The Cross in Ritual, Architecture and ArtTyack, Geo. S. (George Smith)
History
The Cross in Ritual, Architecture and Art
Tyack, Geo. S. (George Smith)
Crosses
The foreign Protestants, whose interference was so manifest in most of the
extremer courses taken by the English Reformers, held very strong views as
to the unlawfulness of altar crosses, and especially of crucifixes.
Writing from Zurich on March 20th, 1560, Peter Martyr says, "to have the
image of the Crucifix upon the holy table at the administration of the
Lord's Supper, I do not count among things indifferent, nor would I
recommend any man to distribute the sacraments with that rite, ... neither
Master Bullinger nor myself count such things as matters of indifference,
but we reject them as forbidden." "Master Bullinger" speaks for himself in
a letter of May 1st, 1566. "I could never approve," he says, "of your
officiating, if so commanded, at an altar laden, rather than adorned, with
the image of Him that was crucified." The matter was thought sufficiently
important to form the subject of a conference, as we learn from a letter
written by Jewel, Bishop of Salisbury, to Peter Martyr. "This controversy
about the Crucifix," he writes, "is now at its height.... A disputation
upon this subject will take place to-morrow. The moderators will be
persons selected by the council. The disputants on our side are the
Archbishop of Canterbury and Cox; and on the other, Grindal, the bishop of
London, and myself." The discussion took place in the spring of 1560, and
apparently resulted in favour of the Protestants, although the sympathies
of the Queen, as we learn from a letter addressed by Sampson, Bishop of
Worcester, to Martyr, were on the other side.
The directing force in this iconoclastic movement was evidently Genevan,
and it would appear to have been Genevan only, for it is well known that
the Lutheran Churches of Germany retain the Crucifix above the altar. In
England, also, the attempt was only temporally successful. At the
coronation of Charles I. a crucifix was placed on the altar, and the use
of at least a cross is now practically universal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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