Merciful God, who through the work of Thomas Cranmer didst renew the worship of thy Church by restoring the language of the people, and through whose death didst reveal thy power in human weakness: Grant that by thy grace we may always worship thee in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate, who livest and reignest with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Some of the work of Archbishop Cranmer and his last speech – hat tip to his namesake who has more.
There was a music video posted a couple of years ago which included scenes of Ridley’s, Latimer’s and Cranmer’s martyrdoms, if I recall correctly. Does anyone have a link to that?
Amen to that.
Cranmer worked with a team of reformers, not alone. Nevertheless, he was the figurehead and the leader. His survey of the state of worship in England was masterful, and his comprehensive effort to return the church as near as possible to the worship of the Apostles and early Fathers was monumental.
This alone would have made him a towering figure in church history. But the circumstances of his death, in particular the way he “ambushed” those holding him, and made a public declaration of apostolic faith, were also exceptional. He underlined this by enduring incredible agony, deliberately holding his right hand in the flames till burned to a stump, before the rest of his body was consumed.
Tens of millions of Anglicans all over the world owe a huge debt to this man.