Historical First Editions of the Book of Common Prayer: Diverse in Faith, Unified in Whorship?

In the wake of one of the more decisive and controversial General Conventions and Canterbury’s response to the Episcopal Church’s stance on equality, many are left asking what does it mean to be Anglican?  Since its formation by Henry VIII and Cromwell in the 16th century, the Church of England and her sister provinces have hardly grown without conflict.  History has shown that we are a Church that values tradition, fights for progress, and lets former progress become tradition that prevents us from moving forward.   As a Church that defines itself by being unified in liturgy, these struggles are illustrated best through the various editions and evolution of our Book of Common Prayer.  The Cathedral Bookstore in partnership with the Order of Saint Anthony the Great and the Grey Parrot Gallery of Buckhead are thrilled to offer an exhibit of the primary editions of the Book of Common Prayer from Archbishop’s Laud’s Prayer Book of 1637 to the Prospectus of the 1979 Standard BCP.  A collection such as this is exceptionally rare outside of our oldest seminary rare book collections.  We hope you’ll take the opportunity now to see these examples of our sacred liturgy, read about how the Church has changed through the centuries and see the promise of where our evolving liturgy can take us into ministry of the 21st century.

Showing at the Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta.

Books of Common Prayer from 1637-1979