book of common prayer
Noun: * The official liturgical book of the Anglican Communion: The Book of Common Prayer is the authorized service book containing the prescribed forms of worship, prayers, and rites (such as for daily prayers, Holy Communion, baptism, marriage, and burial) for the Church of England and many other churches within the Anglican tradition.
The term is used as a proper noun, typically capitalized, to refer to this specific historical and religious text. * It is the central liturgical text for Anglican worship. * It is often cited for the literary quality and influence of its English prose.
- The vicar read the evening service from the Book of Common Prayer.
- The language of the Book of Common Prayer has had a profound impact on English literature.
- The 1662 version of the Book of Common Prayer is still used in some churches today.
- "To swear on the Book of Common Prayer": To take a solemn oath, often in a legal or official context, using this book.
- Witnesses in court traditionally swore an oath on the Book of Common Prayer.
- The book is sometimes referenced metonymically to represent Anglican doctrine, tradition, or formal worship.
- His theology was firmly rooted in the Book of Common Prayer.
- Prayer Book: A common, informal synonym, though it can refer to liturgical books of other Christian denominations.
- BCP: A standard abbreviation used in academic and theological writing.
- Common Prayer: The concept of standardized, communal prayer as distinct from private devotion, which the book embodies.
- Anglican Missal (though this is a different, often supplementary, liturgical book).
- Liturgy (in the general sense of prescribed forms of public worship, but not a direct synonym for the book itself).
This term has a single, specific referent as a proper noun. It does not have multiple meanings in the way a common noun might. Its significance is historical, theological, and literary.
- the Anglican service book of the Church of England; has had several revisions since the Reformation and is widely admired for the dignity and beauty of its language