Sources

The Book of Common Prayer

Citation Formats

General Reference

Divinity Atlas. "The Book of Common Prayer." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/the-book-of-common-prayer.

APA Style

Divinity Atlas. (n.d.). The Book of Common Prayer. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/the-book-of-common-prayer

BibTeX

@misc{divinityatlas-the-book-of-common-prayer,
  author = {Divinity Atlas},
  title = {The Book of Common Prayer},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://www.divinityatlas.com/sources/the-book-of-common-prayer},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

This is Brian Cummings's independent scholarly critical edition of the Book of Common Prayer, presenting the 1549, 1559 and 1662 texts side by side from their earliest printings, with an introduction and notes on how the three versions differ from each other. Cummings is a historian of English literature and religion at the University of York who specializes in the English Reformation, and the edition works directly from the earliest printed texts of each version rather than from a later church reprint. The atlas rates it at its top tier because it is an independent scholarly edition built from primary printed sources, checkable against those printings, rather than the Church of England's own current restatement of its own liturgy. It is strong evidence for the exact historical wording of each of the three versions and for what changed between them. It says nothing about the church's currently authorised liturgy, since a historical critical edition documents past texts rather than present practice; a claim about current Anglican liturgical use needs the church's own current publication instead.

Facts

Citation

Author

Church of England; ed. Brian Cummings

Publisher

Oxford University Press (Oxford World's Classics)

Publication Year

2011

URL

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-book-of-common-prayer-9780199645206

Source Type

primary-text

Assessment

Reliability Tier

Independent scholarly critical edition, not the tradition's own account of itself, which is why it sits at tier one rather than tier three.

Notes

Cited from Brian Cummings's edition, which presents the 1549, 1559 and 1662 texts side by side from their earliest printings, with an introduction and notes on how the versions differ from one another.

Claims Backed By This Source (204 claims)

This source backs 204 claims across the atlas. As facts: 67 well-attested. As cited relationships: 68 holds, 1 connected, 4 critiqued Here, 3 held Differently. Plus 61 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.

Disposition By Topic

Prayers, 52 claims: 26 well-attested, 17 holds, 9 general references.
Holidays & Festivals, 36 claims: 18 holds, 18 general references.
Practices, 27 claims: 8 well-attested, 5 holds, 4 critiqued Here, 10 general references.
Denominations, 25 claims: 7 well-attested, 12 holds, 1 connected, 2 held Differently, 3 general references.
Rituals, 19 claims: 2 well-attested, 8 holds, 9 general references.
Articles, 10 claims: 10 well-attested.
Beliefs & Restrictions, 8 claims: 1 well-attested, 3 holds, 4 general references.
Sources, 8 claims: 8 well-attested.
Doctrines, 7 claims: 1 well-attested, 2 holds, 1 held Differently, 3 general references.
Sacred Objects & Ritual Items, 6 claims: 3 well-attested, 2 holds, 1 general references.
Figures, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
Sacred Sound, 2 claims: 1 holds, 1 general references.
Hymns & Liturgical Texts, 1 claims: 1 general references.
Regions, 1 claims: 1 general references.