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Bible Dictionaries
English Post Reformation Oaths
1910 New Catholic Dictionary
Oaths exacted by the Crown after it had imposed Protestantism on England. The Oath of Royal Supremacy introduced by Henry VIII, 1534, repealed by Mary and revived by Elizabeth, was chiefiy concerned with the succession. The Oath of Allegiance to James I, also called the Oath of Obedience, introduced 1606, doing away with the deposing power of the pope, was objectionably worded, fraudulently intended, and a dishonor to the Holy See; its infiuence was great and its consequences lasting and far-reaching. These oaths fell into temporary desuetude when the Puritans came into power, and the Oath of Adjuration under the Commonwealth, 1643, imposed monstrous penalties on anyone refusing to take it, the refusal branding him a papist; this oath, however, was sparingly enforced. The Test Oath, 1672,1678, also called the Declaration of Attestation Oath, compelling office holders to make a "declaration against Transubstantiation" and other tenets, marks the consummation of English anti-Catholic legislation, as it insured that no Catholic could be admitted to office without renouncing his faith. The Quebec Acts 1771, was the first tolerant measure for Catholics since Mary's reign. The Irish Oath, 1774, was followed by the so-called relief bills, and other tests involving also English Catholics, until, owing to the influence of Daniel O'Connell and the Irish, Catholic Emancipation was granted, 1829, without any tests.
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Entry for 'English Post Reformation Oaths'. 1910 New Catholic Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/​dictionaries/​eng/​ncd/​e/english-post-reformation-oaths.html. 1910.