A A Companion to the Book of Common Prayer

Reverend Dr Gerald Bray gained his doctorate from Paris-Sorbonne. He worked as Anglican Professor of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School, and is now a Research Professor at the same institution. He is also Director of Research at the Latimer Trust. His previous publications with James Clarke & Co. include The Books of Homilies: A Critical Edition (2016), The Institution of a Christian Man (2018), and Documents of the English Reformation (third edition 2020).

Preface and Acknowledgements ix
1. History of the Book of Common Prayer 1
Before the Reformation 4
The Reformation Era 23
Since the Reformation 75
2. Introductory Material 103
The Preface 103
Concerning the Service of the Church 112
Of Ceremonies 117
The Order How the Psalter Is Appointed to Be Read 122
The Order How the Rest of Holy Scripture
Is Appointed to Be Read 126
Rules Governing the Moveable and
Immoveable Feasts 131
The Calendar 138
3. The Daily Offices 148
Morning and Evening Prayer 148
Appendices to the Daily Offices 182
4. Collects, Epistles and Gospels 198
Collects 199
Epistles and Gospels 244
5. The Lord's Supper 255
What's in a Name? 255
Basic Principles 257
Historical Developments 260
The Reformation 269
The Ante-Communion 274
The Communion 301
The Post-Communion 322
Excursus: From the 1637 Scottish BCP to the 1789
American BCP 326
The Appended Collects 329
The Closing Rubrics 330
6. Christian Initiation336
Introduction 336
The Forgotten History 338
The Reformation 344
The Reformed Baptismal Rites 348
English Baptismal Rites 350
Public Baptism of Infants (1552/1662) 361
Private Baptism of Infants (1552/1662) 376
Adult Baptism (1662) 378
The Catechism 382
Confirmation 388
7. Matrimony 393
Historical Introduction 393
The Reformation 398
The Preliminaries to the Marriage Service 398
The Marriage Service 403
The Post-Matrimonial Service 407
8. Other Services and Rites410
The Visitation and Communion of the Sick 410
The Burial of the Dead 416
The Thanksgiving of Women after Childbirth 424
A Commination 426
Forms of Prayer to Be Used at Sea 431
The State Services 434
9. The Ordinal 438
Introduction 438
Theological Questions 439
The Reformed Church of England 443
The Nomenclature 447
The Title and Preface 451
The Making of Deacons 456
The Ordering of Priests 459
The Consecration of an Archbishop or Bishop 465
10. The Articles of Religion 471
Bibliography 477
Index 485
Holy Scripture and Early Christian Writings 485
Names and Places 493
Subjects 498
Liturgies and Rites 504
Church Councils 505
Parliamentary Statutes and Measures 506