The official manual for worship services of the Church of England, representing, in Dermaid MacCulloch's opinion, the restrained dignity and sobriety of the public and ceremonial face of the English Reformation.
Its Origin & Intention
Largely the work of Thomas Cranmer, its intention is spelled out in the middle adjective of the work's title: it was to be "common," i.e., a work that would bring the ordinary people into full and corporate worship when, in the past, they had been sidelined as ignorant audiences in a liturgy in which Latin—incomprehensive to the common people—was used and the clergy "did" all the "worshipping." Though most clergy lazily go through the motion in their use of the BCP, when it is thoughtfully and "Spirit-filled-ly" used, a worship service conducted along the lines intended by the BCP is a pagean of polyphonic drama as the congregation—each on his/her own but also simulataneously one with the rest of the gathered faithful—responds to the lead of their leaders in worship to God.
Its History
Such a work could not possibly have been introduced in Henry III's reign; he was essentially a "Roman Catholic without a pope." The opportunity came when Edward VI. The BCP first came into use in 1549, and into sharp criticism by continental reformers for some of the old Roman practices it kept. A revised edition was issued in 1552. This edition was short lived; Edward died the following year, the BCP was abolished when Mary succeeded to the throne and began to restore the Church to the See of Rome (and Cranmer was himself martyred in the flames). The BCP was restored—with some small changes—when Mary died and Elizabeth came to the throne in 1559. It never found favour with the Puritans and Calvinists who viewed it as a 'stinted, prescipt liturgy,' which gave no room for freer and extempore expression of worship.
King Charles I, in his eagerness to impose an episcopal worship on the Scottish Kirk, introduced a version of the BCP to them and aroused such a protest that it resulted in the signing of the National Covenant. Foolishly he decided to war against the Scots resulting in two wars (Bishops' Wars and the English Civil War and his eventual execution. The final edition of the BCP came out in 1662 in the reign of Charles II; this is still held to be the most elegant and 'definitive' work of Western liturgy by many.
Its Influence
The BCP—given its origin—naturally became an iconic national work in Britain. It is not overstating the case to assert that the BCP, paired with the King James Bible, has shaped "English culture" far more definitely than any other single factor in English history. But the BCP has never remained a strictly "English" work. Almost immediately upon its birth, it has been translated into other languages. With British imperialism spreading English influence over an expire upon which, once upon a time, "the sun never set," the influence of the BCP is trully international. David Griffiths estimated, in 2002, that there are some 4800 editions worldwide, of which about 1200 are in the vernacular "from Acholi of Uganda to Zulu."
Further Reading:
Dairmaid MacCulloch, All Things Made New. Writings on the Reformation. London: Penguin, 2017. Esp. 136-48.
Brian Cummings, ed., The Book of Common Prayers: The Texts of 1549, 1559, and 1662. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011.
D. N. Griffiths, ed., The Bibliography of the Book of Common Prayers, 1549-1999. London: British Library Board, 2002.
C. Hefling & C. Shattuck, eds., The Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer. A Worldwide Survey. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Resources:
Joshua Steel, "Using the Book of Common Prayer (BCP) on a Daily Basis: 3 Things You Should Know!" Anglican Compass, 2020.
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