Emblem of Faith Untouched

A Short Life of Thomas Cranmer

By: Leslie Winfield Williams

Narrated by: Philip Zoutendam

Relates one of the most remarkable lives in the tumultuous English Reformation. Thomas Cranmer was the first Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, the author of the Book of Common Prayer, and a central figure in the English Protestant Reformation. Few theologians have led such an eventful life: Cranmer helped Henry VIII break with the pope, pressed his vision of the Reformation through the reign of Edward VI, was forced to recant under Queen Mary, and then dramatically withdrew his recantations before being burned alive. This lively biography by Leslie Williams narrates Cranmer's life from the beginning, through his education and history with the monarchy, to his ecclesiastical trials, and eventual martyrdom. Williams portrays Cranmer's ongoing struggle to reconcile his two central loyalties - allegiance to the crown, and fidelity to the Reformation faith - as she tells his fascinating life story.

©2016 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (P)2017 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Interesting Biography. Nice narration

I didn't know much about Cranmer. Helpful biography that touches on all the high points without excessive detail. Solid narration by Zoutendam. Beautiful voice.

Inspiring history, substandard narration

Great summary of Cranmer’s life and a superb introduction to a critically important historical figure. But the narrator needs to know how to pronounce the words he reads (and this wasn’t an issue of British or American English). And how his error of confusing Jane Grey and Jame Seymour slipped through the review process is indefensible. I strongly recommend the book get a new narration, because this is in length and material a perfect book for the audio format.

Informative, yet approachable biography of Cranmer

Maintains many typically missing details that paint a fuller picture of Cranmer's life, and the intrigues of court, and his would-be detractors. Clarifies details about Cranmer's theological and liturgical reformations which are not favourable to Anglo-Catholic revisionism. Robustly informative.

An Important Reformer in His Own Right

From a purely personal perspective, I was raised a Lutheran but I have always been interested in other protestant reformers of the Church, and Thomas Cranmer played the key role in England in this regard. I enjoyed this book, in which I gain a better view of this man and his contributions to that general cause. Each European country developed its own version of Protestantism that worked for them and this book provides that background in this case quite well. I appreciate Thomas Cranmer, who was quite sympathetic to the Lutherans from very early on, agreeing with many of their ideas and even secretly marrying a German woman who was the daughter of one of the German reformers of the time. Thomas Cranmer is on the Lutheran commemorative calendar and rightfully so. Although he had to work from a different starting point and proceed more cautiously in his country with his style of reform, he did achieve in my opinion, more than any other in the establishment of the Church of England and in the end, died for his beliefs. This book,, to me, is an important addition to anyone's desire towards greater understanding of the Protestant reformation as a whole and how it so greatly impacted the modern Western World in so many ways.

Why people hate on narrator? Not bad imo

Everyone says the narrator was bad, but honestly, it’s not bad. I listened to it at x1.9, but to me it sounded soft and soothing