Thomas Cranmer as a theological and liturgical Reformer of the Church of England: A long-sought "missing link" in English Reformation Research

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Dorothea Wendebourg
• Subject Area: Protestant Theology
• Term: from 2012 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 213868410

Four years ago Dr. Ashley Null located Archbishop Thomas Cranmer's 'theological archive' in Paris' Bibliothèque nationale de France, a sensational discovery permitting a considerably more exact analysis of the English Reformation. Now, with two and half years of research support from the DFG, Null has been able to evaluate a portion of the Paris 'archive' and relate it to previously known material in England. The focus was on the theme of 'Holy communion' and the respective passages in the Book of Common Prayer. In the course of this research Dr. Null has discovered other sources and previously unrecognized or hardly noticed strands of theological traditions which Cranmer intertwined and moulded into his own conception of Holy Communion, in particular, above all else, into a specific conception of the Word of God 'efficacious' in Holy Communion, but also in the church in general. These strands came from mysticism, humanistic Neoplatonism, and the Reformation. Since it became clear as his work progressed that Dr. Null had to pursue this line of enquiry in order to do proper justice to the topic - something which could not have been foreseen three years ago - he altered the original research plan accordingly. This 'detour' has taken the largest portion of his DFG-supported research time, yet it has proven immensely fruitful. Thus having gained a much stronger foundation in the sources and a secure grasp of Cranmer's theological influences, Ashley Null has returned to the initial program in a much better position to carry forward the original aims of the project. When his research is completed, it will actually be possible to determine exactly the nature of Thomas Cranmer's theological development, how he reworked the influences of the Continental Reformers, and what positions he held during the course of the English Reformation. Consequently, we will be able, as never before, to determine more precisely the theological and liturgical alternations of the Church of England during the Reformation.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants