First Book of Common Prayer

Question 1

What did the December 1549 first Book of Common Prayer provide?

Answer 1

• a new liturgy to be used in parish churches

Question 2

What did the Act of Uniformity state?

Answer 2

• all members of the clergy and laity had to accept the new doctrine of the Church of England
• from ‘Whit Sunday’ all had to supersede the old Sarum Use

Question 3

Give an example of a key practice/ belief that was challenged in the first Book of Common Prayer?

Answer 3

• at baptism the practice of exorcising the child with salt was considered important to Catholics and it was removed
• deemed to be superstitious and having no basis in Christianity

Question 4

What was the most significant new aspect of the new Mass from the first Book of Common Prayer? Expand a little

Answer 4

• the wording and practise of the Eucharist
• liturgy was re-written to dispel the belief that the Mass was a re-enactment of Christ’s sacrifice
• the laity would receive the chalice for the first time
• the Mass was to be in English

Question 5

How did the first BofCP confront the issue of transubstantiation?

Answer 5

• it didn’t openly refer to it, the wording suggested that the laity were being given the body and blood of Christ
• there were symbols of the cross that were still featured which allowed the laity to believe that transubstantiation was still occurring

Question 6

What was the reaction to the first BofCP?

Answer 6

• many of the laity were disturbed by the changes, especially the abolition of the Latin
• too much compromise for Protestants

Question 7

Why did the people of Devon and Cornwall especially not like the English?

Answer 7

• most of them spoke Cornish and saw English as the language of those who threatened their independence

Question 8

Why did the laity object to English?

Answer 8

• Latin was the universal language of worship

- it was shared with all of Christendom

Question 9

In ways was the First Book of Common Prayer not all that radical?

Answer 9

• basically just a translation of the English prayer book

- based on the Sarum Use - most commonly used Latin prayer book

Question 10

Who approved this book?

Answer 10

• committee of 13 clerics who met in September and October

Question 11

Although English prayers had already been included in Latin services and completely English services in St Paul’s and other London churches, why was this still significant?

Answer 11

• it was the first time that the only legal services were in English

Question 12

How did Cranmer feel about the prayer book?

Answer 12

• only ever a temporary stop-gap measure

- he was already moving towards the Zwinglian belief that the mass itself was already symbolic