she possesses saving truths not found in Scripture, then such a church would also believe that one must accept those truths in order to be saved. As I understand the matter, Rome, at the time of the Reformation, believed she was the possessor of truths not found in Scripture. For that reason she believed that those who did not accept her truth were not saved. The belief that she possessed saving truths not found in Scripture was enshrined in the doctrine of papal infallibility, first proclaimed as dogma in 1870 by the First Vatican Council, a council of the Roman Church. The recent Catechism of the Roman Church states that dogma in these words,
The Roman Pontiff, head of the college of bishops, enjoys this infallibility in virtue of his office, when, as supreme pastor and teacher of all the faithful -- who confirms his brethren in the faith -- he proclaims by a definitive act a doctrine pertaining to faith and morals.(4)
5. Paragraph [6]. Chrysostom and Nazianzen were theologians and church fathers, and Sozomenus was an early fifth century church historian. Bishop of Augusta, Faber, Abbas Panormitanus, and Latomus were Roman Catholics of recent centuries who had recognized what all could see -- the terrible moral life of the Roman clergy. The “tripartite work, which is annexed to the second tome of the councils” was apparently a document added to the decrees of a council, detailing the same rampant moral decay. The word “sithence” is our word “since,” and the word “wonderful” is more akin to our word “astonishing.”

6. Paragraph [7]. When Jewel describes the “shows, and sales, and buying and selling of masses,” he is referring to the Roman practice of saying masses for the dead. In a mass for the dead a priest, without any congregation, would simply say the liturgy of the Holy Communion in behalf of a dead person, believing this recital, often said hurriedly and repeatedly, would lessen the dead person’s time in purgatory. The church would contract with people to have a priest say a certain number of these masses in exchange for money. The Roman Church still believes that it has the authority to grant indulgences for the sake of the dead.(5)

Comments on Selections from Part Five
1. In these selections from Part Five Jewel quotes from Scripture, church fathers, early bishops (popes) of Rome, and church councils of the first few centuries which repeatedly show that practices and beliefs of the Roman Church at the time of the Reformation did not conform to the teachings of Scripture or the beliefs and practices of the early church.

2. Paragraph [1]. In the second sentence “These men” refers to the Roman clergy who do not allow the people to read the Scriptures.

3. Paragraph [7]. In this paragraph Jewel quotes pope Clement to the effect that the pope should not have the authority of both swords. The two swords refer to possessing both political and ecclesial authority. Jewel is saying that the pope should not have absolute political authority over kings and governments, as well as absolute power over the church. It turns out that this reference to Clement in this case was not correct, a failing Jewel recognized in some of his other writings. Be that as it may, the point here is that the pope was claiming absolute political power and there were other papal pronouncements which did affirm that political and ecclesial authority of the pope.

4. Paragraph [8]. One of the reasons so many masses were being said each day was that many of these masses were for the dead. It was believed that a great number of masses would deliver sufferers more rapidly from purgatory.

5. Paragraph [9] The word “sibb” here means “subject to,” so that the sentence is saying that dividing the communion is a sacrilege.

6. Paragraph [10]. In this paragraph Jewel addresses the pope directly, asking him to provide any evidence from any of the ancient fathers who justify certain Roman claims about the authority of the papacy. He lists a number of these claims. As mentioned in endnote 1, I consulted a text on Jewel’s Apology that supplied the references for Jewel’s comments. As Jewel states certain papal claims, he references the papal pronouncements that establish these claims. In other words, Jewel references recent papal decrees which make the following claims for the pope: 1. That the pope possessed both the swords. 2. That bishops only functioned as stand-ins for the pope (that all bishops have received of your fullness). 3. That no one could be a judge over the pope. 4. That the pope is 77 times greater than the mightiest kings. 5. That the pope is titled “Lord God.” 6. That the pope is grown together of God and man. 7. That the pope is Lord of lords and King of kings (that is, having authority over everyone). All of these claims to the authority of the pope were documented from papal decrees and Roman pronouncements. As can be seen, the paragraph lists a number of other claims by the pope, but these were rather well-known claims.

A Few Final Comments
With the ascension of Queen Elizabeth I and what is known as the Elizabeth Settlement, the Church of England achieved her classical form. This form was to last for centuries, although there have been many challenges to the theology and practice affirmed by the early Anglicans and established by Elizabeth.

In the next lesson we will study Richard Hooker. Just as Jewel defended the Elizabethan Settlement from the attacks of Rome, Hooker defended the Anglican Church from the attacks of the Puritans who believed that the Anglican Reformation did not go far enough in the direction of pure biblical faith. In other words, the Anglican Church is located between Rome on one side and the Puritans on the other, leading to the claim that Anglicanism is a via media, a “middle way.” It must be said, however, that Anglicanism is not a middle way as an attempt to mediate between two extremes. Rather, the Anglican Reformers believed that Scripture commended their way of life, and further, that the practice of the first few centuries gave the best form of Christian life and practice based upon the Bible.

Finally, I will end this lesson with a quotation from Stephen Neill (1900–1984), an outstanding church historian, theologian, and missionary to India. In this quotation, he uses the word “Catholic.” By this he does not mean the Church of Rome, but rather the universal church of the early centuries before it was corrupted in the Late Middle Ages. He summarizes the Elizabethan Settlement in this wise:
(1) “Maintained the Catholic faith, as that [which] is set forth in the Scriptures, the Creeds, the doctrinal decisions of the first four General Councils.”

(2) “Restored the Catholic doctrine of the supremacy of Holy Scripture in all matters of doctrine and conduct.”

(3) “Restored Catholic practice in the provision of worship in a language” understood by “the people.”

(4) “Restored Catholic practice in the encouragement of Bible reading by the laity.”

(5) “Restored Catholic order in giving the Communion to the laity in both kinds, both the Bread and the Wine, instead of only in one kind, as was the practice of the medieval church.”

(6) “In Confirmation and Ordination..., restored Catholic order by making the laying on of hands by the bishop the essential in the rite.”

(7) “Aimed at restoring the Catholic practice of regular Communion by all the faithful.”

(8) “Retained the threefold Order of the ministry: bishops, priests, and deacons.”

(9) “Retained the succession of the bishops from the days of the Apostles.”

(10) “Retained the liturgical order of the Christian year, though in a considerably modified and simplified form.”

(11) “Repudiated the supremacy of the pope.”

(12) “Denied that the pope had authority to interfere in the civil affairs of states and to depose princes.”

(13) “Claimed liberty for national churches … ‘to decree Rites or Ceremonies.’”

(14) “Rejected the scholastic philosophy and the late medieval definitions, especially of transubstantiation, which had been based on it.”

(15) “Rejected late medieval ideas of purgatory, indulgences, and the merits of the saints.”

(16) “Retained … the medieval ideas of property, of jurisdiction, and of ecclesiastical administration.”

(17) “Maintained continuity of administration” in “the work of the church.”

(18) “Claimed to be a living part of the worldwide Church of Christ.”(6)

Review Questions

1. Why was the Apology written?

2. What was the principle argument of the Apology?

3. Did Jewel deny the faith he believed, and if so, how?

4. What was one of the reasons John Jewel died so young?

Questions from this Lesson and Part One of the Apology

5. What, in one or two sentences, is the central idea of paragraph [1]?

6. Paragraph [2]. What is the sword that Jewel affirms in this paragraph?

7. Who are Augustine, Hierom, and Ambrose?

8. State in two or three sentences the essential ideas found in the quotation from Stephen Neil given in Comment 2.

9. What is Jewel asking the Roman Church to do in the first sentences of paragraph [3]?

Questions from this Lesson and Part Two of the Apology
10. Paragraph [1]. Why do you think that Jewel emphasizes that Christ alone is Prince of this kingdom, the Head of this Body, and the Bridegroom of this spouse?

11. Paragraph [2]. Name several of the church fathers Jewel quotes to show that no bishop in the early church ever had preeminence over other bishops.

12. Also, from [2], what two councils proclaimed that no one bishop had preeminence over others?

13. From [2]. In what year did the bishop of Rome first proclaim his preeminence?

14. From [3]. Do Anglicans allow just anyone to become a minister as claimed by Rome?

15. From [4]. What, according to Jewel is the binding and loosing referred to in Matthew16:18-19, and who has this authority?

16. From [4]. In general terms, what do the church fathers, Chrysostom, Tertullian, and Eusebius, say the keys are?

17. From [4]. What does Jewel say the keys are and to whom do they belong?

18. From [5]. What did the early church fathers, Origen, Augustine, Chrysostom, and Cyrillus, teach?

19. When was papal infallibility first proclaimed as dogma by a council of the Roman Church?

20. From [6]. What did the church father, Nazianzen, say about marriage of the clergy?

21. From [6]. Read 1 Timothy 4:1-3. Although Jewel does not specifically mention this text, that is the passage from Scripture he is referring to when he mentions Paul in this paragraph. How does Jewel apply this passage from Timothy to Roman practice?

22. From [6]. Why does Jewel think there is such terrible immorality among the Roman clergy?

23. From [7] and Comment 6. What was Jewel referring to when he called attention to the “buying and selling of masses”?

24. From [7]. According to Jewel, the bishops of Rome set before the people the sacramental bread to be worshipped as God, and further, they carried it about on horses. He says they do this without warrant from three ancient authorities. What are those three authorities?

Questions from this Lesson and Part Five of the Apology

25. From [1]. Did the Roman clergy encourage the people to study Scripture?

26. From [1]. What four church fathers did Jewel reference in support of marriage of the clergy?

27. From [2]. What did Augustine say about so many ceremonies in the church?

28. From [3]. Jewel accused the Roman monks of a certain sin. What was it?

29. From [4]. Jewel accused the Roman clergy of a certain sin. What was it?

30. From [5]. What did the emperor Justinian command?

31. From [6]. Thinking back on your study of the Rite of Sarum, what practice did Pope Julian forbid that was practiced by the Roman clergy?

32. According to Comment 3 and paragraph [6], what are the two swords, and what authority was Rome claiming?

33. Why, Comment 4 and paragraph [7], were Roman clergy saying so many masses in one day?

34. In light of Comment 5 and paragraph [8], what is the relationship between this paragraph and Article 30 of the Articles of Religion?

35. Briefly describe, in three or four sentences, the principle idea of Comment 6.

36. From [10]. This paragraph lists a number of claims by the pope, followed by a number of Roman practices authorized by the pope. List 7 of those claims and three of those practices, choosing those you think most significant.

37. From [10]. At the end of this paragraph, Jewel issues a challenge to the pope. What was that challenge?

38. Write a paragraph of at least 10 sentences summarizing what you consider the principle argument of the Apology as well as the sort of evidence brought to bear to support that argument.

39. From Lesson 7, the Few Final Comments. What was the Elizabethan Settlement?

40. Lesson 7 ends with a quotation from Stephen Neill on the achievements of the Elizabeth Settlement. List the five you consider the most important and very briefly state why you think they are important.

Discussion Questions
Gather a few people together and tell them about John Jewel and what he was doing in his Apology. Describe to them some of the beliefs and practices he saw in the Roman Church that were prohibited by Scripture and church teaching of the first few centuries. Also tell them about the Elizabethan Settlement. Read to them the characteristics of that Settlement as described by Stephen Neill at the end of the review questions. Ask them to discuss how the Anglican Church differs from or is similar to other churches in their community.

Endnotes

1. John Jewel, An Apology of the Church of England, edited by J. E. Booty (New York: Cornell University Press, 1963) pp. xviii-xx. This edition of Jewel’s Apology contains a number of helpful notes that will contribute to this lesson.
2. Stephen Neill, Anglicanism (Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2010), pp. 62-3.
3. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1992, paragraph 82. The context of this quotation, paragraphs 75-83, make it clear that Rome believes their was one original source, the revelation of the Father in the Son. This revelation had two forms, written and oral. The former was enshrined in Scripture, the latter was given by Christ to the apostles. They, in turn, gave it to their successors, the bishops, who convey that tradition through the teaching office of the Roman Church. The catechism can be found online at: http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm
4. Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 891.
5. See the section on Indulgences in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1471 and following.
6. Neill, Anglicanism, pp. 131–132.

The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.
February, 2015