Listed in the Historical Documents at the back of The Book of Common Prayer are the Articles of Religion. These 39 Articles were primarily developed by Thomas Cranmer and were meant to address key issues for Reformers in the Church of England during the time of the Protestant Reformation. It was necessary for clergy during that era to subscribe to them.
The Articles’ presence in the Historical Documents shows that while it is not necessary to subscribe to them in our denomination, whether in whole or in part, they do illustrate the formation of our denomination and our understanding of our core beliefs. If you want a sense of the Protestant heritage within The Episcopal Church and the broader Anglican Communion, please read them at your leisure.