The Book of Common Prayer

You can read the Book of Common Prayer here.

As you know, Pope Clement VII excommunicated Henry VII in 1533. In 1534 the Act of Submission of the Clergy removed the right of all appeals to Rome, effectively ending the Pope’s influence. The first Act of Supremacy confirmed Henry by statue as the Supreme Head of the Church of England in 1536. When Henry died and the young Edward VI attained the throne in 1547, the stage was set for some very significant changes in the religious life of the country. And so a consultation of bishops met and produced the first Book of Common Prayer. It is generally assumed that this book is largely the work of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, but, as no records of the development of the prayer book exist, this cannot be definitively determined.

The Book of Common Prayer (BCP) has its origins in a combination of various Christian liturgical traditions. Key sources include:

1. Scripture: The Bible was a foundational source, providing much of the content for prayers, psalms, and readings included in the BCP.
   
   
2. Medieval Latin Liturgies: The Roman Rite, as practiced in Western Europe, provided many of the prayers and ceremonies incorporated into the BCP.
   
   
3. The Sarum Rite: This was the predominant liturgical rite in England before the Reformation. It heavily influenced the structure and content of the BCP.
   
   
4. Continental Reformed Liturgies: Liturgies from Protestant reformers like Martin Bucer and John Calvin also influenced the BCP. Thomas Cranmer, the principal compiler, was in dialogue with many continental reformers.
   
   
5. Eastern Orthodox Liturgies: While less direct, the Eastern liturgies, especially the Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, had some influence through Cranmer’s scholarly work and his interest in early church practices.
   
   
6. Early Christian Writings: Texts from the early church fathers and other early Christian liturgical documents were consulted to ensure the BCP reflected early Christian worship practices.
   
   
7. Existing English Liturgies: Before the BCP, various local English liturgical traditions existed, and these were amalgamated and reformed in the new prayer book.

The first version of the BCP was compiled in 1549 by Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, under the reign of Edward VI. It was revised in 1552, and subsequent versions were produced in 1559, 1604, and 1662, the latter of which remains the standard for the Church of England.

*These notes are a compilation of several sources and are not exclusively my words.