Protestant Church History Books : The Book of Common Prayer, 1559: The Elizabethan Prayer Book

The Book of Common Prayer, 1559: The Elizabethan Prayer Book

£12.78


The unbroken chain... - The Book of Common Prayer is the core of the Anglican identity. Since 1662, the standard bearer has been the primary Book of Common Prayer used by the Church of England, however, there have been many variations and developments, both supplemental liturgies and entire, new Books of Common Prayer among daughter churches throughout the world. However, the 1662 Book of Common Prayer was itself the product of over a hundred years of development in the theological and worship life of the Church of England. Never was that development as varied and controversial as during the period between Henry VIII s break from Rome, through his Protestant successor Edward (or rather, through Edward s officials), back to the Roman Catholic Mary, and then to the Elizabethan period, in which a via media was attempted of sorts. The 1559 Prayer Book was not the first, there were two predecessors -- one in 1549, and another in 1552, both done during Edward VI s brief boyhood reign. At this time, the Protestants who had been held back by Henry gained ascendancy, only to lose it again in 1553 when the young king died unexpectedly, and the people rallied to the Roman Catholic Mary, who reinstituted the Latin Missal and Breviary, used until her death in 1558, when the Protestant Elizabeth ascended the throne. The 1559 Book of Common Prayer is a revision of the 1552, only slightly, but given that the unbroken continuity of the Book of Common Prayer s usage dates from this book, it makes sense to be a significant text for study. Elizabeth was a Protestant-Humanist, very much a character of the age, and this sentiment is reflected in the text of the Book of Common Prayer. However, the English have long been a traditional lot, and the similarities of English liturgies to Roman Catholic predecessors (particularly when compared with many continental forms of Protestantism) is no mistake. Indeed, Puritans would view the book as still too popish . The Book of Common Prayer was long an instrument of state (indeed, it still is, in legal theory) and as such had more than just a theological significance. And, as an instrument of the state that was not always obeyed, sometimes the book was more honoured in the breech than in the observance. Anglican scholar John Booty edited this edition based upon published by Richard Jugge and John Cawode in 1559. It is housed in the Boston Public Library (Booty gives history of the text and its provenance). Booty describes the variations in texts from the time, minor additions and subtractions, some of which were incorporated here, and others not. Booty did correct typographical errors and modernise spelling and punctuation to a minor degree (unfortunately, for the scholarly, often without note, unless the modern spelling changes pronunciation). Some of these are to conform to English standards that did not come into practice until the advent of the Authorised Version of the Bible (King James) in 1611. In addition to the text of the Book of Common Prayer, Booty includes an interesting 50-page essay on the history of this version of the BCP, a good selection of notations, a reasonable bibliography (alas, out-of-date, but good up to its time), and a biblical index. The text incorporates actual rubrics ( rubric has the old meaning of red print , which is so printed in this text, the notes of practice and ritual around the words). Those who follow Book of Common Prayer liturgies in their own churches will be intrigued with the similarities and the differences. Christians of other denominations will be interested in the borrowings and the variations. Historians will find this useful in many ways. A worthy text.




The Book of Common Prayer, 1559: The Elizabethan Prayer Book