- The Hampton Court Conference of 1604
-
- By Chris Richards
This year marks the four hundredth anniversary of the Hampton Court
Conference of 1604. There is one benefit of this Conference still enjoyed by
countless thousands in the world today. All who are Bible readers have cause
to look back to this conference with gratitude.
Prelude
In the reign of Elizabeth I, the so called Elizabethan settlement of
the Church of England was established. Queen Elizabeth sought to put in
place a State church established by law. To achieve this the church was made
to be as inclusive as possible within reformation principles. The teaching
of Anglican and Lutheran Reformers being that unless a practice was
condemned by Scripture it was allowable in the Church.
When Elizabeth came to the Throne, Protestants, who had fled during the
reign of the persecuting Romanist Mary Tudor, returned. Many had found exile
in Geneva and had adopted the teachings of the Calvinistic Reformation known
as the “regulative principle.” This teaches that unless Scripture commends a
practice it has no place in the Church. Those who held this view and pressed
for a further reform of the Church of England became known as “Puritans.”
Some realized Elizabeth would not allow any further reforms and started to
worship apart from the Church of England. They became known as
“Separatists.”
Elizabeth died without an heir so the succession passed to James VI of
Scotland who had claim to the English Throne through his great-grandmother,
Margaret, daughter of Henry VII. Many sections of society had great hopes
when James came to the Throne in 1603.
The Conference is Called
Roman Catholics had hopes that James would favor them as his mother
was the Romanist Mary Queen of Scots. They arranged for a petition on their
behalf be sent from the King of France to the new English King. The Puritans
also had hopes that James would favor a reform of the Church of England for
James had been brought up in the Scots kirk (church). James would prove a
disappointment to many as he upheld with vigor the Elizabethan settlement.
As James ascended the Throne many pleas and petitions were sent to him. The
Puritan Petition, known as the Millenary Petition, was one he could not
overlook. It was signed by 10% of all the clergy in England, thus having a
thousand signatures and giving the name Millenary to the petition. It urged
the King to set the Church in order, to rid the Church of the remnants of
popery such as observing holy days, bowings and making the sign of the
cross.
King James called for a meeting to discuss these matters. The Puritans were
not allowed to send their own spokesman but James summoned four, John
Rainolds, Laurence Chaderton, Thomas Sparke, and John Knewstubs. The
Conference had to be postponed as the plague broke out in London. However,
James summoned the Puritans to a Conference to be held on Monday 14th
January, 1604 at Hampton Court Palace. The King and Court were at Hampton
Court as it was far enough away from the plague area. They were concluding
their Christmas festivities and these gave way to engaging the Puritans in
debate.
On the second day of the Conference the Puritans were brought to the King’s
chamber. The hostility of the monarch was evident. In support of the Church,
as it was, were 50 clergy plus other Deans, Bishops, and the Archbishop of
Canterbury. The Churchmen were dressed in their cleric robes, the Puritans
in plain gowns. The Puritans stressed four points -
1) The Doctrine of the Church to be in purity according to God’s Word;
2) Good pastors be planted in churches to preach the same;
3) Church government to be ministered according to God’s Word;
4) The Book of Common Prayer might be suited more to the increase of piety.
The Conference Resolves
As the day progressed the King argued with the Puritans and no
agreement was reached. James took up one matter on which he agreed with the
Puritan’s opinion, this being on a new translation of the Bible. In home and
study Protestants used the Geneva version of the Bible, while in church
service lessons were read from the Bishop’s Bible.
Puritan and leading Hebrew scholar, Hugh Broughton, had called for a new
translation of the Scriptures. A revision of the Bishop’s Bible which had
been translated as recently as 1568 had already been made. James himself
disliked the Geneva Bible because of its footnotes which upheld Presbyterian
Church government and denied the absolute power of Kings known as the Divine
Right of Kings.
The King ordered a new translation of the Scriptures to be made. Although
the Puritans left the Conference gaining no reforms of the Church and no
doubt somewhat dismayed, what they had gained they could not have foreseen.
The Result of the Conference
The authorization of the King for a translation of the Scriptures
brought together around 48 godly scholars in three committees. The
committees, meeting at Oxford, Cambridge, and Westminster, each took a
section of the Bible. When they had completed their work of making a literal
translation their colleagues then reviewed the translation made. Perhaps in
no other period have men of such scholarship who were also men of faith been
brought together in such a noble cause. The result was the Authorized
Version of the Bible. As this version described itself, it was translated
out of the original tongues and with the former translations diligently
compared and revised by His Majesty’s special command. Countless millions
since its publication in 1611 have cause to return thanks for the blessing
that came from that Order at Hampton Court, not least we who are alive four
hundred years later.
From the Reformer - May/June 2004
Published by:
The Protestant Alliance
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