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What was the purpose of Thomas Cranmer’s Book of Homilies of 1547?
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Thomas Cranmer
Thomas Cranmer, detail of an oil painting by Gerlach Flicke, 1545; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Thomas Cranmer’s Book of Homilies, published in 1547, was created to address the widespread grievance that the unreformed clergy of the time were failing to preach sufficiently to their congregations. By providing these authorized sermons, Cranmer ensured that consistent, doctrinally sound instruction was available throughout the Church of England during the religious transformations of the reign of Edward VI.1