Sources

The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion

Citation Formats

General Reference

Divinity Atlas. "The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/sources/the-thirty-nine-articles-of-religion.

APA Style

Divinity Atlas. (n.d.). The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/sources/the-thirty-nine-articles-of-religion

BibTeX

@misc{divinityatlas-the-thirty-nine-articles-of-religion,
  author = {Divinity Atlas},
  title = {The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/sources/the-thirty-nine-articles-of-religion},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

The Church of England's own Elizabethan era doctrinal articles, dating from 1571, defining the Church's position on core points of Christian doctrine at the time of the English Reformation. This is a primary text carrying the Church of England's own institutional authorship, which this atlas marks as a custodian source: the Church of England itself is the origin of this text, not an outside author describing it. It sits at this atlas's top tier as the direct primary record of what the Articles themselves state. It is authoritative for what the historical Articles say; it is not evidence for how the modern Anglican Communion currently applies or interprets them, which is a separate and evolving question. This atlas also holds the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church's own Articles of Religion as a separate record, which that record's own text describes as derived from these Articles and abridged for American Methodists by John Wesley in 1784; citing both together for the same doctrinal claim is the same Reformation-era text counted twice across a documented line of abridgment, not two independent confessions.

Facts

Assessment

Reliability Tier

The Church of England's own Elizabethan era doctrinal articles, dating from 1571, the Church's own primary institutional statement of its position on core points of Christian doctrine at the time of the English Reformation.

Notes

The Elizabethan doctrinal articles of the Church of England.

Citation

Author

Church of England

Publication Year

1571

URL

https://www.anglicancommunion.org/resource/thirty-nine-articles-of-religion/

Source Type

primary-text

Custodian

Custodian Source

Yes

Custodian Body

Church of England

Custodian Basis

The doctrinal articles of a church, adopted by that church. Authoritative for what the Church of England holds.

Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Anglican Communion

This source names Anglican Communion directly: "it is not evidence for how the modern Anglican Communion currently applies or interprets them, which is a separate and evolving question."

Source The Thirty-Nine Articles of ReligionChurch of Englandthe holders' own account

Church of England

This source names Church of England directly: "The Church of England's own Elizabethan era doctrinal articles, dating from 1571, defining the Church's position on core points of Christian doctrine at the time of the English Reformation."

Source The Thirty-Nine Articles of ReligionChurch of Englandthe holders' own account

John Wesley

This source names John Wesley directly: "abridged for American Methodists by John Wesley in 1784; citing both together for the same doctrinal claim is the same Reformation-era text counted twice across a documented line of abridgment, not..."

Source The Thirty-Nine Articles of ReligionChurch of Englandthe holders' own account

Popular Derivatives of This Work

Articles of Religion, What We Believe, The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (thecmechurch.org)

This record's own text states plainly that its foundational doctrines are "derived from the Church of England and abridged by John Wesley for Methodists in America in 1784"; a documented abridgment of the Church of England's Thirty-Nine Articles, which this register holds as a separate record, not an independently drafted confession.

Source Articles of Religion, What We Believe, The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (thecmechurch.org)The Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Claims Backed By This Source (222 claims)

This source backs 222 claims across the atlas. As facts: 33 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate. As cited relationships: 58 holds, 6 critiqued Here, 8 rejected Here, 60 held Differently. Plus 56 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.

Disposition By Topic

Scriptures & Texts, 71 claims: 4 holds, 55 held Differently, 12 general references.
Doctrines, 36 claims: 1 well-attested, 12 holds, 1 critiqued Here, 4 rejected Here, 3 held Differently, 15 general references.
Beliefs & Restrictions, 34 claims: 11 well-attested, 13 holds, 10 general references.
Denominations, 32 claims: 7 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 13 holds, 4 rejected Here, 2 held Differently, 5 general references.
Sources, 13 claims: 10 well-attested, 3 holds.
Creeds & Confessions, 10 claims: 2 well-attested, 7 holds, 1 general references.
Practices, 8 claims: 4 critiqued Here, 4 general references.
Religious Roles & Titles, 8 claims: 3 holds, 1 critiqued Here, 4 general references.
Rituals, 6 claims: 3 holds, 3 general references.
Historical Periods, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
Articles, 1 claims: 1 well-attested.
Regions, 1 claims: 1 general references.