(With Apologies to Jack)
Many of us are familiar with the famous quip by C.S. Lewis about reading old books:
It is a good rule, after reading a new book, never allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between. If that is too much for you, you should read one old one to every three new ones.[1]
What many people don’t know is that in the greater context of the quote, Lewis is specifically referring to theological books! He goes so far as to say that it is “topsy-turvy” to read even his own works while neglecting the Reformers, medieval scholastics, Church Fathers, or (especially) the Scriptures! Over the years I have tried to take Lewis’ advice to heart. Thankfully, we live in an age when the availability of old books is greater than any other time in human history due to PDF scans, eBooks, and inexpensive print-on-demand services. Over the past few months, I have revisited several public domain works that are particularly relevant to Anglican audiences. Below are introductions and overviews of four of these classic Anglican books. My goal is not to give an extensive review of each text, but rather to whet the reader’s appetite for these excellent “old books.” What follows is to be a “teaser, not a pleaser.”
Early this past summer, the Venerable Andrew Brashier, a regular contributor to The North American Anglican, published a reprint of this foundational sacramental text from our foundational Reformer. In the description on Amazon, Archdeacon Brashier describes the book as Cranmer’s “magnum opus defending his Reformational view on the Lord’s Supper.” The greater context for the work was an ongoing debate between Archbishop Cranmer and Bishop Steven Gardiner over the doctrine of Transubstantiation. Gardiner accused Cranmer of denying Christ’s presence or any sacramental efficacy in Holy Communion. He also accused Cranmer of theological innovation. A Defence is Cranmer’s response, arguing for a high Reformed view of the Eucharist from Scripture, reason, and tradition (i.e., Church Fathers). This work is a prime example of Cranmer’s familiarity with the Church Fathers through extensive quotations and explanations of Patristic works. Most importantly, Cranmer argues that Chalcedonian Christology demands a rejection of a corporeal or physical presence of Christ in the Sacrament.
Though the book was originally published in 1550, the basis for this specific text is a scan of a 1907 edition by the Protestant Reformation Society in London. More recent (though nevertheless currently-out-of-print) editions of the Defence often include additional back-and-forth between Gardiner and Cranmer that doubles the size of the book. This edition does not. It presents the core text of the Archbishop’s argument in 286 easily-digested pages. It shows Cranmer’s familiarity with Patristic texts, his brilliant reasoning, and his willingness to be controversial with his opponents. Even if one disagrees with Abp. Cranmer’s conclusions, every Anglican ought to be familiar with his arguments and reasoning. They are the “story-behind-the-story” for our Prayer Book and Articles. Cranmer’s Defence is a must-have for any Anglican theological library.
We preachers are always looking for good sermon material. For those of us who use the historic one-year Eucharistic lectionary, Melville Scott’s Harmony is hard to beat. Scott was the vicar of Castlechurch in Stafford, England around the turn of the 20th century, and is best known for this commentary on the Prayer Book propers. In the introduction to his Harmony, Scott writes, “If the Bible is the worst-read book that ever was written, which can hardly be denied, the Book of Common Prayer must surely be regarded as its companion in misfortune” (vii). In this guide, Scott seeks to correct this “misfortune.” The thesis of the Harmony is that the Sunday readings are both intentional and have unifying themes. While such (seasonal) themes are relatively obvious from Advent through Pentecost, where Scott really shines is his treatment of Trinitytide. He sees the historic organization of Trinitytide as being divided into two major twelve-week themes, with three sub-themes in each major theme. His insights are of indispensable help in the “long green mile” that is Trinitytide.
Scott gives a commentary on each of the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel for a given week, specifically focusing on how the weekly texts fit together as well as how they fit into the greater seasonal themes. It is important to note that Scott’s Harmony does not address the readings in the modern three-year Lectionary, such as the onein the 2019 Book of Common Prayer. His readings are from the English 1662 edition, which are usually comparable to those of the American 1928. My only disappointment with Scott’s Harmony is that he does not include the various Saints’ Days in his commentary. He does, however, include Christmas, the Feast of the Circumcision, the Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and the Ascension, in addition to every Sunday throughout the year.
I had previously been familiar with Scott’s writings for each week through the excellent online resources at Lectionary Central, and have regularly used them in my own sermon preparation. However, I recently found a reprint of the single-volume second edition from 1903 republished by the Reverend William Klock on his website, The Anglican Expositor. Indeed, Fr. Bill has quite a few excellent reprints available in addition to his own preaching commentaries. I certainly look forward to future purchases! Like Cranmer’s Defence, the basis of this volume of Scott’s Harmony is a high-quality scan. Scott’s Harmony is a must-have book for the library of anyone who regularly preaches or teaches from the historic one-year Eucharistic lectionary.
Speaking of preaching aids, Alfred Edersheim’s Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah is an outstanding resource for discovering the cultural background of the gospels. Edersheim was a rabbinic student in Vienna but converted to Christianity as a young man studying in England. He eventually became an Anglican minister and is remembered for several works on first-century Jewish culture. The Life and Times was originally published in 1883 and is probably his best-known work. The edition I bought earlier this summer is a 2024 reprint by Hendrickson. As a single-volume text, it was newly typeset with its own pagination. However, as older printings were often referenced, the header of each page includes the more standard volume and page references as well. I first encountered Edersheim’s Life and Times as a teenager in the Messianic Jewish movement, where the book was widely lauded as showing our Lord’s Jewishness. Since then, I have often looked to electronic copies of The Life and Times as a reference text when preparing sermons, but this is my first time reading the text cover-to-cover in a physical volume.
The Life and Times is a massive work, consisting of five books, nineteen appendixes, indexes for both scripture citations and subject matter, and two maps, with a total of 1111 pages in my edition. As such, I’m by no means finished reading the book; I expect to be working on it at least through the end of the year. Yet, as daunting its size may be, it has been a joy to read. Edersheim is a master of narrative and beautiful prose. It is organized chronologically, beginning with background material (Book 1), moving on to Christ’s birth through his baptism (Book 2), continuing from the baptism to the Transfiguration (Book 3), finishing Jesus’ earthly ministry and teachings in the fourth book, and then devoting the final book to the Cross through the Ascension.
While Edersheim paints a thoroughly Jewish picture of Jesus, he does not fall into the trap of taking later Rabbinic writings as indicative of earlier forms of Judaism. No, Edersheim’s scholarship is top-notch, even if it is a bit dated. Nevertheless, I have never found modern scholars to contradict Edersheim, despite many new discoveries and advances in archaeology and other scholarship since his day.
The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah is not a specifically-Anglican work. Yet Edersheim’s Anglicanism often shines through. For those familiar with the Prayer Book, particularly in its traditional language, the Anglican character of this work is unmistakable. Edersheim is an insightful storyteller and commentator, who often sheds light on our Gospel texts.
Most modern books on the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion are slim volumes that are introductory at best. And they are often ignored beyond occasional recommendations for newcomers to the tradition. However, when Anglican clergy discuss commentaries on the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, the three classic texts are usually E.H. Browne’s An Exposition of the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, E.J. Bicknell’s A Theological Introduction to the Thirty-Nine Articles, or W.H. Griffith-Thomas’ The Principles of Theology. Browne tends to be lauded by everyone (and indeed has been republished on the TNAA website, including additional regular commentary by James Clark). Bicknell is often preferred by Anglo-Catholics, and Griffith-Thomas is the standard among Evangelicals. Over the years, I have read all three through the New Scriptorium website. This fall I revisited Griffith-Thomas’ Principles of Theology, as it had been almost a decade since my last read.
Griffith-Thomas approached the Articles less historically and more as a framework for systematic theology. Unlike E.A. Litton’s Introduction to Dogmatic Theology, Griffith-Thomas’s work is primarily about the Articles and secondarily about systematics. Litton approaches the same task the other way around.
I have long appreciated Griffith-Thomas’ evangelical commitment to the Scriptures, and his work on the Articles thoroughly displays this commitment. On my prior read, I remember taking issue with his approach to the Sacraments. However, on this reread, I found myself in general agreement with him. I think much of that change has to do with my own deeper understanding of Anglican theology and history that has developed over the years. Some of it has to do with the assumptions I brought to the text when I was younger and less experienced! While there some occasional odd glimpses of Griffith-Thomas’ first-generation Dispensationalism (which is quite different from the popular form of Dispensationalism from books like the Left Behind series of novels), Principles of Theology certainly earns its status as a classic.
While this reread was done electronically through New Scriptorium, the Episcopal Recorder has reprints available for the three texts on the Articles by Griffith-Thomas, Browne, and Litton. The Episcopal Recorder describes itself as the “publication and distribution arm of the Reformed Episcopal Church.” Per a message I received from the handler of the Reformed Episcopal Seminary account on X, the three volumes are designed to be a set, and are particularly aimed at seminarians. I intend to add all three volumes to my library in the coming months.
Honorable Mention: E.A. Litton’s Introduction to Dogmatic Theology
I have only started this volume, but I would be remiss if I failed to at least introduce it. As I mentioned above, it is a systematics theology text that uses the Articles rather than a commentary on the Articles from the perspective of systematic theology. As far as I can tell, it is the only Anglican-specific approach to systematic or dogmatic theology that has been published in the last 200 years other than Francis J. Hall’s specifically Anglo-Catholic Dogmatic Theology (or its recent abridgements). Without a doubt, Introduction to Dogmatic Theology is an academic read (complete with significant untranslated Latin in the footnotes), but it has been an edifying one so far. I am increasingly of the opinion that more Anglicans should familiarize themselves with Litton rather than limiting themselves to systematics texts from other traditions.
Conclusion: Collecting Rather than Acquiring
I recently heard a discussion on the difference between having a collection and simply acquiring. A collection, I was told, should have a purpose, a unifying theme, and perhaps even a thesis statement. My own theological library has not historically fit this definition. Much of my library was inherited from our congregation’s prior rector or other pastors. Some of it I would never buy or read in the first place. Indeed, some of it was likely passed on to me by pastors who had similarly inherited disjointed elements! Other books are remnants of my formal education or prior ecclesiastical affiliations. That was fine when I had more shelf space than books. After eight years as a rector (and a few changes in office locations), that is no longer the case. Now I need to be more intentional in selecting candidates for my library. And some of my current books need to go. Like a garden, my theological library needs to be cultivated. I want it to be more Anglican, more historical, and more relevant to my own needs as a teacher, student, and pastor. The four books above are just a recent part of that cultivation process. I have got several years’ worth of projected monthly book purchases saved to continue the cultivation. One day, I hope to leave a well-cultivated Anglican library to my own successor in the pulpit and at the altar. And in the meantime, I will continue to take Lewis’ advice and read old books.
Image Credit: Unsplash.
[1] C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock. Quoted in https://www.cslewisinstitute.org/resources/reflections-february-2010/.
