An exploration of the history of the Book of Common Prayer and its revisions, beginning with the 1549 English Prayer Book and continuing up to the present. This revised and expanded version finishes the story of the final adoption of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Sydnor explores why each revision was necessary, what was changed, added, omitted, as well as what was retained in the “new” book. By understanding the delicate balance between the need for change and the preservation of what is timeless, William Sydnor believes that Episcopalians will “find anew that common ground of common prayer which is our legacy, our inspiration, and our joy.” "A lucid, informative, and engaging history, The Prayer Book Through the Ages is further enhanced for the serious student with extensive chapter notes, an extensive bibliography, and a comprehensive index." -- The Midwest Book Review ". . . a comprehensive overview of the liturgical history of the BCP through the adoption of the 1979 edition . . . This would make a useful addition to catechism classes (and probably ought to be read by every Episcopalian who wants to know the basics about the central nonbiblical text of our communion)." --Kenneth Arnold, The Episcopal New Yorker "A lucid, informative, and engaging history, The Prayer Book Through the Ages is further enhanced for the serious student with extensive chapter notes, an extensive bibliography, and a comprehensive index." -- The Midwest Book Review ". . . a comprehensive overview of the liturgical history of the BCP through the adoption of the 1979 edition . . . This would make a useful addition to catechism classes (and probably ought to be read by every Episcopalian who wants to know the basics about the central nonbiblical text of our communion)." --Kenneth Arnold, The Episcopal New Yorker William Sydnor was an Episcopal priest and a long-time rector of Christ Church in Alexandria, VA. He is the author of The Prayer Book Through the Ages and Looking at the Episcopal Church. He died in 2000. THE PRAYER BOOK THROUGH THE AGES Revised Edition of The Story of the Real Prayer Book By William Sydnor Church Publishing Incorporated Copyright © 1978 William Sydnor All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-8192-1509-3 Contents PrefaceChapter I An Extraordinary BookChapter II The First English Prayer Books, 1549 and 1552Chapter III The Book of 1559Chapter IV The Book of 1604Chapter V The Book of 1662Chapter VI The First American Prayer Book, 1789Chapter VII The Book of 1892Chapter VIII The Book of 1928Chapter IX The Book of 1979Chapter X Prospective—Looking ForwardChapter XI A Universal TreasureChapter XII What Lies AheadAppendixA The Changeless and the Changing Prayer BookB The Prayer Book Society's Post-Convention EffortNotesBibliographyIndex CHAPTER 1 AN EXTRAORDINARY BOOK When you put pen to paper, you expect your written word to endure long enough tocarry out its intended purpose. That may be only a matter of minutes or hoursfor some minor note or message. It may be a matter of days or years forsomething more permanent. Thomas Cranmer who was Archbishop of Canterbury duringthe reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI never dreamed that the fruit of his penwould differ from that pattern. He certainly did not foresee that the Book ofCommon Prayer which he and a few colleagues compiled and which first appeared inMarch 1549 would still be in use over 400 years later. He could not haveimagined that its phrases and services would become so embedded in the minds ofEnglish-speaking folk around the globe that the celebration of life's milestoneevents—baptism, marriage, burial—would naturally be expressed in hisvenerable words. This extraordinary piece of liturgical history deserves to be rehearsed andknown for it belongs to all of us regardless of our ecclesiastical affiliation. Here, then, is the story of that 440 years in the life of the Book of CommonPrayer. There have been eight times through the centuries when this venerablebook of worship and devotion might have been retired to a dusty shelf andforgotten. But instead, it was revised, updated, and with renewed vitality leadsa new generation of worshippers into God's presence. CHAPTER 2 THE FIRST ENGLISH PRAYER BOOKS, 1549 AND 1552 The first Book of Common Prayer was published in March, 1549, and has come to beknown as the First Book of Edward VI, the King of England at the time. It wasnot the work of one man, although Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury underHenry VIII and Edward VI, is certainly the mastermind behind it. There were several conditions which interacted and resulted in the creation ofthat 1549 Book. The first of these was the fact that the Roman Church ofCranmer's day functioned with at least six different liturgical books which hadbeen in regular use in the West since the eleventh, possibly the ninthcentury—the Missale which contained the Canon of the Mass; the Breviarium ,which contained the Daily Offices o