Explanation on Original post of the Articles of Orthodoxy. (t)he (a)nglican (c)hurch as exampled by modern day Canterbury is a body without form, this is to say its doctrines are like the shape of water which ever mold you decide to pour it into that is what it believes. One of the things that makes an ecclesiastical body work is a common Doctrine and worship, once you no longer have common Doctrine and worship(the prior being more important than the latter) you no longer have a function body but instead a body infected with disease, a body which over time will degenerate into non-being. There for the following is a list of articles which (with the exception of I-VI have no real set order) all professed Anglicans believe, those who deny any of these articles are Heterodox. Note: The whole of Christian faith cannot be contained in one book therefore recognize that the articles listed here are not the whole of Orthodox-Catholic Faith.
When I originally posted the above I thought it would be rather clear and self evident that a communion who exists with no real unity does not exist; from Anglicans who believe in the Real Presence to those who deny it, from a male only Priesthood to the Priestess movement and supporters, from antiquity ubiquity omnibus to Sola Scriptura, From Salvation by Grace and cooperation to Sola Fide, from orthodoxy to heterodoxy, which is which, how do you define Anglicanism. WHAT IS ANGLICANISM? Catholicism is simple to define as their beliefs are made unambiguous and clear through the Magesterium of the Catholic Church, Orthodoxy is clearly defined by the first 7 councils as well as apologetical works which have at their core a common belief. You can look at the Catholics and say "That is Catholic teaching" and you can look at the Orthodoxy and say "That is Orthodox teaching" but you can't do the same for Anglicans.
Some will say that we can examine the 39 articles and hold them up as our source of unity, but I ask very seriously can we? The greatest problem as can be seen by most Anglo-Catholics and many Continuing Anglicans is the denial of Transubstantiation which is accepted by both the East and the West. While it is true that some of us may favor the East over the West, and while it is true that others of us may favor the West over the East we cannot hold and in fact must hold that anything contrary to what is held by both East and West cannot be true Christian Doctrine. Other troubling things can be exampled by the language used of what is required for salvation, the articles while never saying Sola Fide also never deny it all together, instead it seems to take a particular stance which implies that works are secondary. While it is true that we are saved by Grace and only by Grace we also cannot divide works from faith or attempt to give one a primacy over another as they are sisters. And finally of another great problem is that the Articles is the issue of the Sacraments in which Cranmer denies 5 of the 7 Sacraments(this goes against the previous 10 and 6 articles). There is also the issue that the Articles do not go far enough, but I will handle that later.
VI. Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation. Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those canonical Books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church.
Of the Names and Number of the Canonical Books. Genesis, The First Book of Samuel, The Book of Esther, Exodus, The Second Book of Samuel, The Book of Job, Leviticus, The First Book of Kings, The Psalms, Numbers, The Second Book of Kings, The Proverbs, Deuteronomy, The First Book of Chronicles, Ecclesiastes or Preacher, Joshua, The Second Book of Chronicles, Cantica, or Songs of Solomon, Judges, The First Book of Esdras, Four Prophets the greater, Ruth, The Second Book of Esdras, Twelve Prophets the less.
And the other Books (as Hierome saith) the Church doth read for example of life and instruction of manners; but yet doth it not apply them to establish any doctrine; such are these following:
The Third Book of Esdras, The rest of the Book of Esther, The Fourth Book of Esdras, The Book of Wisdom, The Book of Tobias, Jesus the Son of Sirach, The Book of Judith, Baruch the Prophet, The Song of the Three Children, The Prayer of Manasses, The Story of Susanna, The First Book of Maccabees, Of Bel and the Dragon, The Second Book of Maccabees.
All the Books of the New Testament, as they are commonly received, we do receive, and account them Canonical.
Chapter VI. of Acts and Decrees of the Synod of Jerusalem (A.D. 1672)QUESTION III. What Books do you call Sacred Scripture?
Following the rule of the Catholic Church, we call Sacred Scripture all those which Cyril {Lucar ELC} collected from the Synod of Laodicea, and enumerated, adding thereto those which he foolishly, and ignorantly, or rather maliciously called Apocrypha; to wit, “The Wisdom of Solomon,” “Judith,” “Tobit,” “The History of the Dragon,” “The History of Susanna,” “The Maccabees,” and “The Wisdom of Sirach.” For we judge these also to be with the other genuine Books of Divine Scripture genuine parts of Scripture. For ancient custom, or rather the Catholic Church, which hath delivered to us as genuine the Sacred Gospels and the other Books of Scripture, hath undoubtedly delivered these also as parts of Scripture, and the denial of these is the rejection of those. And if, perhaps, it seemeth that not always have all been by all reckoned with the others, yet nevertheless these also have been counted and reckoned with the rest of Scripture, as well by Synods, as by how many of the most <156> ancient and eminent Theologians of the Catholic Church; all of which we also judge to be Canonical Books, and confess them to be Sacred Scripture.
As I have stated before what is held by both East and West we cannot hold Contrary to or we ourselves are heterodox. We must believe what is held always everywhere by all, if we hold that those text which have been used by both east and west and held as part of the Sacred Canon from the beginning then we accuse God of allowing the gates of hell to prevail against His Church. What gave Luther and the other "reformers" the authority to remove from the cannon which had long been held by all, always and everywhere? Even St. Jerome included the deutrocanonical text in his canon though at first with some reluctance.Trent Session 4 DECREE CONCERNING THE CANONICAL SCRIPTURES exerpt
They are as set down here below: of the Old Testament: the five books of Moses, to wit, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy; Josue, Judges, Ruth, four books of Kings, two of Paralipomenon, the first book of Esdras, and the second which is entitled Nehemias; Tobias, Judith, Esther, Job, the Davidical Psalter, consisting of a hundred and fifty psalms; the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Canticle of Canticles, Wisdom, Ecclesiasticus, Isaias, Jeremias, with Baruch; Ezechiel, Daniel; the twelve minor prophets, to wit, Osee, Joel, Amos, Abdias, Jonas, Micheas, Nahum, Habacuc, Sophonias, Aggaeus, Zacharias, Malachias; two books of the Machabees, the first and the second. Of the New Testament: the four Gospels, according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; the Acts of the Apostles written by Luke the Evangelist; fourteen epistles of Paul the apostle, (one) to the Romans, two to the Corinthians, (one) to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, to the Philippians, to the Colossians, two to the Thessalonians, two to Timothy, (one) to Titus, to Philemon, to the Hebrews; two of Peter the apostle, three of John the apostle, one of the apostle James, one of Jude the apostle, and the Apocalypse of John the apostle.
While The 39 articles along with the 10 and 6 articles are a good place to start we must go further still. We must correct the errors in the 39 articles and that is for one recognizing the other 5 sacraments as well has rejecting the protestant canon as contrary to that which has been handed down to us. We need within the Articles of Orthodoxy parts, the first part of affirmation "This is what we hold" and the second part a part of condemnation "This is what we cannot hold". This will help lay down for us a clear blueprint of belief.
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