Book of Common Prayer

Book of Common Prayer (in full the Book of Common Prayer and Administration of the Sacraments and Other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church), the official prayer book of the Church of England and of Anglican churches in other countries, including the Episcopal church in the United States. The first complete version of the Book of Common Prayer appeared in 1549 at the time of the Reformation, during the reign of Edward VI; its use was made compulsory by Parliament. It followed other church reforms and was the result of the work begun during the reign of Edward's father, Henry VIII, under the direction of Thomas Cranmer and Nicholas Ridley. Their aim was to produce a book in the vernacular that would be a unified and simplified equivalent of the Roman Catholic liturgical books. Used with the Bible and an authorized hymnal, it provided all of the formularies for Anglican worship, from morning and evening prayers and the liturgy of Holy Communion to the rites for the sacraments and visitation of the sick. An Ordinal (ordination service) was added in 1550.

A revised version of the Book of Common Prayer, sometimes called the Second Prayer Book of Edward VI, appeared in 1552, and its use, too, was made compulsory by Parliament. This version differed radically from the earlier one. The structure of the Holy Communion service was changed, many ceremonies were eliminated, and the vestments worn by the clergy were simplified. Eight months after its appearance, it was suppressed by Queen Mary I, who reintroduced Latin as the language to be used in services in the Church of England.

After Queen Elizabeth I ascended the throne in 1558, the Book of Common Prayer was amended, and the prayer book, which in the new version tended toward Roman Catholicism, was restored to use; further amendments in a Roman Catholic direction were made in 1604, during the reign of James I. During the Commonwealth the Book of Common Prayer was suppressed, but in 1662, following the restoration of the monarchy, its use was again made compulsory. Because the amendments made in the 1662 version were also in a Roman Catholic direction, many Puritans defected from the established church. Only minor amendments were made in the Book of Common Prayer after 1662 in England. The formation of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the U.S. in 1783 necessitated a revised prayer book for American use. It was ratified in 1789; further revisions were made in 1892, 1928, and 1979. It is basically the same book used by other members of the Anglican communion.