Martin Davie is to be commended for writing a commentary on the Thirty-Nine Articles for the Twenty-First Century. Drawing on his strong command of the Scriptures, Church History, the English Reformers, later developments in Anglicanism and modern theologians as well.
Davie clearly tells the story of the Articles and their enduring witness to the ‘faith once received’. As a result, Our Inheritance of Faith is not only thoroughly readable but also contemporarily relevant for Anglicans today.
The Rev Canon Dr Ashley Null, DFG-Cranmer-Projekt, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Our Inheritance of Faith provides an accessible, scholarly and thorough commentary on one of the key foundation documents of the Church of England. It will be valuable as an introduction and as a reference work.
The Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, Bishop of Oxford
We need this: a serious but accessible textbook to help theological students and clergy enter in to a vital part of their heritage. Martin Davie opens the Articles up with great clarity and accessible scholarship.
This should be required reading for Anglican ordinands and candidates for Readership. It fills a particular gap, but is also a model of readable historical theology.
The Rt Revd Donald Allister, Bishop of Peterborough
In this erudite study Martin Davie sets out to explode some myths about the 39 Articles, not least that they are of little importance to contemporary Anglicanism. He does so by providing not only a careful commentary on their origin, meaning and relevance but also, through them, a course in Christian doctrine that demonstrates their abiding value. This important study is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the Christian Faith as the Church of England has received it.
The Rt Revd Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Coventry and Chair of the Faith and Order Commission of the Church of England
The 39 Articles have a renewed significance in the Anglican Communion. This theological commentary – in the tradition of Bicknell, Litton, Griffith Thomas and O'Donovan – introduces, explains and elucidates each Article. The historical formularies live again in this timely and important study. I warmly commend it to students of Anglicanism.
The Rt Revd Tim Dakin, The Bishop of Winchester
It is only once in a while that a major commentary on the 39 Articles is written. Dr Martin Davie's is certainly one such. In it, he examines the historical and political background to the Articles, as well as comparing them to other similar documents of the period. He considers also the place of the Articles in the Church of England today and in the world-wide Anglican Communion. He relates them to theological developments which have occurred since they were written but does not neglect the fiery debates taking place in the 16th Century itself. For a long time to come this work will be a point of reference for many, including myself, and I hope that it finds a place on many a library shelf. We are indebted to Dr Davie for his clarity, thoroughness and patience in bringing this work to completion.
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali
