Dear Sir,
In the October Anglican Update Susie Leafe, Director of Reform, refers to Article 19 of The Thirty-Nine Articles (‘of the Church’) which she paraphrases to refer to ‘the local congregation in which the pure Word of God is preached ....’ There is no ‘local congregation’ in the original.
By the time this Article was written, ‘congregation’ was rather fluid and could refer, as in the contemporary Book of Homilies, to the whole universal church. Even if it is speaking of an ideal church it is unlikely that it has the local parish congregation in mind when it goes on to speak of the churches of Jerusalem, Alexandria, etc. It tells they have erred, and adds: ‘as also the Church of Rome hath erred, not only in their manner of living and manner of Ceremonies, but also in matters of Faith.’
