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Book of Common PrayerThe Book of Common Prayer is the official Church of England prayerbook, and also the name for similar books used in other churches of the Anglican Communion. It has been through many revisions over the last few centuries. It contains the order to be followed in church services.
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In 1548, Thomas Cranmer has finished work on an English Communion. This was the first service to show the roots of Protestantism which were beginning to sprout in the English Church. For the first time, by an order of Parliament, Communion was to be given in both forms, bread and wine, thus necessitating a new service, or at least giving a reason for the growing Protestant faction in the church to develop such a new service. It existed as an addition to the pre-existing Latin Mass, but much of the language in this service survives till today.
One year later, in 1549, a full prayer book was published, under the leadership of Cranmer and the reign of Edward VI. (This text of the Communion is online here (http://www.eskimo.com/~lhowell/bcp1662/communion/1549/)). It was used until only 1552, when a revised version was released.
In March 21, 1556, Cranmer was burned at the stake by Mary I, who had hopes of leading her nation to a return to Roman Catholicism and punished Cranmer for his part in the reformation of England. Further Prayer Book development would continue without his instruction.
This revision's use was outlawed in 1645 by the Long Parliament as part of the increasingly Puritan ideals then developing in the nation, and, given the religious leanings of Lord Protector Cromwell, it was not subsequently replaced until shortly after the return of the monarchy to England.
The language of the 1662 revision was much unchanged from that of Cranmer, with the exception of updates to only the most archaic language from his works. This book was the one which also existed as the official Book of Common Prayer during the greatest amounts of growth of the British empire, and, as a result, has been a great influence on the prayer books of Anglican churches worldwide today, not to mention the development of the English language.
After the 1662 prayer book, development did not cease in England. A subsequent, far more Protestant revision was developed later in the 17th Century, but was mostly scrapped as the various developing denominations pressed for tolerance within England as opposed to inclusion in the liturgy of the Anglican Church. However, the works from this book greatly influenced the Prayer Books in the British colonies.
The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America has had produced numerous prayer books since their inception in 1789. Work on the first book began in 1786, which was subsequently finished and published in 1789. The preface thereto mentions that "this Church is far from intending to depart from the Church of England in any essential point of doctrine, discipline, or worship...further than local circumstances require." Further revisions to the prayer book in the United States have occurred subsequently in 1892, 1928, and 1979.
The Anglican Church of Canada developed their first Book of Common Prayer separate from the English version in 1918. A revision thereto was published in 1962. Some supplements have been developed over the past several years to the prayer book, and the Book of Alternative Services, published in 1985 is commonly used in many churches.
The Scottish Episcopal Church has had a number of revisions to the Book of Common Prayer, some of which developed simultaneously with the English book until the mid-17th century when the Scottish book began to diverge from the English version. A completely new revision was finished in 1929, and several revisions to the communion service seem to have been prepared since then (however, could someone in Scotland expound upon that?)
Here are also some links to parts of the Book of Common Prayer as used in other Anglican churches throughout the world.
Anglican Church of Australia
http://www.anglican.org.au/liturgy/
The Anglican Church In Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia
http://www.missionstclare.com/english/nz/
Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru (the Church in Wales)
http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/Wales.htm
In 1927, the proposed prayer book was finished. It was decided, during development, that the use of the services therein would be decided on by each given congregation, so as to avoid as much conflict as possible with traditionalists. With these open guidelines the book was granted approval by the Church of England Convocations and Church Assembly. However, due to the fact that the Church of England is a state church, it was required for the proposed revision to go before Parliament, who rejected it in December of that year. The next year was spent revising the book to make it more suitable for Parliament, but, yet again, in 1928 it was rejected.
The Church of England has, since, not produced any revisions to the Prayer Book, other than those required for the monarch, and for other incredibly small revisions. However, a number of books that are not the Book of Common Prayer, per se, have been developed for the order of services, namely the 1980 Alternative Service Book and the 2000 Common Worship series of books, available, respectively, at:
http://www.oremus.org/liturgy/ and
http://www.cofe.anglican.org/commonworship/
John Wesley, an Anglican minister whose teachings are ascribed as the foundations of the Methodist (and Free Methodist) movement, said, "I believe there is no Liturgy in the world, either ancient or modern language, which breathes more of a solid, scriptural, rational piety than the Common Prayer of the Church of England." Presently, most Methodist services have a very similar service and theology to that of the Anglican church.
In the 1960s, when Roman Catholicism moved towards a vernacular mass, a good deal of the translations of the English prayers followed that form of Cranmer's translation. Ironically enough, a number of theologians have suggested that the later English Alternative Service Book and 1979 American Book of Common Prayer borrowed from the Roman Catholic vernacular Lectionary.
the dread of any similar.html">similar outbreak at Rome.
Recollect, also, that now in his old age he had just witnessed the
Anastasius hunted to death by armies of mad monks about the
stained with Christian blood; everywhere mob-law.html">law, murder, treachery,
Justin was throwing himself into the party of the Orthodox with all
shutting up the Arian Churches of the Goths, refusing to hear
against those peaceable Arians, against whom, during the life-time of
persecution.
Remember, too, that Dietrich had had experience of similar outbreaks
once made the streets run with blood; that he had seen priests
with the strong arm of the law, and himself decide in favour of the
quarrels, intrigues, and slanders, which followed that election, he
he but let them, could behave as ill as that of Constantinople; and,
headed fanatic, had begun his rule by whipping and banishing
interfered in Eastern matters, had been always on the side of the
Orthodox against Basiliscus. He had backed the Orthodox and
now as soon as the Orthodox got into power under Justin, this was the
Church and Emperor of the East, he must have been not a hero, but a
out in a general plunder of the Jews. At Rome, at Milan, and Genoa
Dietrich, having compelled the Catholics to rebuild them at their own
And now Pope John was doing all he could to thwart him. Dietrich
persecuted Arians. He refused. Dietrich shipt him off, nolentem
weight into the Emperor's scale. He was received by Justin as if he
processions and wax-lights, imploring his blessing; he did exactly
return a furious epistle to the bishops of Italy, calling upon them
.
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