The Book of Common Prayer
Book of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) is the official collection of liturgies, prayers, and services used in the Anglican Communion and churches in the Anglican tradition. First published in 1549 during the reign of Edward VI of England, it was largely the work of Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, who sought to provide a unified, English-language liturgy for the Church of England following the Reformation.
Origins
Before the Reformation, English Christians worshiped according to the Latin rites of the medieval Church—primarily the Sarum Use, but also other regional variants. The BCP replaced these diverse medieval service books (the breviary, missal, manual, and pontifical) with a single volume for clergy and laity.
Cranmer’s aim was to make worship both scriptural and accessible, emphasizing participation of the whole congregation in a language “understanded of the people.”
Historical Editions
- 1549 – The first Book of Common Prayer, moderate in tone, retaining much traditional structure.
- 1552 – Revised edition, more Protestant in theology, removing certain medieval elements.
- 1559 – Elizabethan Settlement version, establishing a liturgical compromise that endured.
- 1604 – Minor revision under James I of England.
- 1662 – Standard edition following the Restoration; became the authoritative text for the Church of England and much of the Anglican world.
- 20th–21st century – Anglican provinces worldwide produced revised prayer books in contemporary language, such as the Book of Common Prayer (1928) in the USA, the 1962 Canadian edition, and the 2019 BCP of the Anglican Church in North America.
Content
The BCP includes:
- Daily Offices (Morning and Evening Prayer)
- The Litany
- Holy Communion (The Lord’s Supper)
- Pastoral Offices (Baptism, Matrimony, Visitation of the Sick, Burial of the Dead)
- Psalms and Collects
- Calendar of Holy Days and Lectionary
Influence
The cadences of Cranmer’s English profoundly shaped both Anglican worship and the wider English language. Phrases such as “till death us do part,” “earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” and “read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest” entered common use through the BCP.
Outside the Anglican tradition, the BCP influenced Protestant liturgies, the development of the English Bible tradition, and English literature more broadly, from William Shakespeare to T. S. Eliot.
Anglican Use Today
While many provinces now use contemporary liturgies, the 1662 BCP remains normative for the Church of England and is constitutionally established. Newer texts, such as Common Worship (2000), exist alongside the historic book. Traditionalist parishes and prayer book societies continue to advocate for its use, especially in Anglican identity formation.
Commemoration
The Church of England commemorates the introduction of the first Book of Common Prayer on 9 June.
See Also
Sources
- The Book of Common Prayer (1662).
- Diarmaid MacCulloch, Thomas Cranmer: A Life.
- The Prayer Book Society (UK).
- Charles Hefling & Cynthia Shattuck (eds.), The Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer (Oxford University Press, 2006).