Book Cover of The Book of Common Prayer, 1662: selections

The Book of Common Prayer, 1662: selections

by The Parliament of England

The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign of King Edward VI of England, was a product of the English Reformation following the break with Rome. The work of 1549 was the first prayer book to include the complete forms of service for daily and Sunday worship in English. It contained Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, the Litany, and Holy Communion and also the occasional services in full: the orders for Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage, "prayers to be said with the sick", and a funeral service. It also set out in full the "propers" (that is the parts of the service which varied week by week or, at times, daily throughout the Church's Year): the introits, collects, and epistle and gospel readings for the Sunday service of Holy Communion. Old Testament and New Testament readings for daily prayer were specified in tabular format as were the Psalms and canticles, mostly biblical, that were provided to be said or sung between the readings. The 1549 book was soon succeeded by a more Reformed revision in 1552 under the same editorial hand, that of Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury. It was used only for a few months, as after Edward VI's death in 1553, his half-sister Mary I restored Roman Catholic worship. Mary died in 1558 and, in 1559, Elizabeth I reintroduced the 1552 book with modifications to make it acceptable to more traditionally minded worshippers and clergy. In 1604, James I ordered some further changes, the most significant being the addition to the Catechism of a section on the Sacraments. Following the tumultuous events surrounding the English Civil War, when the Prayer Book was again abolished, another modest revision was published in 1662. That edition remains the official prayer book of the Church of England, although through the later twentieth century, alternative forms which were technically supplements have largely displaced the Book of Common Prayer for the main Sunday worship of most English parish churches. Various permutations of the Book of Common Prayer with local variations are used in churches within and exterior to the Anglican Communion in over 50 countries and over 150 different languages. In many of these churches, the 1662 prayer book remains authoritative even if other books or patterns have replaced it in regular worship. Traditional English-language Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian prayer books have borrowed from the Book of Common Prayer, and the marriage and burial rites have found their way into those of other denominations and into the English language. Like the King James Version of the Bible and the works of Shakespeare, many words and phrases from the Book of Common Prayer have entered common parlance.

Book Details

Language

English

Original Language

English

Published In

1662

Authors

The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great coun...

Books by The Parliament of England

Download eBooks

Unfortunately, no ebooks exist for this book, yet...

Listen/Download Audiobook

Read by:
00:00
Playback Speed 1.0
00:00
  • Select Speed

Related books

Beacon Lights of History, Vol 2: Jewish Heroes and Prophets Cover image

Beacon Lights of History, Vol 2: Jewish Heroes and Prophets by John Lord

Embark on a captivating journey through the annals of history, illuminated by the lives of extraordinary Jewish heroes and prophets. In John Lord's "B...

The Life of God in the Soul of Man Cover image

The Life of God in the Soul of Man by Henry Scougal

“In many ways we are still living in the spiritual momentum that was created during the Great Awakening…and in the midst of the Great Awakening there...

My Life in Christ: Extracts from the Diary of Saint John of Kronstadt Cover image

My Life in Christ: Extracts from the Diary of Saint John of Kronstadt by Saint John of Kronstadt

Moments of Spiritual Serenity and Contemplation, of Reverent Feeling, of Earnest Self-Amendment, and of Peace in God.

Fabiola or The Church of the Catacombs Cover image

Fabiola or The Church of the Catacombs by Cardinal Nicholas Patrick Wiseman

Set in 4th-century Rome, Fabiola tells the story of a young, privileged Roman woman who undergoes a profound spiritual transformation after encounteri...

Art of Dying Well Cover image

Art of Dying Well by St. Robert Bellarmine

The Art of Dying Well is a classic guidebook for Christians who want to prepare for a good death and enter heaven. Written by Saint Robert Bellarmine...

Maude  Cover image

Maude by Christina Rossetti

The protagonist is 15-year-old Maude Foster, a quiet and serious girl who writes poetry that explores the tensions between religious devotion and worl...

Historical Sketches of the Catholic Church in Oregon, During the Past Forty Years Cover image

Historical Sketches of the Catholic Church in Oregon, During the Past Forty Years by François Norbert Blanchet

This book is a first-hand account of the experiences of Fr. Norbert Blanchet and his fellow missionaries to Oregon in the 1830’s and 1840’s. The origi...

Expository Thoughts on the Gospels - St. John Vol. 3 Cover image

Expository Thoughts on the Gospels - St. John Vol. 3 by J. C. Ryle

This volume, the third in J. C. Ryle's comprehensive series "Expository Thoughts on the Gospels," delves into the Gospel of John, offering detailed ex...

Psalms: Three Classic English Translations Cover image

Psalms: Three Classic English Translations by King James Version

The Psalms are a collection of 150 religious poems that are traditionally attributed to King David. They are part of the Hebrew Bible and have been an...

Bíblia (Almeida) 20: Provérbios de Salomão Cover image

Bíblia (Almeida) 20: Provérbios de Salomão by Almeida Version

O Livro dos Provérbios é uma obra atribuída a Salomão que contém provérbios (como ditos populares) e textos sobre a sabedoria, como obtê-la e sua impo...

Reviews for The Book of Common Prayer, 1662: selections

No reviews posted or approved, yet...