A Brief Introduction to Anglican Interpretation of the Bible

From one perspective, there is nothing distinctive about Anglican biblical hermeneutics; Anglicans parse verbs and compare language usage, ascertain context, and discern intention in the same ways as do other readers of the Bible. Another perspective, though, looks for lines of continuity and regulative practices that would insure congruity between the interpreters from the early years of the Church of England to the interpreters in the Anglican Communion today. Of course, the early Anglicans disagreed, but in retrospect coloured by today’s bitter controversies, it can seem as though they disagreed agreeably. This introduction argues contrariwise, that the early years of the Church of England experienced divisions and hostilities over biblical interpretation just as fierce as today’s. The appearance of harmonious dissent arises more from shared points of reference now lost as the Communion has expanded and granted autonomy to its members.