The Prayer Book Through the Ages: A Revised Edition of The Story of the Real Prayer Book

I wish that newer versions were included. Ie 2019 ACNA, REC BCPs.

The Book of Common Prayer, in its various editions, is perhaps the greatest liturgical document in the history of Christianity. It drew on the liturgical heritage from the Middle Ages and the fresh new liturgies from the Reformation, giving to the people and clergy a set of resources for truly inspiring worship, expressed by master writers from the Elizabethan age. From the first edition in 1549, it has been freshened down the centuries and has been adapted to meet the liturgical needs of churches throughout the Anglican Communion.William Syndor's history of the BCP is well-researched. He is especially helpful in highlighting the changes between the various editions, which makes the book not only worth reading but worth keeping as a useful reference.All the same, when I compare the brevity of Sydnor's book with the length of "The Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer" and Marion Hatchett's "Commentary on the American Prayer Book", it is very apparent that there is so much more to the story that deserves to be told. The battles fought over each new edition are in many ways the story of the church itself, and they were high drama, fraught with passions aflame in favor of or in opposition to proposed changes and fierce battles over issues like vestments and ornaments or the epiclesis, which Sydnor barely touches on.The first edition of Sydnor's was published in 1978, while the battles were raging over the proposed 1979 BCP, and one purpose of the book was to show people that there is a long history of prayer book revision, done for good reasons because of changes in the church and in society. The revised edition of Sydnor's book was published in 1997, and he briefly mentions the need for further revision of the BCP and points out that needed revisions are always in tension with the desirable continuity of the church's rich liturgical heritage. That tension is as great as ever today.

Sydnor does a wonderful job of explaining the history and revisions of the Book of Common Prayer with an eye on the important discussions and issues at hand prior to, during and after revisions. As such, one can beautifully see the history and development of the Episcopalian mindset and worship across the ages. An interesting book for anyone looking to understand the history and people of the Episcopal Church and its worship.

I bought this book as part of a seminary course. I read it with pleasure and will be reading it again. It is rich in the history of both Bible translation and the evolution of the Book of Common Prayer. Who knew we were so connected to the Church of Scotland?

I am almost done reading this and the semester hasn't even started yet. It is THAT good! In the introduction, it says that the history of the Book of Common Prayer was worthy of a novel and he was absolutely right. As a cradle Episcopalian, I thought I had a pretty good grasp of the Book of Common Prayer but this book taught me a lot. It is written from a broad historical perspective but there is enough detail to provide context to the historical events. Now, I am just waiting for my class to start so I can discuss it! Highly recommended!

This is now one of my favorite books. It is informative and compelling. I very much enjoyed hearing the story of the Book of common Prayer.

This is an excellent overview of the history of the BCP. I found it helpful in writing a set of lectures on the subject.

Great quick service. A+