Exploring the Thirty-Nine Articles: Articles 31-34

Welcome to the thirteenth installment of our series, Exploring the Thirty-Nine Articles, where we delve into the foundational theological document of the Church of England, formalized in 1571. Today, we examine Articles 31 through 34, addressing Christ’s sacrifice, clerical marriage, excommunication, and church traditions. These articles reflect Anglicanism’s via media—a middle way between Roman Catholicism and radical Protestantism. We’ll explore their historical context, heresies, Catholic beliefs, scriptural grounding, and modern relevance, with focus on Catholic distinctions in the Mass, concubinage and nepotism, latae sententiae excommunication, Anglican liturgical “uses,” and Anglican streams.

Article 31: The Sufficiency of Christ’s Sacrifice

Article 31 declares: “The Offering of Christ once made is that perfect redemption, propitiation, and satisfaction, for all the sins of the whole world, both original and actual; and there is none other satisfaction for sin, but that alone. Wherefore the sacrifices of Masses, in the which it was commonly said, that the Priest did offer Christ for the quick and the dead, to have remission of pain or guilt, were blasphemous fables, and dangerous deceits.”

This article affirms the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice for redemption (restoration to God), propitiation (appeasing God’s wrath), and satisfaction (fulfilling divine justice) for original and actual sins. It rejects additional sacrifices, targeting the Catholic doctrine of the Mass as undermining Christ’s atonement.

Historical Context and Heresies

Article 31 counters Pelagianism (denying original sin, condemned 431) and Semi-Pelagianism (human-initiated salvation, condemned 529), which influenced medieval indulgences and chantry Masses. Reformers like Cranmer, citing Hebrews 10:14, criticized these practices as commercializing salvation.

Catholic Perspective

The Catholic Church, per the Council of Trent (1562), holds that the Mass is a propitiatory sacrifice, a “re-presentation” (anamnesis, Luke 22:19) of Christ’s sacrifice. The priest, acting in persona Christi (Latin for “in the person of Christ,” meaning the priest represents Christ’s presence and authority in the sacrament), applies Christ’s merits to forgive venial sins (lesser sins that do not sever one’s relationship with God, unlike mortal sins, per Catholic theology) or reduce purgatorial punishment. Masses for the dead, often funded through chantry chapels, aimed to expedite souls’ release from purgatory. A chantry was literally a payment for chant, a place where a priest would be employed to chant, recite or sing the Mass over and over again, day after day specifically to benefit the person paying. Reformers viewed this as undermining Christ’s finished work (Hebrews 7:27), seeing the Eucharist more as a memorial.

Scriptural Grounding

Hebrews 9:26, Romans 6:10, and 1 John 2:2 emphasize Christ’s singular atonement, rejecting additional sacrifices.

Contemporary Relevance

Article 31 guards against ritualism and legalism, ensuring the gospel’s clarity.

Article 32: The Marriage of Priests

Article 32 states: “Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, are not commanded by God’s Law, either to vow the estate of single life, or to abstain from marriage: therefore it is lawful for them, as for all other Christian men, to marry at their own discretion, as they shall judge the same to serve better to godliness.”

This article permits clergy marriage, rejecting mandatory celibacy as a human tradition and affirming marriage’s compatibility with ministry (Genesis 2:24).

Historical Context and Heresies

Article 32 counters Manichaean dualism (viewing marriage as fleshly and sinful) and medieval clericalism, which mandated celibacy (Lateran Councils, 1123, 1139). It also addresses Anabaptist asceticism. The Catholic requirement for celibacy, formalized at Trent (1563), aimed to emulate Christ and curb nepotism but led to concubinage (clergy maintaining quasi-marital relationships with women without formal marriage, often bearing children) and nepotism (favoring relatives with church positions). Concubinage was widespread, with priests’ partners functioning as wives, and children sometimes inheriting church property, as in the Tusculan papacy.

Catholic Perspective

Celibacy was enforced for theological (1 Corinthians 7:32–33), practical, and economic reasons. Concubinage persisted, undermining reforms, and enforcement left families destitute. Reformers argued clerical marriage would reduce immorality, a view Article 32 supports.

Scriptural Grounding

Genesis 2:18, 1 Timothy 4:3, and Hebrews 13:4 affirm marriage’s goodness; 1 Timothy 3:2 permits clergy marriage.

Contemporary Relevance

Article 32 supports clergy well-being, relevant amid Catholic debates over priest shortages (e.g., 2019 Amazon Synod).

Article 33: Excommunication and Restoration

Article 33 upholds the church’s authority to excommunicate unrepentant sinners, emphasizing a transparent process and restoration (Matthew 18:17). It rejects Catholic latae sententiae (automatic) excommunication.

Historical Context and Heresies

Article 33 addresses Donatism, Anabaptist rejection of discipline, and Catholic abuses of excommunication for political gain.

Catholic Perspective

Catholics view excommunication as medicinal, with latae sententiae applying to acts like apostasy or abortion (Canon 1331). Anglicans favor public processes for transparency.

Scriptural Grounding

Matthew 18:15–17, 1 Corinthians 5:5, and 2 Corinthians 2:6–8 support restorative discipline.

Contemporary Relevance

Article 33 urges transparent discipline, relevant in debates like the 2003 Gene Robinson consecration, where much of the Anglican Communion broke table fellowship with The Episcopal Church.

Article 34: The Diversity of Traditions

Article 34 affirms diverse traditions that align with scripture, locally appropriate, and granting national churches authority to adapt rites, rejecting Catholic uniformity and Anabaptist radical rebellion.

Anglican Liturgical Uses

English (Anglo-Catholic), Western (Roman rite elements, like Latin Mass structures with Anglican doctrine), modern (contemporary in its accessibility, and more Evangelical), and local uses reflect flexibility in liturgies within the confines of the Creeds and Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion.

Anglican Streams

Anglo-Catholics (ornate), Evangelicals (simpler), and Charismatics (expressive) interpret tradition differently, yet can all be faithfully Anglican.

Scriptural Grounding

Romans 14:5–6, 1 Corinthians 14:40, and Acts 15:28 support contextual worship.

Contemporary Relevance

Article 34 supports global Anglican diversity, making things accessible to their people, while warning against fragmentation.

Synthesis and Broader Implications

Articles 31–34 address Reformation concerns: Christ’s atonement, clerical freedom, discipline, and liturgical flexibility. They reject Catholic errors and radical extremes, remaining relevant for modern challenges.

Conclusion

Articles 31–34 anchor Anglicanism in scripture, affirming Christ’s sacrifice, clerical marriage, restorative discipline, and diverse traditions. They challenge the church to proclaim the gospel with clarity and unity in a pluralistic world.